Pretty hurts: 4 real-life beauty horror stories

Beauty horror stories
Photography via xoVain

By Calle Hack/xoVain

We’ve all had our Dr. Frankenstein moments of trial and error, experimenting with everything from skin potions to blades and needles, all for the sake of clear skin, lustrous hair, and a more youthful appearance. And sometimes these mad scientist moments turn painful and ugly. In honor of Halloween, gather ’round for these four real-life tales of beauty experimentation gone horribly wrong.

The Tale Of The Flesh-Eating Fruit
“I was squeezing lemons to lighten my hair when I was 19 or so. Then I laid out by the pool without washing the juice off. I woke up the next day with huge blisters all over my hands. I almost had to get skin grafts.”—Logan J.

The Tale Of Debilitating Side Effects
“Trying to cure my problems with acne, my physician prescribed me an oral medication, Minocycline, and prescription wipes containing Clindamycin. I had been using the same regimen for years throughout high school and college until the medication caught up with me. Since I had taken so much of the medication I developed a longterm side effect, resulting in symptoms very similar to rheumatoid arthritis, along with the swelling of my ankles. Being that I was 20 years old when this all started, it was very strange to be walking around with fat ankles and joint pain.

I now have been off the prescriptions for about a year and the pain seems to be completely gone and my ankles have returned to a normal and healthy size. I am still working on finding a skin regimen that gives me the same results as the prescriptions did. Who would have thought that my skin would have been better in high school than in my twenties?”—Anonymous

Read the rest of this story at xoVain.com.

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