Girl's face burned, swollen and full of pustules after beauty treatment at a spa

Patients during treatment at the Central Dermatology Hospital

Doctors at the Central Dermatology Hospital have just admitted a female patient with her entire face burning, swollen and covered in acne after a beauty treatment at a spa in Hoai Duc, Hanoi.

Doctor Le Thi Hoai Thu, Central Dermatology Hospital, said that a 24-year-old female patient was hospitalized because of high fever, fatigue, and sunken blisters spreading all over her face, causing itching and burning pain. The patient's face had many sunken blisters of equal size 2x3mm spreading over the entire forehead, cheeks on both sides, nose, and chin, covered with brown crusts, some lesions oozing thick yellow pus; there were no lesions on the mucous membranes of the eyes or mouth.

Through examination and medical history, doctors found that the patient had no history of traveling abroad in recent months to rule out many diseases, including monkeypox.

Patient NMH said that because her face had melasma and a lot of acne, after being introduced, she went to a spa near her house and was advised to follow a 2-month acne treatment plan, coming once a week to have acne removed, apply a mask, and use cosmetics purchased from the store. After following the treatment for 1 month, the store staff performed a needle roll on her face, applied a mask, and a few blisters appeared on H.'s face. Initially, the blisters oozed pus and then spread all over her face, accompanied by itching and burning.

At the Central Dermatology Hospital, clinical examination and cytological test results showed that the girl's acne was cystic with aberrant squamous cells and giant polymorphonuclear leukocytes; PCR of the lesion fluid showed positive for HSV1. Doctors diagnosed the patient with Eczema herpesticum. The patient was treated with oral acyclovir, systemic antibiotics, and local care.

“This is a widespread skin infection, a dermatological emergency. If not diagnosed and treated promptly, it can easily lead to many local complications such as ulcers, necrosis, systemic infections, and more seriously, it can affect life,” emphasized Dr. Le Thi Hoai Thu.

According to Dr. Thu, Eczema herpesticum is a skin infection caused by the Herpes simplex virus, most commonly HSV1. The disease often appears on inflamed skin or skin that is traumatized, damaging the epidermis.

The acne on the patient's face has completely disappeared after nearly 10 days of treatment at the hospital.

The disease has an acute course, progresses rapidly, with concave blisters of uniform size, 2x3mm, covered with yellow-brown or brown crusts, with clear boundaries, some lesions can be arranged in clusters, often occurring on the face, neck, and upper body. The disease progresses within 7-10 days, and can spread throughout the body if not hospitalized early and promptly.

In severe cases, multiple organs can be affected, such as the eyes, brain, lungs, and liver. In rare cases, the disease can lead to death.

Currently, after 9 days of treatment, the patient's fever has gone, the lesions have improved, the skin has started to dry and peel off, and he has been discharged from the hospital.

According to information from the Central Dermatology Hospital, in recent years, the hospital has received cases of skin care and beauty treatments using products of unknown ingredients and origins at spas, leading to complications and severe infections. Therefore, doctors warn that everyone needs to be wise in choosing a reputable medical examination and treatment facility to avoid possible complications.

According to Vietnam+