I was almost blinded by a TikTok beauty video -Amelia Gregory reveals her horrific ordeal

I was almost blinded by a TikTok beauty video -Amelia Gregory reveals her horrific ordeal

For four days last year, Amelia Gregory lay in ­hospital hooked to a drip while doctors battled to treat a skin infection that had spread to her left eye, to stop it robbing the 13-year-old of her sight.

The cause? Amelia had decided to try a skincare treatment she had seen demonstrated by a teenage influencer on the social media platform TikTok.

Experts report a worrying rise in similar cases as youngsters increasingly watch tutorials on everything from ­exfoliation and skin peels to homemade moisturisers and masks — some of them given by children as young as ten.

Amelia, after watching one such video, tried a concoction of products on her skin in the belief they would have an anti-ageing effect and make her skin ‘glow’. But some of the products contained retinol, a form of vitamin A often used to reduce wrinkles.

While this ingredient increases skin cell production, when it is used in excess and on younger, more sensitive skin, it can cause burning, redness, flaking and shedding. ‘Amelia came running downstairs with a bright red face and was screaming in pain,’ recalls her mother, Claire, 41, who is a women’s health ­practitioner from Cheshire.

‘She had skin peeling off her face and angry red patches. I asked in a panic what she’d done and she sobbed, “A skincare video”.’

Through her tears Amelia explained she had followed the instructions of a young skincare influencer, who told her followers how to make a ‘mask’ using a retinol cream, another retinol product and a weak acid product often used by older women to brighten and exfoliate skin.

‘Her face was red raw all over,’ says Claire. ‘Whatever she had put on it had burnt her skin so badly that she had welts and her skin was red and flaking. I was stunned.’

She took her daughter to the GP, who said it would clear up as it was only due to skincare ­products from a shop. But as the days passed Amelia’s skin became more sore, and her left eye became red and swollen. Claire then took her to a pharmacist, who took one look and said: ‘Go to A&E.’

Amelia was immediately admitted as, in a matter of days, she had developed a bacterial infection in the tissues under the skin — a condition known as cellulitis — and the infection had travelled to her eye.

‘That flaky, open skin had become infected and the infection had spread to her left eye and at one point looked like it would spread to the right one, too,’ says Claire. ‘Doctors told me the infection could cause her to lose her sight. I was terrified and couldn’t believe it — all this over skincare.’

Later that day, and by this point barely able to open her eyes or blink, Amelia was put on an ­intravenous drip.

Doctors say they are seeing more cases like this, particularly in so-called Generation Alpha — those born since 2010.

They represent a burgeoning ­market for skincare and beauty products and, growing up in the world of digital media, have become avid followers of young beauty influencers, whose pull is huge. Penelope Disick, 11, and North West, ten — both members of the Kardashian family, who are based in the U.S. — have millions of followers for their beauty and skincare TikTok videos.

And social media twins Haven and Koti, seven, from Oklahoma, have 4.8 million followers on TikTok, where they share ‘get ready with us’ videos alongside images of what they’ve bought in their latest skincare shopping sprees.

But this trend raises concerns among experts such as Dr Derrick Phillips, a consultant dermatologist and spokesman for the British Skin Foundation. ‘Influencers are sharing tips and product recommendations when they may not have all the information, and what works for one person may not work for another,’ he says.

Mixing skincare products such as retinol, peels and acids together — as Amelia did — is especially potentially risky, he adds. ‘Both acids and retinol exfoliate or peel away the top layers of the skin,’ Dr Phillips says. ‘When combined, this can essentially cause a mild chemical burn — and results in dry, red or darkly ­pigmented, ­irritated and sensitive skin.

‘Using potent ingredients without understanding their interactions and concentrations may also exacerbate existing skin issues, or create new problems such as ­perioral dermatitis [red rash around the mouth], which is on the rise and can result from a weakened skin barrier as a result of using inappropriate products.’

Other worrying social media trends he has come across include unevenly applying sunscreen to ‘create a contouring effect’ — where areas without sunscreen become red or tanned, creating the ‘contour’, to make the face appear slimmer. ‘But this puts the skin at risk of the harmful effects of UV rays, including damage that can lead to skin cancer,’ he says.

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