New moisturising crime 'burns' woman's face

Pamela Taylor (54), of Flanderwell, who was hoping for tighter looking skin, had a painful surprise when her face came out in blisters and she was left feeling sick and struggling for breath.

“I looked like somebody had just chucked a load of boiling water over me, it was horrific,” she said.

“I just felt like constantly throwing up.”

Pamela used a cream called Anew Thermafirm, which she ordered from an Avon catalogue, but said that she was too embarrassed even to leave the house because of the way she looked.

The £15 beauty treatment promises tighter-looking skin in just three days and is said to be the company's most effective moisturiser for tackling signs of ageing.

But Pamela said that she had been left with stinging eyes and trouble breathing.

She said: “It looked like I had got sunburn or something. I was just throwing cold water all over my face so the swelling would come down.

“I started crying, I was having trouble breathing and seeing properly as well.

“It’s supposed to make you look younger—I don't think so.

“Rather than going through all of this again, I would much rather grow old gracefully, thank you very much.”

Pamela’s partner Darren Green (44) said: “She always likes to look good with make-up and lippy before she goes out, like most women.

“She put this cream on before bed and when I saw her face the next morning I asked her what she had been doing.

“You can imagine she wasn't the best pleased when she realised what had happened.

“She was going to go down town but was too embarrassed to go out.”       

A spokeswoman from Avon said their contact centre had been in touch with Pamela about the situation and that they could not yet comment on her case.