London - Some women go to great lengths to look preened and polished.
But not many will have risked their life during their beauty regime, as best-selling author Marian Keyes claims to have done.
The 52-year-old revealed she found the pain of laser hair removal so bad that she risked death trying to abate it.
After a “horrific” first treatment, she smothered her legs with a local anaesthetic cream she bought from a “dodgy” website before wrapping them in cling film – something she said she knew can do serious harm – but she didn’t care as long as it stopped her pain.
The Irish novelist then put on a pair of jeans and later boarded an airplane, where she said she felt “euphoric” because a large amount of cream had entered her bloodstream.
Doctors have warned that applying too much cream can put you at risk of a potentially life-threatening overdose, known as “anaesthetic toxicity” – and that the cling film would have increased the amount of cream absorbed.
Describing herself as having “the hairiest legs in Ireland”, the author, whose books include Rachel’s Holiday and Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married and who has sold more than 30 million copies of her novels worldwide, said she tried laser treatment as she was sick of her hair growing back after waxing.
But she warned other women to be careful not to apply too much cream afterwards, and to avoid those bought from “dodgy” websites.
Speaking of her laser experience at the Oxford Literary Festival, she said: “You will weep with the pain. You will cry your eyes out. This is only my story. Please don’t do this.
“The first time I had the lasering done it was horrific. I couldn’t imagine that something would hurt so much. It’s very painful and very pricey.
“I covered myself in the cream and then wrapped myself in cling film and put my jeans on, and apparently you’re not meant to do this as there’s a small chance you could die. I didn’t care. I just thought: as long as it works.
“So after I put the cream on I felt no pain and it was really lovely. But I had to get a flight afterwards and whatever was in the cream had obviously gone into my bloodstream because I was on top form. I was flying it. I was the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. Even now I’m getting euphoric recall.”
She went on: “Please don’t do this. Just take two painkillers) before and don’t be going anywhere near the dodgy cream.”
Dermatologist Dr Firas Al-Niaim said of the author’s experience: “She was really lucky to get away with it because that is certainly not the way to do things. The immediate danger was the problem of anaesthetic toxicity.
“When you apply a large amount of topical aesthetic cream on a large body surface – and particularly when you wrap that up in something like cling film – there is the risk that it can be absorbed through your bloodstream at toxic levels, which could lead to seizures and even death.
“There have actually been cases of deaths when clinics have used extremely large quantities of local anaesthetic under what is known as occlusion. We never advise patients to use anaesthetic creams without consulting a health-care professional. What we generally advise is to use soothing sprays like thermal spring water, aloe vera gel, taking a painkiller and to avoid tight clothing.”
Despite her traumatic experience, Keyes said that laser hair removal “is fabulous” and that nothing can match its efficiency. She added: “I would roll up my jeans and show you but you’d be too jealous.”
Speaking about why she decided to have the procedure, she said: “I used to have the hairiest legs in Ireland and as a feminist it shouldn’t matter, but it does. I was getting my legs waxed month in and month out but the hair always grew back.
“They say if you get your legs waxed often enough, the hairs will weaken. Well, they don’t. Take it from me.”
Keyes, who has been married to husband Tony Baines since 1995, was at the festival to promote her latest book, Making it Up As I Go Along.
Daily Mail