Where do I begin? I had ice pick scars and box scars, and after several treatments at other practitioners and clinics that did not work, I decided to seek a doctor who "specializes in acne treatment." Baring in mind how much my scars were affecting my mental health—I wouldn’t leave the house and was really self-conscious—I booked a consultation with Dr. Anill, expecting to see a difference and hoping for a specialist who could help.
Before my consultation, I wanted to get subcision done. However, during the appointment, Dr. Anill said that apparently, subcision wouldn’t work for my scars (I will come back to this later). Baring in mind, my cheeks were really fly because I had a loss of volume and my scars were deep, but he didn’t want to do the subcision and instead recommended TCA Cross. He said that by three treatments, I would see a significant difference—about 70-80%. We booked a date for the treatment.
On the day of the treatment:
I arrived on time, but I waited over an hour to be seen. Baring in mind, for all three appointments, I was significantly late being seen. After waiting, I was finally called, with no apology. During the treatment, he was getting constant phone calls, was constantly typing away, and did not communicate at all with me. He was constantly on his phone, touching it, and then touching my face—without gloves. I have acne-prone, sensitive skin, and I can’t remember if he washed his hands before the treatment, but he definitely did not use gloves, and his constant use of his phone while doing the treatment was unprofessional.
He applied 60% TCA on my face during the first session. This same pattern happened for the second and third sessions: constant phone use, no communication, no gloves. It did not feel professional at all. After my second treatment (where he used 70% TCA), I told him I wasn’t seeing any results. He said that after three treatments, I should see a 70-80% reduction in scars. I felt like I wasn’t seeing a difference, so he then said he would do the third treatment at 90%. I rang twice to confirm this with him and also called the day before to confirm, and he said yes, he remembers the plan for the three treatments and the dosage.
On the treatment day, after waiting a long time, I was called into the room. He told me we were going to do 70% today, which I immediately objected to—because in our discussion beforehand, he promised me 90%, and I had confirmed this multiple times. He said he forgot, told me to wait here, and then went to his car to get the TCA. I found this odd, as I assumed he would have the TCA in his practice, not in his car. However, I didn’t think much of it at the time.
He then returned, and I asked again what the dosage was. He said 90%. When he started the treatment on my face, I saw him holding a bottle that clearly said 70%. I was in shock. I didn’t say anything at the moment because I was in shock, but I couldn’t believe a doctor would do this. The next appointment was for filler, as I had a loss of volume, and he recommended Bellafill filler for the left side of my cheek. During this appointment, he then proceeded to say he felt I should do more TCA Cross. I told him that on the last appointment, he promised me he would use 90%, and I repeatedly asked him what percentage he was using. He insisted it was 90%, but I knew he was lying because I saw the bottle in his hand that clearly said 70%. I told him I knew he was lying and refused to pay for another treatment if he continued to lie.
He then did the TCA Cross for me for free, but at that point, trust was gone. If I hadn’t caught him out, he would have continued to lie. He proceeded to do my filler afterward, but before doing so, he said he was going to do a lot of subcision. Baring in mind, he used no anaesthetic for these treatments, and the subcision was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced. My face was swollen, tender to touch, and remained sensitive for nine months after the treatment.
