Complaints of burns, cuts, infections and even a trip to the emergency room after getting a simple beauty treatment like a spa or a facial have increased by three times, says an industry body.

Four years after the beauty industry was deregulated by the B.C. government, more people are complaining that they are being injured or infected by estheticians who don't know what they're doing, says the Cosmetology Industry Association of B.C.

"There are a lot of things in this industry that can do serious damage," said Martin Constable, the vice-chair of the CIABC. "There's a huge increase in complaints of unskilled people in our industry."

Since the legislation was repealed, that association is powerless to follow up anyone's complaints, said Constable.

Megan Grabb had a simple eyebrow wax at a salon in Vancouver -- an eight dollar treatment that wound up costing her two days of work.

"I had no idea my eyes would be swollen shut," she told CTV. "You don't expect to walk out looking distorted. You expect to walk out looking better."

Since the 1920s, people who wanted to be estheticians, nail technicians, hairdressers, or work in a spa had to get a licence from a provincial body.

Inspectors challenged their credentials and those who did not meet standards were subject to fines or even getting their licence revoked.

But in 2003, those laws were repealed and the industry was reclassified as a 'voluntary trade.' The government said it would increase choice for consumers.

Health inspectors continue to inspect salons for dirty tools that could spread infection.

But without training requirements, untrained people may do damage if they're not doing beauty procedures right, said Kerry Constable, an instructor at the London School of Cosmetology.

"We can burn the skin off your face, off your body," she said. "We can cause bruising. Aneurysms. Heart attacks. Seizures. We can cause blindness."

In Texas in 2006, a woman died from a staph infection shortly after she had a pedicure. Her family has since sued the salon, claiming that she died as a result of poor sanitation.

"Something so stupid like a pedicure took her life," said the woman's husband, David Jackson.

Until something changes, Megan Grabb says she's leery about going back to get any procedures.

"It took me a while to consider getting my eyebrows done again," she said.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Renu Bakshi and Jon Woodward