It requires enormous trust to put your face in someone’s hands.

Face Off

Sharp objects, harsh chemicals, and blind trust are a dangerous combination, as one woman discovered when she put herself in the hands of a Beverly Hills facialist

By Linda Wells

You’re like a daughter to me, the aesthetician told her. You can text me anytime. I can fix you. Trust me. Really, you can trust me.

In retrospect, trust was the one thing Victoria Nelson wished she’d withheld, at least a little, during her four-year relationship with Sonya Dakar, a Beverly Hills facialist whose clients at one time included Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, and Drew Barrymore. But easier said than done. Try lying half-naked, eyes closed, in a dark room while someone takes sharp objects and harsh chemicals to your face. It’s virtually impossible without some degree of trust.