Online bargains can burn you (literally)! Here’s how one purchase melted into someone's skin

Molly-May Watson had been eagerly anticipating her sister’s baby shower, but a moment of excitement quickly turned into excruciating pain.

She never imagined that a simple pair of shorts could leave her with injuries that might last a lifetime.

The night began with laughter but ended in a rush to the hospital.

Molly-May, 27, from Kennington, south London, bought £8.57 ‘Spanx-like’ shorts in May 2024 through a seller on a social media app.

She wore them for the first time under a dress at the baby shower on 27 July 2024 and immediately felt a sharp burning on her upper right thigh.

‘For some reason I thought a bee had got into my dress,’ she said.

Rushing to the bathroom, she discovered the shorts had melted into her skin. She had to rip them off, leaving her with first and second degree burns.

Shorts melt, leave woman with severe burns. Image source: TikTok/molly_maywatson

‘I’m unable to walk properly at the moment,’ Molly-May said.

The next day, she attended A&E at St Thomas’ Hospital in London and was told she could be scarred for life.

Molly-May had only briefly worn the shorts once before, to try them on, but this single use caused severe injury.

‘I thought 'I’ll just leave it' but it was agonising and had gotten worse,’ she said.

At the hospital, she was treated in the urgent treatment centre and bandaged up for burns. Staff confirmed it was a burn but could not determine if it was caused by heat or a chemical reaction.

‘I now can’t find the seller on Google—which makes me think it wasn’t legit in the first place,’ she said.

Molly-May contacted the social media shop through the app, sending pictures of her burns and the melted shorts. She was told a specialist team would review her case.

‘I said 'I don’t feel comfortable accepting a coupon from you to be honest".'

She added, ‘I’ll never be shopping from that shop again. It’s insulting. They said, 'unfortunately nothing we can do'.’

The incident has left Molly-May wary of all budget or third-party sellers.

‘You think "that’s a nice little bargain" but it could leave you like me scarred for life,’ she said.

Molly-May has been working from home while she recovers and has been advised to see her doctor if she notices any changes.

Social media confirmed the listing and seller page was removed in June 2024 and said a spokesperson: ‘Social media has already responded and given compensation to the buyer after the complaint.’

Losing trust in an online purchase can change the way you shop forever—have you ever received a product that caused unexpected harm?