A woman, who feared lifelong scars after being attacked by her cherished Cocker Spaniel, finds hope in a groundbreaking laser treatment.
Holly Taylor, 33, from South Shields, experienced a shocking event while watching TV with her dog, Splodge. The five-year-old suddenly lunged at her face, leaving a significant wound on her cheek.
After consulting with the vet the next day, Holly learned that such abrupt behavioral changes could indicate severe health issues like an aggressive illness, a brain tumor, or a hemorrhage. With a heavy heart, she decided it was best for both her and Splodge to euthanize him for safety reasons.
Ms. Taylor recounted, “Initially, I was in complete shock. Splodge jumped from my lap, and as I held my face, I could feel blood trickling down my hand.”
“My partner rushed over from the kitchen and knelt beside me. When he asked me to remove my hand from my face and saw the bite, his expression told me everything—I knew it was serious,” she added.
The incident left more than just physical injuries; emotionally, Ms. Taylor found herself unable to face the world. She struggled with her reflection and social interactions, feeling like a mere shadow of her former self.
In fact, she was nearly sick the first time she looked at her reflection while in the hospital.
She said: ‘When I initially saw the bite, I was so naïve to think that it would heal flat and quickly but I was so shocked as to how bad it was given the split seconds it happened in.
‘The weeks that followed the bite seem like a blur now. My face was so swollen, full of stitches and sore and my heart was aching from missing Splodge so much.
Holly Taylor’s face after the attack by her Cocker Spaniel Splodge, compared to her massively improved appearance after pioneering treatment
Ms Taylor had Splodge (pictured) put down after the attack as she didn’t want to risk him biting someone else
‘As a young, confident, sociable woman with a public-facing role in press and marketing, I felt a shadow of my former self.
‘I wouldn’t go out, I would sit and obsess over old photos, and my mind would even run away with itself, thinking – imagine my wedding photos in the future, or I am going to have to introduce myself to everyone I meet and tell them this story, so they understand why I look this way.
‘I am someone who really believes beauty is skin deep, and there is so much more to me than the way I look, but with a drastic change like this, it was so hard not to spiral.’
However, after the attack in March this year, Ms Taylor underwent Fraxel laser treatment, which she claims ‘changed her life’.
Fraxel, which costs around £800 per treatment, creates microscopic treatment zones that stimulate collagen remodeling and the body’s natural healing process, revealing fresh, glowing skin.
Ms Taylor said: ‘I am a positive person and tried to just keep seeing the bigger picture thinking once my stitches are out, this will heal fine.
‘However, that was not the case.’
Under the care of leading dermatologist, Dr Ophelia Veraitch, Ms Taylor underwent a series of four personalised sessions designed to soften her scars and rejuvenate her skin.
Ms Taylor is pictured in the weeks after the dog attack, which left her with facial scars
She took Splodge to the vets the morning after the attack, and decided it was safer for both of them for him to be put to sleep
After the attack in March this year, Ms Taylor underwent Fraxel laser treatment, which she claims ‘changed her life’
The results were completely transformative as Ms Taylor’s scars became less red and smoother in texture, her overall skin quality improved, and most importantly, she gained her confidence back.
She said: ‘Fraxel has changed my life. It has given me back my confidence and been the light at the end of a dark tunnel after the most traumatic few months.
‘The difference even after one session was remarkable. Nobody could believe it. I would take comparison pictures every few days and the look and feel of the scar was changing rapidly.
‘I felt so much hope for the future and slowly started to feel like me again, rather than being in tears every time I had to get ready for something or not wanting to get in photos.’
Consultant Dermatologist Dr Ophelia Veraitch said: ‘Fraxel is a treatment I often recommend when patients are looking for thorough resurfacing.
‘It does usually involve some downtime while the redness fades, but the benefits are significant.
‘Fraxel works by targeting the skin with microscopic laser columns that penetrate deeply to stimulate the body’s natural collagen remodelling.
‘Because it only treats a fraction of the tissue at a time and leaves the surrounding skin intact, healing is much faster than when compared to more aggressive approaches.’
The dog owner took Splodge to the vets the morning after the bite, where it was decided it was safer for both of them for him to be put to sleep.
She said: ‘It was the most heartbreaking decision of my life but the right one as I couldn’t risk this happening to another person – I would never forgive myself.
‘He wasn’t the dog I knew or loved anymore. I couldn’t even say goodbye properly as I was scared to go near his face as I used to. It was the worst day of my life.’
