Celeb esthetician loses license after client says…
Celebrity esthetician Sonya Dakar has surrendered her esthetician license after an LA lady sued her for “severe burns and permanent scarring” from one of Dakar’s facials.
Last yr, Victoria Nelson said she was bringing a lawsuit against Dakar after an April 2021 chemical peel left Nelson “with severe burns to her face, including to both cheeks, under one eyebrow and to her forehead.” That lawsuit is still ongoing.
In November, the California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology filed its own accusation in administrative court which against Dakar, in which it made a number of allegations including that Dakar “assaulted and attacked a board inspector,” according to People, which reviewed the paperwork.
Nelson says she is completely scarred from the chemical peel Dakar gave her. TikTok/victoria.nelson
That case resulted in a settlement in which Dakar agreed to give up her esthetician license and institution license — that is, the license to run Dakar’s Beverly Hills clinic, which has welcomed the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore and Sofia Vergara.
Nelson, for her half, is happy with the end result.
“This has been years in the making and it certainly hasn’t been easy,” Nelson wrote on TikTok. “There were moments I genuinely didn’t think anyone would listen but the Board investigated, the Attorney General prosecuted, and the settlement speaks for itself.”
Dakar can’t apply to have her license re-instated for three years and must show rehabilitation to do so, according to paperwork posted by Nelson. Dakar would also be ordered to pay the board $17,731.25 and $70,972.27 to Nelson (in the doc, referred to as “V.N.”) in order to get her license back.
Dakar started her esthetician profession in the Eighties and has been operating her clinic for 44 years. She also sells skincare under her title.
Because Dakar settled out of court, a listening to that Nelson was getting ready to communicate at, along with other witnesses, was canceled, Nelson said.
Dakar has been in business for esthetics since the Eighties. CBS via Getty Images
“I was a little nervous when they said they settled,” she said on TikTok. “I was also pretty frustrated that I wasn’t going to be able to speak and tell my story.”
And Nelson says Dakar “hasn’t said a word” as this battle “evolved.” Dakar hasn’t launched a public assertion and The Post has reached out to her for remark.
In her civil lawsuit, Nelson is in search of about $71,000 from Dakar, not for her reported burn injury, but for allegedly making “false representations” to her about “her professional qualifications and licensure, the nature and legality of the treatments provided, and the accuracy and authorization of the charges” to her account.
Nelson claimed that Dakar “intentionally placed an unknown substance, likely acid, onto” her face. TikTok/victoria.nelson
“During that facial, Defendant Sonya Dakar intentionally placed an unknown substance, likely acid, onto Plaintiffs face, causing severe burns and permanent scarring,” claims the lawsuit filed in LA court.
The go well with claims that Dakar “performed procedures on [her], such as microneedling and procedures using a lancet, which are outside the lawful scope of an esthetician’s license in California.”
On TikTok, Nelson has described herself as a frequent client of Dakar’s, even after the alleged 2021 chemical peel burning. She said she returned for about 30 classes to repair her face.
@victoria.nelson
Replying to @Allie – Chicago Girl Effective July 22, 2026, #SonyaDakar can no longer legally observe or operate in the State of California. Both her #esthetician and institution licenses are being surrendered to the California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. This has been years in the making and it actually hasn’t been simple. There have been moments I genuinely didn’t assume anybody would hear but the Board investigated, the Attorney General prosecuted, and the settlement speaks for itself. It’s wild to assume that I virtually didn’t communicate up. I stayed silent for years. First out of trust, then out of worry, then out of exhaustion. If you’re sitting on one thing comparable – a supplier who harm you, a grievance you’ve been afraid to file, hurt you’ve seen… this is your signal that the system CAN work. It’s better late than never. My face still has everlasting harm, that half hasn’t modified but this resolution means one thing. Now my full focus goes to my civil case, more to come 🤍
♬ authentic sound – Victoria Nelson
An August video that Nelson posted about her “permanent disfigurement” from the 2021 chemical peel racked up almost 10 million views.
“It’s something that I’m very self-conscious about. It’s the first thing that I see when I wake up in the morning, the last thing I see before I go to bed,” she said at the time about the “damage” to her face.
While her civil go well with is ongoing, Nelson is blissful to close the chapter on the executive case. “I’m very happy with this result,” she said.
“It’s wild to think that I almost didn’t speak up. I stayed silent for years. First out of trust, then out of fear, then out of exhaustion,” she wrote. “If you’re sitting on something similar – a provider who hurt you, a complaint you’ve been afraid to file, harm you’ve seen… this is your sign that the system CAN work. It’s better late than never.”
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