Saturday, October 31, 2009 LONDON: Zoe Vernon, 22, was put on a drip and told by medics she had some of the worst burns they had ever seen caused by hair dye.The call centre worker from Didsbury, Manchester, had dyed her hair previously but not with the kit in question, which was a Boots Colour kit.Before using the dye, she said she performed an allergy patch test and had no reaction. But the morning after she coloured her hair she woke up with a red and swollen face and developed more blisters and pains over the following days.Miss Vernon said: "It was terrifying; I was so scared because it was really painful. I thought if I stayed at home it would get better on its own but it just kept getting worse."My boyfriend came back from working away and was shocked by my appearance and took me to the walk-in centre."Nurses feared her swollen neck would affect her breathing and called an ambulance to rush Miss Vernon to hospital.At the burns unit at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Hospital she was placed on a drip and spent three days recovering.She is now back home but suffers blurred vision in one eye and has to take medication, including steroids."People need to be aware of how strong the chemicals in these dyes are," she said. "I will not be using a home dye kit again, I’d be too frightened."Boots has launched an investigation into what caused Miss Vernon’s severe reaction and said customers' health and wellbeing was of "paramount importance" to the company.A spokeswoman said: "We would like to take this opportunity to remind customers of the importance of following the instructions on hair colourants packs carefully before use, and to ensure that a skin sensitivity test is carried out 48 hours before use."Bad reactions to hair colourants are far rarer than food allergies, according to the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA).But sensitivity can develop over time, which is why a skin allergy test must be carried out each time the hair is to be dyed.The CTPA also stressed that the test must be carried out at least 48 hours before using the product, as an allergic reaction can take that long to develop.
Saturday, October 31, 2009 LONDON: Zoe Vernon, 22, was put on a drip and told by medics she had some of the worst burns they had ever seen caused by hair dye.The call centre worker from Didsbury, Manchester, had dyed her hair previously but not with the kit in question, which was a Boots Colour kit.Before using the dye, she said she performed an allergy patch test and had no reaction. But the morning after she coloured her hair she woke up with a red and swollen face and developed more blisters and pains over the following days.Miss Vernon said: "It was terrifying; I was so scared because it was really painful. I thought if I stayed at home it would get better on its own but it just kept getting worse."My boyfriend came back from working away and was shocked by my appearance and took me to the walk-in centre."Nurses feared her swollen neck would affect her breathing and called an ambulance to rush Miss Vernon to hospital.At the burns unit at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Hospital she was placed on a drip and spent three days recovering.She is now back home but suffers blurred vision in one eye and has to take medication, including steroids."People need to be aware of how strong the chemicals in these dyes are," she said. "I will not be using a home dye kit again, I’d be too frightened."Boots has launched an investigation into what caused Miss Vernon’s severe reaction and said customers' health and wellbeing was of "paramount importance" to the company.A spokeswoman said: "We would like to take this opportunity to remind customers of the importance of following the instructions on hair colourants packs carefully before use, and to ensure that a skin sensitivity test is carried out 48 hours before use."Bad reactions to hair colourants are far rarer than food allergies, according to the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA).But sensitivity can develop over time, which is why a skin allergy test must be carried out each time the hair is to be dyed.The CTPA also stressed that the test must be carried out at least 48 hours before using the product, as an allergic reaction can take that long to develop.
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