A woman was blinded for 24 hours in the aftermath of an allergic reaction to a hair dye.
Steph O’Dell, from Milton Keynes, had her face and head swollen to the extent that she resembled aliens more than earthlings.
O’Dell wanted to get her hair colored for a big family event. She had to go to Amsterdam for the 18th birthday of her younger sister but things didn’t go as planned.
In addition to the colored hair she wanted, O’Dell also got something she didn’t even wish for – an enlarged face swollen to the extent that she could not even open her eyes.
O’Dell, who’s a sales coordinator, explained the experience as ‘terrifying.’ She said: “I was lucky it wasn’t worse. I’ll never dye my hair again.”
O’Dell discovered her skin’s allergic reaction to paraphenylenediamine (PPD), a common component of most hair dyes, when she was 15.
Due to this allergy, she cannot get henna tattoos or shade her eyebrows.
Back in June 2015, O’Dell went to a beautician in Milton Keynes to get hair extensions and match the color of her hair to the extensions.
She was preparing for a trip to Amsterdam with her sister Amber, who was going to turn 18.
Even though O’Dell told the hairdresser about her allergy to PPD and even showed her the pictures of the previous reaction she had, she still couldn’t avoid what came after.
Recalling her chat with the hairdresser, the woman said: “She assured me that the dye wouldn’t touch my scalp and that [the dye] was organic.
“She claimed that she was also allergic to hair dye and showed me the product that she used.
“She applied a patch test to my wrist and then wiped the excess off, which I thought was strange. But I didn’t react to the test, so I felt happy to go ahead.”
There were no signs of any adverse reaction even after two weeks.
She visited the hairdresser after two weeks and told her that she was happy with the procedure they had done as well as the product they used.
However, on the same day, she had some unusual itching at the back of her neck and found that there was some dye left there. Considering it insignificant, she cleaned it and used some generic anti-itching cream to soothe the skin.
The next day, she boarded a flight to Amsterdam with her sister.
And it was when her face and head started swelling. Recalling the moment, O’Dell said: “My glasses felt tight at the side of my head, and my neck felt like it was on fire.
“I hoped that the swelling would go down so I left it. The next day, my head was massive and one of my eyes had swollen shut. It was so painful, my whole face and head felt itchy and tight.
“I was gutted that it was happening while we were abroad for my sister’s birthday, I didn’t want anything to ruin Amber’s big day.”
That night, O’Dell’s sister took her to a hospital, where doctors prescribed some anti-histamines alongside eye drops to her.
But the next morning, she woke up completely blinded and with a head swollen three times its size.
“I was blind and terrified. Amber was horrified and contacted our dad, Simon, 53, a sales executive, who paid for us to get an earlier flight home that day. I had to hold on to Amber everywhere we went as I couldn’t see a thing – it was really scary,” she said.
Upon arriving in the UK, Simon drove O’Dell to Milton Keynes Hospital where adrenaline shots were administered to her.
“Nurses were worried about my breathing, as my neck was swelling,” she said. “I thought I was going to die and had a panic attack.
“My mom Gayle, 52, a deputy manager, met us at the hospital and she didn’t even recognize me as my face was so swollen. She only noticed us because she spotted my dad.”
O’Dell had to be hospitalized for the next five days and the medics had to give her steroids to help her recover from the extreme allergic reaction.
The doctors said it was the worst allergic reaction they had ever witnessed.
“Looking back at the pictures, I looked like an alien. I couldn’t believe that this had happened, especially as I was told the dye was organic and free from PPD,” O’Dell said.
“Five days later, my face returned to normal. I was shocked that, even though my patch test was fine, I still reacted to the dye when it was used on my hair.
“I’ll never be touching hair dye again. Instead I’ll be embracing my natural hair color.”
Advising people to avoid what she underwent, the 24-year-old suggested: “Manufacturers can change the ingredients in products at any time so always make sure you do a patch test.
“Even if you use organic products, you never know if you’ll react.”