Woman Has Horrifying Allergic Reaction After Using Hair Dye

November 23, 2015

Many people dye their hair, but some may also be unaware that hair dye can sometimes cause serious allergic reactions.

Photos of a woman who allegedly suffered a severe allergic reaction to hair dye was recently shared online. The Imgur user, thechosenginger, uploaded the selfies her friend took in the days after she applied hair dye to her scalp.

How she looks normally:

Day 1

Day 2

End of Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

According to the source, the woman admitted herself to the emergency room. The series of pictures she snapped show the six days in which she endured what looked like a rather uncomfortable and painful recovery.

Some people may be prone to skin reactions called contact dermatitis, reports National Health Service. When their skin encounters a particular substance it can become inflamed and irritated.

Certain hair dyes contain a chemical called paraphenylenediamine (PPD), a known irritant and allergen. It is important to always do patch tests on small areas of skin before applying to the scalp.

Hair dye allergies are rare and affect an estimated one in 250,000 people, explained Debra Jaliman, MD, a New York City-based dermatologist.

Jaliman elaborated by saying:

“If you develop a severe allergy, you could get blisters and hives and, though rare, difficulty breathing similar to an anaphylactic reaction.”

In a fatal case, a 39-year-old woman died after an allergic reaction to L’ Oreal hair dye. According to the Daily Mail, that was only the third known death in the world and the second in the UK as the result of a PPD reaction.

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