Victim tells of her ordeal caused by a home kit of hair dye from Boots

Oct 30, 2009 18:41 GMT  ·  By
Zoe Vernon, with severe burns and blisters from allergic reaction to home hair-dye kit
   Zoe Vernon, with severe burns and blisters from allergic reaction to home hair-dye kit

Hair dyes can, at times, cause allergic reactions, even in those cases when one uses the same brand and shade one has been using for years. This is why allergy tests are to be performed 48 hours before applying the dye, to see whether the chemicals in it have a negative impact on the body. In the case of 22-year-old Zoe Vernon, not even the allergy patch had any relevance, as she still ended up in the burns unit at the hospital after using a home hair-dye kit, Sky News reports.

Just like many other women around the world, Miss Vernon had been dying her hair for years and she never had such problems. However, since, this time, she had bought a kit she’d never used before, she chose to play it safe and follow the instructions on the box, so she performed the allergy test. She got no adverse reaction, she tells the media, so she naturally moved on with the next step and applied the dye on her hair.

The next morning after that, though, she woke up swollen in the face and in pain. “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.” Vernon says. Nurses at the center referred her to the hospital, fearing the swelling would impede her breathing.

Zoe Vernon was admitted to the burns unit at the Manchester’s Wythenshawe Hospital, where she was placed on a drip, steroids and spent three days recovering from what doctors called the worst case of hair-dye allergic reaction they had ever witnessed. Now, Miss Vernon is using her own example to tell other women that, whether they do anything about it or not, they should be aware of the heavy chemicals that go into the makeup of such hair products.

Boots, which makes the kit Vernon used, has been notified of the allergic reaction and is looking into the matter. “We would like to take this opportunity to remind customers of the importance of following the instructions on hair colorants packs carefully before use, and to ensure that a skin sensitivity test is carried out 48 hours before use.” a statement from the company reads.