Business student Resham Khan, who survived an acid attack on her 21st birthday in London in July, has spoken candidly about the challenges of applying makeup after sustaining severe burns to her face and body. In a blog post, she revealed that while she can contour on one side of her face, the process is painful and she longs for the ability to wear false eyelashes.
Khan, who suffered damage to her left eye, explained that her tough skin makes mixing lipsticks difficult, and her burnt eyebrows grow unevenly, forcing her to simply shade them rather than shape them. She also noted that she is advised not to pluck her brows. Despite the difficulties, she described feeling emotional happiness when she looked in the mirror and saw a resemblance to her old self.
After photographs of Khan celebrating Eid were published in national media, she posted images of herself without makeup to show the reality behind the edited pictures. She admitted to using an app to adjust brightness and taking photos from certain angles to hide scars, pink skin, burns, and her damaged eye. 'Make-up did a great job and so did angles and an edit. I've loved the compliments but the harsh reality is it is not real,' she wrote.
Khan has also blogged about the difficulties of bathing, as she must avoid certain chemicals and washes her hair outside the bath to prevent shampoo from touching her damaged skin. She remains positive and looks forward to surgery on her eye.
The attack occurred on 21 July when acid was thrown through a car window, also seriously injuring her cousin Jameel Muhktar, 37. John Tomlin, 25, has been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent and is due to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court in November. Acid attacks have more than doubled in England since 2012.
