Business student Resham Khan, who survived an acid attack on her 21st birthday in London in July, has shared the struggles she faces when applying make-up. After photographs of her celebrating Eid were published in national media, Khan posted unedited images to show the true extent of her injuries.
In a blog post, Khan explained that while she can contour one side of her face, make-up application is painful and fake eyelashes are no longer an option. She wrote: 'As my skin is tough, mixing lipsticks is difficult. My eyebrows have been burnt and grow a bit funny so they were proving difficult, so I just shaded them rather than trying to shape them into anything fancy.'
Khan disclosed that she used an editing app to alter brightness and took photos from angles to disguise her scars, burns, and damaged eye. She said: '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.' Despite the challenges, she described moments of emotional joy when she looked in the mirror and felt like her 'old self' again.
Khan and her cousin Jameel Muhktar, 37, were attacked on 21 July when acid was thrown through a car window. Muhktar remains seriously injured. 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 in England have more than doubled since 2012.
