A 32-year-old woman in Canada has described how an eyebrow tinting treatment left her looking like an 'alien' after a severe allergic reaction caused her face to swell dramatically.
Kelsey Cleave visited a beauty salon in Vancouver on 10 December for the treatment ahead of a holiday to Mexico. She initially loved the result, but the next morning her eyebrows and the bridge of her nose began to swell. Within hours, her eyes were nearly swollen shut, leaving her with only a tiny slit of vision and no peripheral sight.
Cleave, an assistant costume designer, said the swelling was not painful but made her feel 'alien-esque', comparing her appearance to ET or a 'cartoon cricket with big eyes'. She stayed indoors for 13 days while the swelling subsided, treating herself with antihistamines.
She admitted she had suffered allergic reactions to box hair dye and western henna 15 years ago, but assumed salon eyebrow tinting would be safe because she had not reacted to salon hair dyes. The exact cause of the reaction is unclear, but many dyes contain PPD (paraphenylenediamine), a chemical known to trigger allergies in some people.
Cleave said she naively thought the shorter application time on her face would prevent a reaction. She described the ordeal as a blow to her vanity, but knew she had to wait it out.
