A 27-year-old man experienced a severe allergic reaction to hair dye, causing his head to swell dramatically, resembling a giant balloon.
A man caught a severe allergic after using hair dye
Recently, a 27-year-old man from Blackburn, Lancashire experienced a severe allergic reaction to hair dye that left him with a comically large “balloon head.”
Ryan Briggs’ ordeal began late last month when his mother bought him some black hair dye to cover up a few new gray hairs.
Briggs applied the dye without doing a patch test first, as is commonly recommended when using a new hair product.
However, the situation quickly escalated.
His head becomes a giant ‘balloon head’ within a few hours due to a severe allergic reaction
Within hours, his head started to swell significantly.
He went to bed, only to wake up a few hours later to find a scaly rash had developed around his hairline.
Thinking the rash was the worst of it, Briggs went to work the next day.
However, he was soon horrified to see his head begin expanding throughout the day, leaving him with an incredibly itchy and swollen “balloon head.”
His coworkers sent him home. When he went to the hospital, doctors told him to return the next day if it got worse.
His girlfriend was scared and said she “couldn’t even look at him.”
The swelling was not just on his scalp but spread to his entire head.
His family encouraged him to seek medical help immediately, as the swelling could be a sign of a severe allergic reaction.
Briggs’ experience with severe swelling and recovery
Unfortunately, the swelling only continued, with the reaction eventually spreading to Brigg’s entire face.
The disfiguring swelling was so severe that he could barely open his eyes.
Briggs was eventually given a series of 25 daily tablets to bring the incredible swelling under control.
“It was really scary, my head just kept getting bigger and bigger,” Briggs said.
“I couldn’t even open my eyes it was that swollen. I must have looked like something out of a cartoon.
My girlfriend couldn’t even bear to look at me, it was that bad.”
Thankfully, with the help of the treatment prescribed by doctors, Briggs was eventually able to bring the swelling under control.
“I’ll never be using hair dye again, that’s for sure,” Briggs said.
“It was the most horrific thing I’ve ever been through.
I just hope my story can serve as a warning to others to always do a patch test first, even if you’ve used the product before.
You never know how your body might react,” he emphasized.
Causes and precautions of hair dye reactions
The cause of Briggs’ extreme reaction was traced back to an ingredient in the black hair dye that his skin proved highly allergic to.
Many hair dyes contain harsh chemicals, such as ammonia and peroxide, which can cause allergic reactions in some individuals.
It is essential to conduct a patch test before using any new hair product to check for allergic reactions.
A patch test involves applying a small amount of the product to a small area of the skin and waiting 48 hours to see if any irritation occurs.