A MAN was left with a head the size of a Megamind cartoon character after dyeing his hair.
Shocking photos show how Ryan Briggs’ entire head and face were so swollen that his girlfriend couldn’t even look at him.
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Ryan warns others to always do a patch test Credit: Kennedy News
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His head began to swell after he used hair dyeCredit: Kennedy News
The 27-year-old went to his mum’s house earlier last month to discover she had bought him black hair dye to cover his new gray hairs.
While there, he decided to apply the formula to his scalp without patch testing.
Although he felt a burning sensation, the gas fitter assumed it was normal and went to sleep.
When he woke up, Ryan noticed a scaly rash around his hair.
While at work, Ryan was horrified to see how his face grew during the day.
“I didn’t look like myself at all. It was horrible. It was massive. I looked like Megamind, it was bad,” he recalls.
After his colleagues sent him home from work, Ryan went to hospital but was advised to return the next day if his condition worsened.
This made his girlfriend so sad that she “couldn’t even look at him”.
The next day, Ryan’s face was swollen to the point where he couldn’t see out of one eye.
“I thought I would wake up and it would be gone, but I woke up and it was completely different,” he explained.
I had a brutal allergic reaction to eyebrow lamination – I can’t even cry, my eyes are so bad that I gave up the salon for life because of it
“When I looked in the mirror that morning, I didn’t know what to think.
“I called 111 and called an ambulance to come get me because obviously I couldn’t drive because I couldn’t see.”
After arriving at the hospital, doctors diagnosed him with an allergic reaction to paraphenylenediamine (PPD), a chemical commonly found in hair dyes.
Ryan was then forced to spend 13 hours in hospital as doctors tried to prevent the swelling from reaching his neck and airways.
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Ryan’s face swelled up so much he could barely see Credit: Kennedy News
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His girlfriend was so distraught she couldn’t even look at himCredit: Kennedy News
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Doctors tried to prevent the swelling from reaching his neck and airwayCredit: Kennedy News
For the next five days, the worker had to take a total of 25 pills a day to help reduce the swelling.
‘IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE’
The NHS website warns people to always carry out a patch test before using permanent or semi-permanent hair colour, ‘even if you use your usual brand’.
Despite his recovery, Ryan was left with scabs on his scalp and warned others to always do the patch test.
“It’s completely gone now,” he said.
“My scalp is full of yellow and green scabs, but my face is now normal,” he added.
“Always do a patch test,” Ryan said. “It could have been worse, it was going down my neck and could have started closing off my airway.”
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For the next five days, the worker had to take a total of 25 pills a day to reduce the swellingCredit: Kennedy News
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Ryan compared his swollen head to the Megamind cartoon Credit: DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures fo
How to protect yourself from allergic reactions
The job of the body’s immune system is to protect it from outside invaders, such as bugs.
However, sometimes the immune system produces antibodies in response to something that is not harmful at all, such as food or medicine.
The immune system’s response to such a generally harmless irritant or allergen is called an allergic reaction.
Most allergies are not severe, just unpleasant.
Symptoms usually include itchy or watery eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose.
But some can be deadly.
The only sure way to prevent a severe allergic reaction is to avoid the trigger altogether.
You can also take antihistamines or other medications daily to control symptoms and reduce the allergic reaction.
If you are allergic to animals, avoid petting, hugging or kissing animals.
Do not allow them in the bedroom or on the furniture.
Regular vacuuming of carpets, rugs and other surfaces helps to remove dust, animal hair, pollen and other allergens.
High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters can also help.
These air purifiers remove allergens from your environment.
Source: Healthline, NHS and Cleveland Clinic
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