A woman has described how a routine eyebrow tint left her looking "alien-esque" after suffering a severe allergic reaction that caused her face to swell dramatically.
The Beauty Treatment That Turned Into a Nightmare
Kelsey Cleave, 32, visited a beauty salon in Vancouver, Canada, on 10 December for an eyebrow tinting treatment before a holiday to Mexico. The process involves applying dye to darken and define the brows. Initially delighted with the results, Cleave left the salon with no immediate issues.
The situation changed drastically the following morning. She woke to find the area around her eyebrows and the bridge of her nose had begun to swell. Within hours, the swelling intensified so much that her eyes were nearly forced shut. "I could only see through little slits and had lost my peripheral vision," Cleave recounted, though she noted the experience was not painful.
Thirteen Days of Swelling and Isolation
Cleave described her appearance as resembling ET or a "cartoon cricket with big eyes." The allergic reaction, where her immune system identified the dye as a foreign substance and attacked it, led to intense swelling that took a full 13 days to subside.
Although dye is primarily applied to eyebrow hair, some inevitably touches the skin and can be absorbed, potentially triggering a reaction. Cleave, an assistant costume designer, revealed she had suffered reactions to box hair dye and western henna in the past but believed salon-grade eyebrow tint would be safe. "I naively thought that because it was going on my face for a shorter amount of time, it wouldn't be a bother," she admitted.
She spent most of the following two weeks at home, reluctant to be seen in public. Her vision remained severely restricted until the swelling finally began to recede. She managed the reaction with antihistamine medication.
A Vital Warning About Patch Testing
Many permanent hair dyes contain a chemical called paraphenylenediamine (PPD), to which studies suggest around six percent of people may be allergic. Other chemicals like persulfates can also trigger reactions. It was not confirmed whether PPD caused Cleave's specific reaction.
Now fully recovered, Cleave took to TikTok to share her ordeal and issue a stark warning. She urges anyone considering an eyebrow tint or similar treatment to always get a patch test beforehand. This involves applying a small amount of the dye to a discreet area of skin up to 48 hours before the treatment to check for a reaction.
"I would definitely say to people, even if you don't have a previous allergy, get a patch test no matter what," Cleave stated. While she hasn't been permanently put off the treatment, which cost her $20, she vows to always insist on a test in future. Her face returned to normal on 23 December, just in time for her Mexican holiday.
Medical advice for such reactions typically includes using antihistamine creams, applying ice to reduce inflammation, and staying hydrated. Cleave's story serves as a powerful reminder of the unpredictable nature of allergic reactions and the critical importance of precautionary testing in cosmetic procedures.
