A London man ended up in the hospital after experiencing a severe allergic reaction to hair dye, which caused his head to swell dramatically. Tony Varghese, a 41-year-old sales director from Rainham, decided to use an off-the-shelf hair dye to cover a few grey hairs before attending his cousin’s wedding. However, he skipped the recommended patch test.
On the day of the wedding in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, Mr. Varghese began to feel itchiness on his scalp. By the next morning, three days after applying the dye, he woke up to find his head swollen to an alarming size, describing the situation as “something out of a horror film.”
Mr. Varghese had dyed his hair on July 24, the day before the wedding. Initially, he took antihistamines to address the swelling and itchiness that began the following day. Despite his efforts, by July 26, his ears and face were noticeably swollen, though he noted that “people didn’t really notice.”
Fearing the worst when his face continued to swell, he was advised by his cousins to seek immediate medical attention. On July 27, instead of returning to his home in the London Borough of Havering, he called an ambulance.
In the hospital, Mr. Varghese received treatment including an IV drip, antibiotics, steroids, and additional antihistamines. He spent four days in the hospital recovering from the reaction.
Mr. Varghese, who had never experienced an allergic reaction before, admitted he had been “a bit blasé” about the potential risks of using hair dye. Reflecting on the ordeal, he said, “I never in a million years thought it would be this bad. I thought, worst case, I might have a bit of an itchy scalp.”
Now, Mr. Varghese plans to embrace his grey hair and avoid using dye in the future. “I am going to grey gracefully. I have a full head of hair with a few grey hairs here and there. That’s enough dyeing for me.”
