A father had to dye his hair at a family wedding to “look younger.” He was rushed to hospital with a swollen head after guests advised him to call an ambulance. Tony Varghese says he decided to dye his hair and beard the night before his cousin’s big day using an at-home dye kit to hide a few grey hairs.
His wife Amber Varghese, 37, applied the product for him and then the 41-year-old said he waited five minutes before removing the black dye from his head and beard. Initially, the father of two said he was happy with his new colour and said he dyed his locks to “look younger”.
But after attending the two-day wedding in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, Tony’s face began to swell and he was taken to Luton and Dunstable University Hospital. Horrifying photos show Tony’s head and eyes so swollen he said he looked like he had taken part in a “boxing match” and could barely see.
At the hospital, doctors confirmed he had suffered an allergic reaction to the black hair dye and prescribed an intensive course of intravenous steroids and antibiotics. Tony said he didn’t do a patch test before dyeing his hair, but is now urging others to do so before dying their own locks. According to the NHS, you should always do a patch test before using any permanent or semi-permanent hair dye, even if you’re using a regular brand.
Tony, from Rainham in Essex, said: “This was the first time I’d dyed my hair. I was at a family wedding and wanted to get rid of some grey hairs to look a bit younger. I followed the instructions, put the dye in, left it for five minutes and then rinsed thoroughly and washed it out with shampoo. It looked great and then I went to bed.
“On Thursday morning I felt a slight itch on my head and attributed it to a mosquito bite, but I thought nothing of it. We drove to the wedding, which was about two hours away, and when I got there it hurt even more.
“Luckily, five of my cousins were doctors at the wedding and they gave me advice and gave me an antihistamine and said everything would be fine. They suspected the itching was from the hair dye. On Friday the Hindu wedding took place and when I woke up I was a little worse and had slight swelling around my ears but nothing serious.
“I continued taking the antihistamines, but as Friday went on the swelling got worse and I felt more uncomfortable. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I looked in the mirror and my head was quite swollen.
“I went down to have breakfast and my cousin saw me and said I had to call an ambulance because I could go into anaphylactic shock. I panicked a little but I didn’t realise how serious an allergic reaction could be. When I got to the hospital my eyes started to close because they were so swollen.
“I could just about see, but I looked like I had been fighting in a boxing ring. I think if I hadn’t taken the antihistamines and followed my cousin’s advice, it could have been a lot worse.”
After the air was drained from his head, Tony was released from hospital three days later and instructed to continue his antibiotic treatment at home. Tony now warns others to be sure to do a patch test before applying paint to their head and face.
Tony said: “I would never use hair dye again. The main reason I shared this on social media is to make people aware. After I shared it, so many people sent me messages thanking me for putting this out there.”
“A patch test only takes a few minutes. I never thought it could be this bad. You just don’t know how the body will react and how dangerous it can be.
“I didn’t even see or think about a patch test since it was my first time using it (hair dye). Hair dye is one of those things that you can buy in stores and you can make it yourself. I don’t think people realize how dangerous it can be if you have an allergic reaction to it.”
