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How many of us here have had our hair coloured either at the salon or at home? Most people have done this.
How many of us do the allergy test before using a hair colour? Most of us probably don't.
I was one of these people who don't
do the patch test 48hrs before trying out a hair colour. I mean, I have had my hair coloured and foils done by the salon and at home for at least the last decade. So hair colourant's nothing new to me. But I do steer clear of Garnier products as they irritated my scalp a few years back, nothing major, but uncomfortable just the same.
So last sunday I decided to lighten my hair to remove the last of a colour I had put in about 5 weeks ago, in order to bring it somewhat closer to my "natural" colour. So follow all of the instructions, except that of the patch test. I thought, well I've had loreal at the salon, so I'll be fine at home. How wrong I was.
The reaction is not immediate. It takes approximately 48hrs for it to display it's symptoms. And boy do you know about it.
Tuesday night I felt a little itchy on my face, and went to give it a wash and a dose of good moisturiser as I thought it was just dry from the weather. I looked in the mirror and I had what looked like a small area of pimples on my forehead. Oh great a breakout at 28yo, I thought.
Wednesday morning I woke up and my entire face, neck and ears were covered in these horrible little lumps. They were red, itchy and burning up. It was so bad I had to take some polaramine ( an antihistamine). But as I had a full day at tafe, I went along and it just got worse. The heating in the rooms irritated it even more and I found that the antihistamine would only last about 2hrs and I was going crazy. I couldn't get into the doctor till the next day. By that time it was even worse, and I had even resorted to dousing my face with pinetarsol solution and sleeping with a cold pack as it helped to relieve the burning. The doctor gave a prescription for a steroid cream and I had to keep up with the polaramine and cold packs.
It appears that I have an allergy to a chemical called para-phenylenediamine or PPD. This is found in approximately 1/3 of all permanent colours produced, also henna temporary tattoos, photographic developer and lithography plates, photocopying and printing inks, black rubber, oils, greases and gasoline. Hair colours containing this generally are the two part products.
Reactions to PPD include dermatitis to eyelids or ears, more severely the face and scalp may redden and swell. The most severe of all reactions is anaphalaxis.
Treatments include cortocosteroid creams, antihistamines, cold packs or even anesthetic.
How to avoid a PPD allergy.
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avoid 2-part hair colourants
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avoid colours that use oxidation
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ALWAYS do a patch test.
Please save yourself the agony I have endured fo the past week (and is still with me) and always do the patch test.
For more info go to
http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/paraphenylenediamine-allergy.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070205110939.htm
http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/allergic_contact_d.html
(August 2007) (
