A mum claims a £25 nose tanning spray, dubbed the ‘Barbie drug’, almost killed her.
Edith Eagle, 47, was left unable to breathe when her face exploded when the spray tan she bought online ‘poisoned’ her on holiday.
Ms Eagle, from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, had taken the product five days before her family holiday to Fuerteventura last April.
The mother of four, who works as a chef, says she followed the directions on the nasal spray label.
Ms Eagle woke up on the second day of her holiday with a swollen face which made her unrecognizable to the family and she was struggling to breathe. The ‘frightening’ incident made her rush to the hospital.
Edith Eagle, who works as a chef and lives in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, bought a £25 bottle of tanning nasal spray in preparation for her holiday
Mrs Egale woke up on the second day of her family holiday last April with a swollen face and struggling to breathe. The hospital staff acted quickly and treated her with a high dose of steroids and she was discharged later that day. But she said it took more than a week for her symptoms to subside
Ms Eagle, who is also a stepmother of four, was treated with a high dose of steroids after being rushed to the nearest hospital in the Canary Islands.
Shocking images of the incident show her lying in a hospital bed.
Ms Eagle, who also owns a wedding venue with husband Carl Fox, 54, believes she suffered an allergic reaction to something in the spray and is urging others to avoid using similar products.
It is currently illegal to sell or advertise spray and injection products containing melanotan in the UK.
It is not clear whether the spray Ms Eagle bought was marketed as containing melanotan.
Ms Eagle had taken the product (pictured) five days before her family holiday to Fuerteventura. She did not experience symptoms until several days into the holiday
But MailOnline has previously revealed that melanotan is being sold illegally online, with gyms and salons also caught selling it in recent years.
The artificial hormone speeds up tanning by stimulating the pigment cells in the skin to produce more melanin, which can make the skin look darker.
Melanotan is also banned in the US and Australia due to the serious side effects it can trigger, including kidney damage.
Although it is illegal to sell in the UK, it is not against the law to buy it. It is nicknamed the ‘Barbie drug’ because of its supposed tanning effects.
The products are not regulated, which means they may contain harmful chemicals listed on the label.
The £25 nose tanning spray, dubbed the ‘Barbie stuff’, was bought online by Ms Eagle
Ms Eagle said the ingredients were not listed on the label of the product, meaning she does not know what she was allergic to.
She used the tan after stepdaughter Kayla Fox, 33, suggested getting a nasal spray as a way to tan faster.
“I Googled it and saw it pop up online and ordered it,” Ms Eagle said. ‘I think I paid £25 for the bottle. I like getting tanned because I prefer not to wear makeup. I’ve always liked looking fresh with a tan.
‘The first day we were so tan that I have never experienced anything like it. I was very tanned after one day.
‘But the next morning I woke up and realized I couldn’t breathe properly. I then noticed that I was completely swollen. I was so out of breath and had to concentrate so much on breathing. It was really hard to breathe.
‘My neck was so swollen that my necklace was tight. I was just swollen everywhere. I realized it must be an allergic reaction.’
Ms Eagle added: “There are no ingredients on the bottle – you don’t know what you’re putting in your body.”
She contacted the hotel reception, who called a taxi to take her to the nearest hospital, where she was fast-tracked through the emergency room.
The hospital staff gave her a high dose of steroids and discharged her later that day.
But Ms Eagle said it took more than a week for her symptoms to fully resolve.
“I told the consultant that the only thing I’ve done differently this week is take this nasal spray,” she said.
Edith Eagle, used the tan after her stepdaughter Kayla Fox, 33, (pictured left) suggested getting nose tanning spray as a way to tan faster
The mother-of-four, pictured with her daughter Eliana Eagle, 15, followed the instructions on the tanning product’s label and sniffed the spray, which was supposed to give customers a ‘darker’ skin pigment
‘I have never had an allergic reaction in my entire life to any food or anything. I think it was definitely the spray.
“I wouldn’t be standing here if the hospital staff hadn’t acted so quickly. I was rushed right through. It was so scary.’
Since the incident, she has seen other people post about similar reactions to tanning nasal sprays on social media.
Ms Eagle said she could have ‘died that day’.
“If they hadn’t been so practical that day at the hospital, I wouldn’t be here to tell the story,” she said.
Stepdaughter Kayla Fox, 33, shared a post warning others about the spray on social media
‘I will never buy anything like this again – especially from the internet. How they can sell sprays without ingredients is so worrying. I’d rather not have a tan.
‘It was terrifying for my family to see me like that. I feel grateful to be alive.
‘Please don’t make the same mistake as me. If this can save someone’s life, I’d rather suffer for someone else before they make a stupid decision like me! I blame myself, she added.
Kayla shared a post warning others about the spray on social media.
In it, Kayla said: ‘Please don’t wear nose tans as this is what they can do to you.
‘Poisoned my stepmother’s body and she has had an allergic reaction. Stay away from them… They are so dangerous to some people.’