Warning: Graphic content
A beauty salon owner was left with eyebrows 'like crusty caterpillars' after she forgot to patch test an at-home tinting kit.
Jes Dean, 30, from Leeds, was left with her eyebrows "dropping off in clumps" after she had a severe allergic reaction to a permanent brow tint.
The beautician thought that since she was just using a small amount of the product that it would be safe - but she is now warning others not to make the same mistake.
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Although initially happy with the result, Jes explained tiny red bumps starting erupting along her browline within a few hours.
And days later, she woke up with a swollen face, while her eyes were oozing 'white and yellow' liquid.
The mum-of-three was rushed to hospital where she was prescribed steroids, antibiotics and antihistamines. Over the following few days, Jes watched in horror as her matted eyebrows clumped together with 'thick and crusty' scabs before dropping off in chunks.
Eylure - the brand behind the product - explained they always state on their packaging that a patch test must be carried out 48-72 hours before application, even if used and patch tested before.
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"Four days after I did my eyebrows, I woke up and all my head, eyelids and eyebrows were swollen - I felt absolutely awful," recalled Jes.
"The following day my eyebrows were weeping a lot, it felt tight on my head and I felt really, really run down. It was horrendous looking at myself in the mirror. It just didn't look like me, it was like my face was deformed.
"My eyebrows are matted around the scabs and they're sticking out in different directions. The crusty matted caterpillar look wasn't one I was going for.
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"I can feel the scabs want to come off but they're pulling all my eyebrow hairs out with it. I'm trying my hardest not to touch it and I'm using pure aloe jelly on it.
"I think I'm going to be left with hardly any eyebrows at all after this. I worry that they're going to fall out, the skin will scar and they won't grow back, I'm trying not to think of that."
Jes, who is mum to Jaiden Dean, 13, Marlee Dean, nine, and three-year-old Logan Dean, went on to explain she is very allergic to hair dye, after having a terrifying experience when she was younger.
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"When I was younger, my friend dyed my hair and my face swelled up and it burnt all my scalp, it was horrific so I've always kind of stayed away," she said.
"But then I just thought 'oh it's only a little tiny bit of tint' I didn't even leave it on for the recommended amount of time it was literally two minutes.
"I cleaned the area and then put on literally the tiniest little bit onto my eyebrows and two minutes later I wiped it off and that was it.
"It came up in little tiny bumps and was a tiny little bit itchy but nothing major. For some reason I just thought I'd be fine but I wasn't, it was completely irresponsible and stupid.
"Days later, that's when it got really, really bad. I didn't get out of bed for three days, I slept on and off in the dark away from any bright lights or noise.
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"I just felt awful, I was drained of energy and I couldn't really open my eyes and concentrate on anything.
"On Wednesday I rang the doctors as I wasn't getting any better. I had no energy and I felt really weird, not myself. My heart rate and temperature was raised and the worry was that any infection might leak into my eyes.
"They were weeping yellow and white liquid and I had thick scabs. It was crusty all round my eyebrows, it was awful."
Jes is now on the road to recovery, but fears her brows will never grown back.
"I feel awful looking in the mirror seeing myself like this. I went out for lunch with the kids and two little children came up to me and said 'what's wrong with your eyebrows?' I told them I burnt them, I was so self-conscious.
"When I went to A&E I ended up putting my face mask over my eyebrows because I didn't want people to look at me, it's just embarrassing and I should know better.
"I wanted to share what happened to make people aware so they don't go through what I have, it's definitely not worth it. Since sharing this I've had so many people saying 'oh now I realise the importance of doing patch tests'.
"I'm qualified, it's what I do, I knew I'd have a reaction but I just did not expect this at all, especially as it was only on for two minutes. Don't even take the risk of not doing a patch test as you could end up with no eyebrows.
"You can actually die from this, a serious allergic reaction is not something to be messed around with. At A&E they said I could have gone blind because it was so close to my eye, it's just not worth it."
An Eylure spokesman said: "We always advise that a patch test must be carried out 48-72 hours prior to any form of dye application as stated on our packaging, even if you are a regular user and have previously patch tested."
Note to selves - always do your patch test!
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and MediaTopics: Beauty, Real Life, Health