Paying the price for £1 sunglasses: The schoolgirl left with badly swollen face after terrifying allergic reaction on Spain holiday
- Laura Musson, 17, who was holidaying away from her parents for the first time, said her head ballooned in size after wearing the sunglasses purchased from a major High Street retailer
- The schoolgirl was forced to return early from Majorca fearing she would die
- She said she was left looking like a character from Avatar after the extreme allergic reaction
- Now she wants to warn other holidaymakers about the perils of wearing cheap sunglasses
By TOM GOODENOUGH PUBLISHED: 11:27 GMT, 11 July 2012 | UPDATED: 16:11 GMT, 11 July 2012
A schoolgirl was left with a badly swollen face after suffering a terrifying allergic reaction to her sunglasses on holiday.
Laura Musson’s head, eyes and nose ballooned in size, leaving her features so distorted that even her parents didn’t recognise her.
Doctors said she - and her friend, who was also wearing a pair of similar glasses - had both suffered severe allergic reactions and confirmed plastic in the sunglasses was the most likely cause.
Before and after: The teenager, pictured left, enjoying her holiday in Majorca, unaware of the damage to her face caused by the sunglasses, right
After seeking urgent medical treatment in Spain, the distraught teenager's parents booked their daughter on the next flight back to the UK for further hospital treatment.Now she wants to warn other holidaymakers about the perils of buying and wearing cheap sunglasses.
Laura, from Bottesford, Nottinghamshire said: ‘It was supposed to be a holiday to celebrate finishing our A Levels. It was the first time we’d ever been abroad without our parents but it was totally ruined by a pair of £1 sunglasses.
‘It was terrifying. I honestly thought I would die. I was sick and dizzy and everyone was staring at me because I looked like I’d been badly beaten up.
Laura suffered the extreme reaction to the pair of sunglasses whilst celebrating the end of her exams in Majorca with her sister and friend
‘I didn’t understand what was happening to me in the hospital so I begged mum and dad to get us home. ‘I was worried I would never look normal again.’
The drama started when Laura, her twin sister Lucy, and a college pal flew to Majorca on June 28th this year.
Laura Musson, who said she ended up looking like a character from Avatar, pictured after the swelling had gone down
After a day by the pool wearing her new shades, which she had purchased from a High Street shop, Laura felt her forehead was starting to burn.
‘I thought it was the heat so put more sun cream on even though I had been wearing factor 30 already,’ she explains. It was the next day that horrified Laura noticed her head and eyes were starting to swell. ‘I didn’t know what was happening. I’ve been to sunny places before so I knew it wasn’t the heat.
'I looked (like) a freak. My friend’s head was swelling too.’ But not realising the glasses were to blame, Laura and her friend kept wearing them because they were so ashamed of the way they looked.
When that night her friend complained her throat was swelling, panicking Laura called an ambulance.
‘They gave her an injection which helped her swelling go down, but refused to treat me because I wasn’t the patient,’ said Laura. But by next morning, with her face now twice it’s usual size, Laura found a local doctor to inject her with an anti-inflammatory for 50 Euros.
‘He said it would go down but back at the hotel it was getting worse and worse. I sent mum and dad a picture and they didn’t recognise me.’ Soon it was so bad Laura could barely see out of her eyes.
It was then she started to suspect the sunglasses were to blame.
‘My twin was OK and she was the only one without the glasses. I knew it had to be them. ‘I looked like a different person, like I had been badly beaten up. 'I knew I had to get to hospital and was starting to seriously panic about what was happening to me.
EYE DAMAGE AND ITCHY SKIN:THE PERILS OF CHEAP SUNGLASSES
A schoolgirl was left with a badly swollen face after suffering a terrifying allergic reaction to her sunglasses on holiday.
Laura Musson’s head, eyes and nose ballooned in size, leaving her features so distorted that even her parents didn’t recognise her.
Doctors said she - and her friend, who was also wearing a pair of similar glasses - had both suffered severe allergic reactions and confirmed plastic in the sunglasses was the most likely cause.
Before and after: The teenager, pictured left, enjoying her holiday in Majorca, unaware of the damage to her face caused by the sunglasses, right
After seeking urgent medical treatment in Spain, the distraught teenager's parents booked their daughter on the next flight back to the UK for further hospital treatment.Now she wants to warn other holidaymakers about the perils of buying and wearing cheap sunglasses.
Laura, from Bottesford, Nottinghamshire said: ‘It was supposed to be a holiday to celebrate finishing our A Levels. It was the first time we’d ever been abroad without our parents but it was totally ruined by a pair of £1 sunglasses.
‘It was terrifying. I honestly thought I would die. I was sick and dizzy and everyone was staring at me because I looked like I’d been badly beaten up.
Laura suffered the extreme reaction to the pair of sunglasses whilst celebrating the end of her exams in Majorca with her sister and friend
‘I didn’t understand what was happening to me in the hospital so I begged mum and dad to get us home. ‘I was worried I would never look normal again.’
The drama started when Laura, her twin sister Lucy, and a college pal flew to Majorca on June 28th this year.
Laura Musson, who said she ended up looking like a character from Avatar, pictured after the swelling had gone down
After a day by the pool wearing her new shades, which she had purchased from a High Street shop, Laura felt her forehead was starting to burn.
‘I thought it was the heat so put more sun cream on even though I had been wearing factor 30 already,’ she explains. It was the next day that horrified Laura noticed her head and eyes were starting to swell. ‘I didn’t know what was happening. I’ve been to sunny places before so I knew it wasn’t the heat.
'I looked (like) a freak. My friend’s head was swelling too.’ But not realising the glasses were to blame, Laura and her friend kept wearing them because they were so ashamed of the way they looked.
When that night her friend complained her throat was swelling, panicking Laura called an ambulance.
‘They gave her an injection which helped her swelling go down, but refused to treat me because I wasn’t the patient,’ said Laura. But by next morning, with her face now twice it’s usual size, Laura found a local doctor to inject her with an anti-inflammatory for 50 Euros.
‘He said it would go down but back at the hotel it was getting worse and worse. I sent mum and dad a picture and they didn’t recognise me.’ Soon it was so bad Laura could barely see out of her eyes.
It was then she started to suspect the sunglasses were to blame.
‘My twin was OK and she was the only one without the glasses. I knew it had to be them. ‘I looked like a different person, like I had been badly beaten up. 'I knew I had to get to hospital and was starting to seriously panic about what was happening to me.
EYE DAMAGE AND ITCHY SKIN:THE PERILS OF CHEAP SUNGLASSES
[*=left]Plastic sunglasses, such as those worn by Laura, contain dyes and waxes which may cause allergic reactions in some.
[*=left] A combination of materials, such as zyl or propionate, as well as nylon and polyamides can, in rare cases, also lead to irritation of the skin.
[*=left] Allergic reactions to plastic sunglasses remain rare, however, but medical experts have warned of other dangers in wearing cheap shades.
[*=left] The sunglasses do not always offer adequate protection from harmful UV rays and wearers may be putting their sight at risk.
[*=left] Too much exposure to such rays can damage the retina and lens of the eye - causing irreversible damage.
‘They told us to keep putting cold water on the swellings but when it became clear nothing was working I was desperate to get home. 'I didn’t want to die in Spain over a pair of sunglasses. ‘I called my parents in tears and they booked us all on the next flight.’
They were waiting at East Midlands airport to meet them off the plane and rush Laura straight to hospital. Mother Sonya broke down when she saw her girl. ‘My mum couldn’t believe it was me.
'I looked like one of those Avatars from the film. She was crying and I was crying.’
They drove straight to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham. Doctors confirmed she had suffered a severe allergic reaction to the sunglasses and prescribed a course of antihistamines.The swelling is now starting to go down. But Laura said she has been left devastated after her holiday insurance did not cover her £470 holiday or the early flight home.
‘They ruined my holiday and looks - I thought I was getting a bargain for £1 but they cost me a fortune. As a student I can’t afford another holiday. ‘Don’t buy them, it’s not worth it.’
