A mum has issued an emotional plea to nasal tanning spray users after she ended up in a life-threatening condition.
While many understand the dangers of sun exposure and sunbeds, others aren’t too clued up on the potential havoc snorting ‘the Barbie drug’ can do.
If you’re unfamiliar then the latter is a spray that contains a lab-made ingredient called Melanotan II.
This synthetic works to stimulate and dramatically 'darken' the pigment of your skin.
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It is currently illegal to sell or advertise products containing the ingredient in the UK but one Norfolk woman claimed she bought one for just £25.
Edith Eagle, 47, from King's Lynn, said: “My step-daughter Kayla suggested getting a nasal tanning spray to me as a way to get a quick tan.
“So I Googled it and saw it pop up online and ordered it. I think I paid £25 for the bottle.
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“I like being tanned because I prefer not using make-up. I always liked looking fresh-looking with a tan.”
Edith claims that she started inhaling the product just five days before heading on a family holiday to Fuerteventura last April.
And after spending just one day in the sun, the mother-of-four said she’d ‘never experienced’ that kind of tan before.
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"On the first day, we were so brown, I've never experienced anything like it. I was very tanned after one day,” she admitted.
However, Edith woke up the next day and suddenly realised she was unable to breathe properly.
"I was so out of breath and had to concentrate so much on breathing,” she admitted. “It was really difficult to breathe.
"My neck was so swollen that my necklace was tight. I was just swollen everywhere. I realised it must be an allergic reaction."
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Realising something was seriously wrong with her, the businesswoman contacted the hotel reception and was driven to the nearest A&E by a taxi driver.
One at the hospital, she was rushed through and was treated as an emergency patient.
"I said to the consultant the only thing I've done differently this week is take this nasal spray,” Edith said.
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“I've never had an allergic reaction in my whole life to any foods or anything. I think it was definitely the spray."
When discussing the ordeal, the Brit admitted that she ‘wouldn’t be standing here’ if experts hadn’t reacted ‘quickly’ to the situation.
She said: “I could've died that day. If they hadn't been so hands-on that day in the hospital, I wouldn't be here to tell the tale.
"I will never again buy anything like this again - especially from the internet. How they can sell sprays with no ingredients listed is so worrying. I'd rather not have a tan."
After recovering from sniffing the nasal tanning spray, Edith has issued a stark warning to other unsuspecting users.
She said: “Please don't make the same mistake as me.
“If this can save someone's life then I would rather suffer for anyone else before they make a stupid decision like me! I blame myself."
Edith added that it was ‘frightening’ for her family and that she felt enormously ‘grateful’ to feel alive.
Following her stepmother’s recovery, Kayla took to social media and issued her own warning about nasal tanning sprays.
She wrote: "Please don't use nasal tanners as this is what they can do to you.
“Poisoned my step-mum's body and she's had an allergic reaction. Stay away from them.
“The poison has been building up over time. They are so dangerous for some people."
Ella Scott