A mother claims a £25 nasal tanning spray dubbed the ‘Barbie drug’ almost killed her.
Edith Eagle, 47, was left unable to breathe when her face ballooned as the tanning spray she bought online ‘poisoned’ her on holiday.
Ms Eagle, of 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 instructions on the nasal spray’s label.
Ms Eagle woke up on the second day of her holiday with a swollen face, which left her unrecognisable to family, and struggling to breathe. The ‘frightening’ incident saw her rushed to 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
Ms Egale woke up on the second day of her family holiday last April with a swollen face and struggling to breathe. Hospital staff acted quickly and treated her with a high dose of steroids and discharged later that day. But she said it took more than a week for her symptoms to subside
Ms Eagle, who is also a step-mother-of-four, was treated with a high dose of steroids after being rushed to the nearest hospital on the Canary island.
Shocking pictures 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 sprays and injection products which contain 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 any symptoms until several days into her holiday
But MailOnline has previously uncovered melanotan being sold illegally online, with gyms and salons also caught selling it in recent years.
The artificial hormone accelerates tanning by stimulating the pigment cells in skin to produce more melanin, which can make the skin look darker.
Melanotan is also banned in the US and Australia because of the serious side effects it can trigger, including kidney damage.
Although it is illegal to sell in the UK, it’s not against the law to buy it. It is nicknamed the ‘Barbie drug’ because of its supposed tanning effects.
The products are not regulated, meaning they could contain harmful chemicals that are listed on the label.
The £25 nasal tanning spray dubbed the ‘Barbie drug’ was bought online by Ms Eagle
Ms Eagle said the ingredients weren’t listed on the label of the product, meaning she doesn’t know what she was allergic to.
She used the tan after step-daughter Kayla Fox, 33, suggested getting nasal spray as a way of getting a quicker tan.
‘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 being tanned because I prefer not using makeup. I always liked looking fresh-looking with a tan.
‘On the first day, we were so brown, I’ve never experienced anything like it. I was very tanned after one day.
‘But the next morning, I woke up and realised I couldn’t breathe properly. I then noticed I was completely swollen. I was so out of breath and had to concentrate so much on breathing. 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.’
Ms Eagle added: ‘There’s no ingredients on the bottle — you don’t know what you’re putting in the body.’
She contacted the hotel reception who called a taxi to drive her to the nearest hospital, where she was fast-tracked through the emergency department.
Hospital staff have 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 subside.
‘I said to the consultant the only thing I’ve done differently this week is take this nasal spray,’ she said.
Edith Eagle, used the tan after her step-daughter Kayla Fox, 33, (pictured left) suggested getting nasal tanning spray as a way of getting a quicker tan
The mum-of-four, pictured with her daughter Eliana Eagle, 15, followed the instructions on the tanning product’s label and to sniffed the spray intended to give customers a ‘darker’ skin pigment
‘I’ve never had an allergic reaction in my whole life to any foods 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 straight through. It was so frightening.’
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 hands-on that day in the hospital, I wouldn’t be here to tell the tale,’ she said.
Step daughter Kayla Fox, 33, shared a post warning others about the spray on social media
‘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.
‘It was frightening 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 then I would rather suffer for anyone 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 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… They are so dangerous for some people.’
