A young woman who fancied a new look was temporarily blinded and hospitalised for three days following a severe reaction to hair dye she bought in the supermarket. Carmen Rowe's face swelled up 'like a football' after using the Clairol ‘Nice n’ Easy’ natural black colour that she bought at her local Asda. She was admitted to Morriston Hospital in Swansea the following day after the swelling left her unable to see. Yet the 25-year-old said she carried out a skin test 48 hours before using the dye without a problem and had been colouring her hair since she was 13-years-old. Carmen Rowe (pictured right) was admitted to hospital for three days after she had a sudden and severe reaction to Clairol hair dye (left) Miss Rowe was eventually discharged after three days after the swelling was reduced with a combination of steroids and antibiotics. But she was then re-admitted another four times in the following month after developing sores and further swelling. Doctors eventually diagnosed an allergic reaction to the Paraphenylenediamine in the dye. Carmen, of Swansea, said: 'I woke up and my head was so swollen that I couldn’t see. I was blind. 'I looked in the mirror and half of my face was swollen. It looked like half of my head had been pumped up like a football. 'I . went straight to hospital and by the time I got there my head was . swollen everywhere, even my ears were huge. The doctors admitted me . immediately. 'The most . disgusting thing is my head started to leak pus. I had to wrap my head . in a towel, it was horrible and it smelt like a wet dog.' 'My head looked like a football': Carmen needed antibiotics and steroids to reduce the swelling . Carmen Rowe continued to suffer from head and ear weeping after her facial swelling reduced (left). A recent picture (right) shows she still suffers from some puffiness . Carmen bought the non ammonia ‘24 wash’ hair dye from Asda for £3.80. But she lost her job as a packer for a natural health products company because of the amount of time she took off following the incident over Christmas. She said: 'The whole situation was very stressful and made me a bit depressed. Christmas was ruined and I lost my job, all for the sake of a glamorous hair style. 'I know children that have their hair dyed at 13 or 14 and it could be even worse for them. 'I just want to warn parents what could happen. It is an allergy that could develop at any time.' A spokeswoman for Procter & Gamble, which makes Clairol hair dye, said: 'We are sorry to hear about Carmen’s situation. Our consumers’ safety and wellbeing is our absolute priority and we are keen to help Carmen however we can. 'It would appear that Carmen has not been . in contact with our Consumer Relations Department and we would . encourage her to contact them on a freephone number - 0800 169 7669. 'Reactions to hair colourants can occur for a very small number of people, in the same way that some individuals can react to a variety of foods and natural substances. 'Millions of people all over the world use hair colourants without experiencing any adverse effects.  In the UK, around 100 million hair colourant applications are carried out every year in homes and salons. 'Hair colourants are one of the most thoroughly studied consumer products on the market and their safety is supported by a wealth of scientific research.' Allergy: Carmen said she wanted to warn parents of the potential effect of hair dyes. Her reaction left her with a swollen face and sore, reddened neck (left)
Carmen said she performed a patch test 48-hours before with no problems .
'The most disgusting thing is my head started to leak pus,' she said .
A young woman who fancied a new look was temporarily blinded and hospitalised for three days following a severe reaction to hair dye she bought in the supermarket. Carmen Rowe's face swelled up 'like a football' after using the Clairol ‘Nice n’ Easy’ natural black colour that she bought at her local Asda. She was admitted to Morriston Hospital in Swansea the following day after the swelling left her unable to see. Yet the 25-year-old said she carried out a skin test 48 hours before using the dye without a problem and had been colouring her hair since she was 13-years-old. Carmen Rowe (pictured right) was admitted to hospital for three days after she had a sudden and severe reaction to Clairol hair dye (left) Miss Rowe was eventually discharged after three days after the swelling was reduced with a combination of steroids and antibiotics. But she was then re-admitted another four times in the following month after developing sores and further swelling. Doctors eventually diagnosed an allergic reaction to the Paraphenylenediamine in the dye. Carmen, of Swansea, said: 'I woke up and my head was so swollen that I couldn’t see. I was blind. 'I looked in the mirror and half of my face was swollen. It looked like half of my head had been pumped up like a football. 'I . went straight to hospital and by the time I got there my head was . swollen everywhere, even my ears were huge. The doctors admitted me . immediately. 'The most . disgusting thing is my head started to leak pus. I had to wrap my head . in a towel, it was horrible and it smelt like a wet dog.' 'My head looked like a football': Carmen needed antibiotics and steroids to reduce the swelling . Carmen Rowe continued to suffer from head and ear weeping after her facial swelling reduced (left). A recent picture (right) shows she still suffers from some puffiness . Carmen bought the non ammonia ‘24 wash’ hair dye from Asda for £3.80. But she lost her job as a packer for a natural health products company because of the amount of time she took off following the incident over Christmas. She said: 'The whole situation was very stressful and made me a bit depressed. Christmas was ruined and I lost my job, all for the sake of a glamorous hair style. 'I know children that have their hair dyed at 13 or 14 and it could be even worse for them. 'I just want to warn parents what could happen. It is an allergy that could develop at any time.' A spokeswoman for Procter & Gamble, which makes Clairol hair dye, said: 'We are sorry to hear about Carmen’s situation. Our consumers’ safety and wellbeing is our absolute priority and we are keen to help Carmen however we can. 'It would appear that Carmen has not been . in contact with our Consumer Relations Department and we would . encourage her to contact them on a freephone number - 0800 169 7669. 'Reactions to hair colourants can occur for a very small number of people, in the same way that some individuals can react to a variety of foods and natural substances. 'Millions of people all over the world use hair colourants without experiencing any adverse effects.  In the UK, around 100 million hair colourant applications are carried out every year in homes and salons. 'Hair colourants are one of the most thoroughly studied consumer products on the market and their safety is supported by a wealth of scientific research.' Allergy: Carmen said she wanted to warn parents of the potential effect of hair dyes. Her reaction left her with a swollen face and sore, reddened neck (left)
'The most . disgusting thing is my head started to leak pus. I had to wrap my head . in a towel, Allergy: Carmen said she wanted to warn parents