LOOKING in the mirror Megan Francis was horrified by what stared back at her.
The mum-of-two, 24, from Telford, Shropshire, had treated herself to an eyebrow procedure as an early Christmas gift.
She had been busy caring for her two young daughters with birthday and Christmas preparations so her and mum Angelina, went out to finish their Christmas shopping on December 14.
Both had their eyebrows tinted and threaded from a popular high street store as a pre-Christmas present – something they'd had before.
Megan says: “My youngest daughter, Gracie, had turned one on December 6 and so I’d had a birthday party to organise. I was also mum to Laila, now four.
“So, like all busy mums with little ones, I’d not had much time for Christmas shopping. And certainly, no time for beauty treatments.
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“When Mum suggested a day out, picking up last minute gifts and making ourselves look beautiful, it sounded perfect.
Christmas day out
I’d seen a lovely baby doll advertised on TV which I knew Laila would love. And I wanted to get some aftershave for my husband, Brett, too.
“I was really looking forward to getting my eyebrows done, in time for Christmas and New Year parties. I’d had the procedure done before, so I knew pretty much what to expect, though this time it did seem to be over with very quickly.”
After Megan got home, her eyebrows began tingling and burning.
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She says: “My mum said hers were a bit tingly too, so I ignored it. But as the days passed, they got worse and worse. My forehead was really hot, and my eyebrows were swollen. The pain kept me awake and I felt as though I had thousands of tiny needles stabbing at my eyebrows.
“I tried different gels and creams and lay with a wet cloth on my face, but nothing helped.”
Swollen face
Four days later, Megan’s face was so swollen that she was unable to see and was rushed to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, Shropshire.
Megan says: “It felt like my face was cooking. It was so painful and so scary. I had no idea what was happening to me. We called a doctor, and he advised Brett that I needed to go straight to hospital.
“By now it was December 18, just a week to Christmas 2021, and I had so many plans with my daughters. But I knew my health was more important.”
Doctors confirmed she’d suffered an extreme allergic reaction, and she was admitted to hospital for treatment.
Megan says: “It was so frightening when it started to affect my vision – I was worried I might go blind. My face just kept on swelling. I never expected to have such an extreme reaction to such a common beauty treatment.
“I felt awful for my daughters too. I had booked breakfast with Santa with them later that day and I had to miss it. We were supposed to be dressing up in our Christmas outfits and going to meet Santa and his elves, over croissants and hot chocolates. Laila had been so excited about it, crossing the days off on the calendar.
“We missed our trip to the grotto. I tried to persuade them to go without me, but they didn’t want to. Our Christmas was completely ruined.”
Our Christmas was completely ruined
Megan was given strong antibiotics and creams before being able to return home and recover.
She says: “Christmas morning came, and I did my best to join in and celebrate with the girls. But every time I smiled, the pain shot through my face.
“Over New Year, we had arranged to see friends, but I cancelled those plans too.
“It felt worse that this was completely avoidable. It wasn’t as if I had an illness. If only I hadn’t booked my eyebrow treatment, our Christmas would have been completely different.
“It took almost a month for my face to go back to normal. All through January 2022, I hid myself away. And even then, when I began going out with the children, I felt so self-conscious. It felt as though everyone was staring at my eyebrows.”
Horror reaction
She says: “I just want to warn people that this can happen. I got my eyebrows done to make my Christmas special – but it was ruined.
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“I didn’t go out all over Christmas. My daughters missed out on so much too. My only Christmas wish this year is to spend time with my family.."
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