'Nasal tanners left me suffocating in hospital'

A woman has told how she was left in hospital "unable to breathe" after suffering a severe reaction to an unlicensed nasal tanning spray she bought online.

Edith Eagle said she felt like she was "suffocating" and "drowning inside her own body" after the allergic collapse she believes was linked to the product.

Nasal tanners are designed to be sprayed into the nostrils and claim to work by administering a substance known as Melanotan II, a chemical that darkens skin pigmentation.

It is illegal to sell medicinal products containing Melanotan II in the UK but as the tanners are sold cosmetically they fall outside that remit.

However, they are not covered by UK cosmetics regulations, meaning they are not subjected to the same scrutiny as other over-the-counter beauty products.

Experts have said they have not been fully researched and could contain toxic ingredients.

Ms Eagle said she purchased tanners online believing they would give her a quick and easy bronzed look ahead of a planned holiday to Fuerteventura in April 2023.

They had been recommended to her by someone she knew, but she said she did not realise they were unlicensed and unregulated.

The 47-year-old, from King's Lynn in Norfolk, inhaled the spray twice a day, believing it would give her tan "time to build up before we actually get into the sunshine".

But on the second day of the trip she was rushed to hospital after the apparent allergic reaction spiralled.

"I literally could not breathe," she said.

"And all what went through my mind was, will I even get to the hospital because I could not breathe.

"I can't even explain it, but I was suffocating inside. It was as if I was drowning within my own body."

Ms Eagle said she became suspicious after her stepdaughter, who also used a tanner, spotted a Facebook post from someone who said they had also suffered a bad reaction.

She told her hospital consultant, who asked where she had bought the tanner and what was in it.

He also became suspicious, she said.

"Of course, there was nothing on it apart from a pretty label on the front, no ingredients whatsoever. There was nothing, really, I could show him. And that was a frightening thing," she said.

"Once I was allowed to go back to the hotel the consultant said 'Just remember next time, you may not be so lucky'."

He said the samples that did not contain the active ingredient were not necessarily safer as they could include other chemicals that "could be toxic".

"Any unlicensed product really comes with a whole host of dangers. There's no safety data. There are no long-term studies as to the impact on people's health," Mr Childs added.

Another concern is that nasal tanners are often promoted for use in conjunction with sessions on sunbeds to maximise their effectiveness as part of a tanning routine.

Cancer charities believe this could significantly increase the risk of developing skin cancer.

Kerry Rafferty, who started charity Melanoma-Me after her own diagnosis, described the products as "skin cancer in a bottle".

"It's absolutely terrifying, you've got these tanners that nobody really knows what's in them and then they [could be] accelerated by the sunbed use, which we know causes melanoma, so it is a big worry," she said.

"I think that this could be one of the reasons that there is an increase in melanoma at the moment."

Data from North West Cancer Research showed people in the north-west of England were 13% more likely to develop skin cancer than those in the rest of the country.

Chief executive Alastair Richards said the desire for "that tanned look" can often lead people to resort to the excessive use of sunbeds and products like nasal tanners.

He said the true effects of using such products might not be clear for years and could pose an increasing risk of cancer, including among younger people.

"Many of these products are aimed at young people, especially through social media," he said.

"The real danger is that while they might not experience harmful effects now, in the long run they'll be increasing their risk of skin cancer."