Mother left in a coma after using hair dye

Doctors probe L’Oreal kit as she fights for life:

UK: A mother who collapsed and stopped breathing minutes after applying a home hair dye kit was in a coma last night and has been given only an 8 per cent chance of survival.Julie McCabe, a mother-of-two, is fighting for her life after suffering an apparent allergic reaction to hair dye. Doctors warn that even if she survives she will almost certainly be permanently brain damaged She collapsed and stopped breathing minutes after applying a home hair dye kit and was in a coma last night.

There was only an 8 per cent chance of her survival.Julie McCabe, 38, may have suffered a severe allergic reaction to a chemical in the L’Oreal Preference product. She remained on a life support machine last night, three weeks after she used the dye, as her family continued a bedside vigil.

Doctors have warned her devastated husband Russell that even if she survives she will almost certainly be permanently brain-damaged.No definitive link has yet been made with the L’Oreal product but doctors caring for Mrs McCabe, an estate agent, have asked for the kit and gloves she used so they can carry out tests.

L’Oreal has offered to assist the medical staff with any information that may help save Mrs McCabe’s life.It is feared the chemical para-phenylenediamine (PPD) – present in 99 per cent of all hair dyes – may be linked to her condition.

Daily Mail