Like Megamind: the man's face was terribly swollen (6 photos)

A man has dyed his hair and shared the amazing results. An allergic reaction has left his head so swollen he looks like the character from the cartoon Megamind.





Ryan Briggs, from Blackburn, Lancashire, regretted his decision to dye his grey hair. On July 27, his mother brought him a box of black dye. He didn't do the allergy test as instructed and applied the mixture to his head. The man felt a burning sensation, but decided it was normal, waited the required time, and washed the dye off.



The next morning, a rash appeared near his hairline, but Ryan ignored the initial symptoms and rushed to work. As the day progressed, his head began to grow in size, and as a result, his colleagues sent him to the hospital.

Doctors told Briggs that he was having a reaction to paraphenylenediamine, a chemical commonly found in hair dyes.



"I didn't look like myself at all. My head was swollen to this huge size. I looked like Megamind. I went to the hospital, but they sent me home. They said if it got worse, to come back the next day. I got home and my girlfriend was shocked, she couldn't look at me because my head was this huge, spherical."



The next day, Briggs returned to the hospital, where he was under observation for 13 hours.

He had to take 25 tablets for five days to reduce the swelling.

"My scalp is covered in yellow and green scabs, but my face is back to normal. Always do an allergy test before coloring. It could have been worse, the swelling went down to my neck," said the 27-year-old Brit.



Many permanent and some semi-permanent hair dyes contain paraphenylenediamine (PPD), a known irritant and allergen. Darker dyes contain higher levels of PPD.