Bride Gets $88 Eyelash Extensions to Feel Like a ‘Princess’ on Wedding Day, Only to Be Left Nearly Blind: ‘I Was Screaming’
She was rushed to the ER.
Every bride wants to feel and look beautiful on their special day, but for one woman, her attempt to feel like a “princess” for her wedding ended with her having to rush to the emergency room. Per the Daily Mail, bride-to-be Polly Bibby got eyelash extensions that resulted in a severe allergic reaction following the treatment that nearly left her blind.
Bibby, a 26-year-old who hails from Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, reportedly told a news outlet that she decided to get fake eyelash extensions just a few weeks before her anticipated wedding in July. Bibby claimed that prior to the beauty procedure—which allegedly cost her $88—she had performed a successful patch test.
An eyelash extension patch test entails applying a few extensions to the corner of one’s eye, usually at the outer lash line, and waiting between 24 and 48 hours for any possible reaction. When Bibby didn’t have any negative reaction to the materials the beautician used, she allegedly proceeded with the full extension treatment on July 5.
Bibby just wanted to feel like a princess
“[I had] never had my eyelashes done before [but] getting married is the biggest day of your life. I just wanted to feel like a princess for the day,” Bibby reportedly said. Bibby claimed she was initially pleased with the results of her eyelashes; however, she reportedly began feeling a stinging sensation around her eyes a few hours after the treatment.
According to Bibby, her eyes turned tender and watery, and not long after, started to sting and stick together from a yellow discharge. The experience allegedly left Bibby feeling like a character from the film The Goonies. “The only way I can describe [how I looked] is the man from The Goonies with the big puffy eyes called Sloth,” Bibby said.
Bibby said the reaction left her looking like a “different person” and that she “didn’t look like myself.” When Bibby’s vision started deteriorating, she was prompted to contact emergency services and was told to seek urgent medical care at the nearest hospital. “It got to the point where I couldn’t see at all. My eyes were sticking together as I had discharge building up—a sticky yellow discharge pretty similar to when babies have conjunctivitis,” Bibby said.
Removing the eyelash extensions felt like acid
Bibby was reportedly told at the Hinchingbrooke Hospital that the bride-to-be suffered from an allergic reaction due to the eyelash extensions. A nurse was said to have given Bibby antihistamines and antibiotics for the allergy, and she was told she needed her eyelash extensions removed.
Removing Bibby’s eyelash extensions didn’t immediately end the bride’s suffering. Bibby described the removal process as something akin to “pouring acid” on her face. This experience highlighted the importance of informing customers of possible allergens in any product to prevent life-threatening reactions and pain like Bibby had. “I was screaming, crying, and tensing up,” Bibby said.
While Bibby’s eyes got better following the hospital visit, the bride claimed that her eyes were “still red, scabby, and very rash” and that her vision was still blurry. “When people joke around and say things [can] go wrong [on your wedding day], I didn’t realize it would happen to me,” Bibby said.
Bibby reportedly tied the knot with her partner Benjamin May in late July with her natural eyelashes. The experience urged Bibby to warn other brides-to-be of the dangers of trying new treatments before their special day—or from doing them last minute or on the day itself. “Going through that pain was not worth it. In hindsight, I’d just use mascara,” Bibby said. “I’d hate for anyone else to go through this.”
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