Suncream did this to my face, says Marie

Mum was offered £5 refund to make up for her ordeal.

A mum says her holiday was ruined when her face doubled in size after putting on a controversial sun cream.

Marie Goldie, 37, was rushed to a Tenerife hospital days after she started using Piz Buin 1 Day Long sun cream. Doctors at the Las Americas hospital feared the mum-of-two’s reaction was so bad she would require an emergency operation to save her sight.

Steroid injections eventually brought her reaction under control.

But Marie is furious after makers of the popular sun lotion Johnson & Johnson offered her just a £5 refund to make up for her ordeal she claims was caused by using the sun lotion. Marie, a catering worker from Glasgow, said: “I thought my time was up. I have never suffered anything like that before. I first used the cream on Wednesday. By Thursday I had a rash which the local pharmacist said was prickly heat.

“By Friday, one eye had swollen over. But by Saturday I couldn’t see at all.

“I go abroad every year on holiday with the family. The previous few years I’ve been to the Dominican Republic and Turkey countries far hotter than Tenerife which was only 23 degrees when I was there. The only thing that was different was the sun cream I used. It was the first time I had used Piz Buin.”

Doctors gave Marie four steroid injections and antihistamines over the course of a “frightening” day at the start of June. They discharged her after saying she would need to pay for her own treatment as her travel insurance wouldn’t cover treating an allergic reaction.

She added: “Luckily my condition had already begun to calm down after the injections and I was only left with a doctor’s bill of around 100 euros. It could have been much worse.”

After leaving hospital, medical staff gave her strict instructions to avoid sunlight, sugary and fatty foods. With the holiday effectively over, Marie, partner Russell, 40, and kids, Kieran, 13 and Nicole, 19, spent the next week trying to get home.

Marie said: “The holiday was ruined and we were just desperate to get home. I spent the next week in my room trying to get cheap flights, to no avail. I also looked up Piz Buin on the internet and couldn’t believe how many people were complaining about allergic reactions.

“I contacted Johnson & Johnson but they didn’t seem interested. I’m convinced using the cream caused the reaction.”

Since Marie arrived back in the UK last Saturday, her GP has confirmed she suffered an allergic reaction. Further tests to see if Piz Buin was behind the severe reaction are planned.

Last week, the sun cream featured on the BBC’s Watchdog show after programme makers were inundated with health complaints about it. Leading dermatologist, Dr Ian White, of St John’s Institute of Dermatology, said two of the cream’s ingredients could be the reason for the severe reactions he had seen. He said his organisation had demanded urgent action into the safety of one of the chemicals used in Piz Buin, C30-38 Olefin/Isopropyl Maleate MA Copolymer, two years ago.

He added another active ingredient in the cream, Methylisothiazolinone, was allergic for one in 10 patients.

What Johnson & Johnson say

“The safety of our products is our first priority.

“All ingredients in our products are reviewed by experts and all our final

formulations are assessed for safety and efficacy, including the potential for skin irritation and toxicity caused by sun exposure.

“In principle nearly every substance or product in our daily life may cause irritation in some people with a particular sensitivity.

“This applies to the ingredients of all cosmetic and personal care products, and includes those ingredients in PIZ BUIN 1 Day Long (C30-38 Olefin/Isopropyl Maleate MA Copolymer and Methylisothiazolinone).

“We have received some consumer complaints that PIZ BUIN 1 Day Long has led to skin irritation or rashes.

“Compared to the number of people using the product across the UK and Ireland, the number of reported incidents is small, approximately 0.01% of sales.

“Since the Watchdog report was broadcast we have been contacted by a number of consumers, and we are currently investigating their complaints.

“We have provided Ms Goldie with a questionnaire and requested that she return the product to us so that we can investigate her complaint.

“We have offered her a refund or replacement for the product.”