'I thought my time was up': Mother, 37, 'suffered allergic reaction to Piz Buin sun cream' as TV show Watchdog is inundated with complaints about the product
- - Marie Goldie, 37, was on holiday with partner and children in Tenerife
- - Was taken to hospital days after she started using Piz Buin 1 Day Long
- - Doctors feared severe reaction would require an emergency operation
- - But steroid injections brought catering worker's condition under control
- - Sun-cream featured on BBC Watchdog last week after health complaints
- - Johnson & Johnson says it's investigating complaints since show aired
By MARK DUELL
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A mother of two feared she would need an emergency operation to save her sight after she suffered a horrendous allergic reaction on her face - allegedly to Piz Buin sun cream.
Marie Goldie, 37, of Glasgow, who was on holiday with her partner and two teenage children in Tenerife, Spain, was taken to hospital days after she started using Piz Buin 1 Day Long.
Doctors at a hospital in Playa de las Américas feared the catering worker’s reaction was so bad she would require an emergency operation - but steroid injections eventually brought it under control.
Allergic reaction: Marie Goldie, 37, of Glasgow, who was on holiday with her partner and two teenage children in Tenerife, Spain, was taken to hospital days after she started using Piz Buin 1 Day Long
But Miss Goldie said she was furious when Johnson & Johnson, the makers of the popular sun lotion, offered her only a £5 refund following her ordeal she claimed was caused by using the product.
She 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.
‘(They were) far hotter than Tenerife, which was only 23C 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 Miss Goldie - who was abroad earlier this month with partner Russell, 40, and children Kieran, 13 and Nicole, 19 - four steroid injections and antihistamines over the course of a day.
She claimed medical staff discharged her after saying she would need to pay for her own treatment because her travel insurance would not cover the treatment an allergic reaction.
Miss Goldie 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. It could have been much worse.’
After leaving hospital, medical staff gave her strict instructions to avoid sunlight, sugary and fatty foods, and she spent the next week trying to get home earlier than planned.
Unhappy: Miss Goldie was furious when Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturers of the popular sun lotion, offered her just a £5 refund following her ordeal she claimed was caused by using the product
She 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'm convinced using the cream caused the reaction.’
Dermatologist investigates ingredients
Last week, the sun cream featured on the BBC's Watchdog show after producers were inundated with health complaints about it.
Leading dermatologist Dr Ian White, of St John's Institute of Dermatology in London, 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 also claimed that one in 10 of the patients he now sees were allergic to another active ingredient in the cream - Methylisothiazolinone.
Since Marie arrived back in Britian last Saturday, her GP confirmed she suffered an allergic reaction, and further tests were planned to see if Piz Buin was behind this reaction.
A Johnson & Johnson spokesman said: ‘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 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 per cent of sales.
‘Since the Watchdog report was broadcasted 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.’
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