{"id":23479,"date":"2025-03-07T12:57:25","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T13:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=23479"},"modified":"2025-03-07T16:23:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T16:23:25","slug":"nasal-tanners-left-me-suffocating-in-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=23479","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Nasal tanners left me suffocating in hospital&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-0 haItSe\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-1 cjDa-dM\">2 hours ago<\/p>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-12 fcCDwR\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-5 evAEAB\">\n<div><span class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-7 kItaYD\">William Higgens<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>BBC North West Investigations<!-- --><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 ejjhCR\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/494eea30-e8c3-11ef-a46c-8d5f366cb4d5.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"BBC Edith is looking straight into the camera, wearing a white-and-black striped shirt as she sits in front of a brick fireplace. \" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">A woman has told how she was left in hospital &#8220;unable to breathe&#8221; after suffering a severe reaction to an unlicensed nasal tanning spray she bought online.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Edith Eagle said she felt like she was &#8220;suffocating&#8221; and &#8220;drowning inside her own body&#8221; after the allergic collapse she believes was linked to the product.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Nasal tanners are designed to be sprayed into the nostrils and claim to work by administering a substance known as Melanotan II, a chemical that darkens skin pigmentation.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">It is illegal to sell medicinal products containing Melanotan II in the UK but as the tanners are sold cosmetically they fall outside that remit.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">However, they are not covered by UK cosmetics regulations, meaning they are not subjected to the same scrutiny as other over-the-counter beauty products.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Experts have said they have not been fully researched and could contain toxic ingredients.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0ae0a3f0-f9d1-11ef-80e1-652badcf05bd.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Edith Eagle Edith lying in a hospital bed, her left arm hooked up to an IV drip. She is wearing a white t-shirt and her face and eyes are swollen.\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">Edith Eagle<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Ms Eagle said she purchased tanners online believing they would give her a quick and easy bronzed look ahead of a planned holiday to Fuerteventura in April 2023.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">They had been recommended to her by someone she knew, but she said she did not realise they were unlicensed and unregulated.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The 47-year-old, from King&#8217;s Lynn in Norfolk, inhaled the spray twice a day, believing it would give her tan &#8220;time to build up before we actually get into the sunshine&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">But on the second day of the trip she was rushed to hospital after the apparent allergic reaction spiralled.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;I literally could not breathe,&#8221; she said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;And all what went through my mind was, will I even get to the hospital because I could not breathe.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;I can&#8217;t even explain it, but I was suffocating inside. It was as if I was drowning within my own body.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/61121350-eddb-11ef-a319-fb4e7360c4ec.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Small bottles of nasal tanners. They have white and black caps and colourful labels.\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Ms Eagle said she became suspicious after her stepdaughter, who also used a tanner, spotted a Facebook post from someone who said they had also suffered a bad reaction.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">She told her hospital consultant, who asked where she had bought the tanner and what was in it.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">He also became suspicious, she said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Of course, there was nothing on it apart from a pretty label on the front, no ingredients whatsoever. There was nothing, really, I could show him. And that was a frightening thing,&#8221; she said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Once I was allowed to go back to the hotel the consultant said &#8216;Just remember next time, you may not be so lucky&#8217;.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">&#8216;Side effects&#8217;<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The products are promoted on social media and are readily available to buy online, while the BBC has also found beauty salons and tanning shops advertising them for sale.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The BBC North West and North East Investigations team visited high street premises to see how easy they were to obtain.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">In Manchester and on Merseyside, a reporter managed to purchase several sprays from salons for between \u00a320 and \u00a325, sold with minimal instructions and no acknowledgment of any risks or dangers.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/611f7e60-e4a7-11ef-bd1b-d536627785f2.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Stephen is looking straight ahead his hair is in a pony tail, he&#039;s wearing black rounded glasses and a dark blue lab coat\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">In Newcastle, a staff member at a gym sold a reporter an &#8220;extreme strength spray&#8221; for \u00a325, with verbal instructions to use it before taking a sun bed.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Also on Merseyside, the BBC was able to buy a &#8220;quadruple strength&#8221; spray on offer for \u00a320, with the reporter advised to use it morning and night.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Tests at the University of Sunderland found Melanotan II present in varying strengths in six of the 10 samples the BBC had bought.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Stephen Childs, a senior lecturer in pharmaceutical chemistry, said: &#8220;There&#8217;s a massive discrepancy in the amount of this drug in the products people are purchasing.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;The higher the dosage, the more risks that are involved and more side effects are likely to be involved.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">Cancer risk fears<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">He said the samples that did not contain the active ingredient were not necessarily safer as they could include other chemicals that &#8220;could be toxic&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Any unlicensed product really comes with a whole host of dangers. There&#8217;s no safety data. There are no long-term studies as to the impact on people&#8217;s health,&#8221; Mr Childs added.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Another concern is that nasal tanners are often promoted for use in conjunction with sessions on sunbeds to maximise their effectiveness as part of a tanning routine. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Cancer charities believe this could significantly increase the risk of developing skin cancer.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/8cd4\/live\/423a8ee0-e4a7-11ef-a319-fb4e7360c4ec.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kerry with long blonde hair in a bright green jacket sits indoors against a neutral background smiling.\n\n\n\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Kerry Rafferty, who started charity Melanoma-Me after her own diagnosis, described the products as &#8220;skin cancer in a bottle&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It&#8217;s absolutely terrifying, you&#8217;ve got these tanners that nobody really knows what&#8217;s in them and then they [could be] accelerated by the sunbed use, which we know causes melanoma, so it is a big worry,&#8221; she said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;I think that this could be one of the reasons that there is an increase in melanoma at the moment.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Data from <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nwcr.org\/\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">North West Cancer Research<!-- --><\/a> showed people in the north-west of England were 13% more likely to develop skin cancer than those in the rest of the country.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/07419fa0-e4a6-11ef-a319-fb4e7360c4ec.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Alastair Richards is looking at the camera, wearing a suit and tie sat at a table with seven nasal spray tanners in front of him\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Chief executive Alastair Richards said the desire for &#8220;that tanned look&#8221; can often lead people to resort to the excessive use of sunbeds and products like nasal tanners.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">He said the true effects of using such products might not be clear for years and could pose an increasing risk of cancer, including among younger people.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Many of these products are aimed at young people, especially through social media,&#8221; he said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;The real danger is that while they might not experience harmful effects now, in the long run they&#8217;ll be increasing their risk of skin cancer.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/83bfdf90-f50b-11ef-9e61-71ee71f26eb1.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Close up of nasal tanner spray lids of the bottles and caps\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">As nasal tanners are not a medicinal product they do not have to be authorised, approved or registered by the MHRA before being sold.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The government&#8217;s Department for Business and Trade said: &#8220;Nasal tanning sprays are not covered by UK cosmetic regulations and must therefore comply with the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;This means that anyone selling this product, including online, must ensure they are safe before placing them on the market.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">BBC News asked all the stores visited by reporters what steps they had taken to ensure their products met these regulation requirements.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">None of them have responded.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\"><i id=\"additional-reporting-by-colette-howe-and-jessica-ure\" class=\"sc-7dcfb11b-0 kKcaog\">Additional reporting by Colette Howe and Jessica Ure<!-- --><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"links-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jVHuOl\">\n<div class=\"sc-93223220-0 sc-46222299-0 ctbOlq hmFIuq\"><span data-testid=\"links-title\" class=\"sc-46222299-2 gdGcRT\">More on this story<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2 hours ago<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23479"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23488,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23479\/revisions\/23488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}