Halloween is around the corner. Parents are busy getting costumes, make up and props to dress their little ones up to meet the ghosts and the ghouls. Now mums and dads, while dressing your kids up may be great fun, do be extremely wary of what you put on your child's face for face painting dangers are real and can have terrible consequences!
A mum's nightmare
Alexandra Leigh Carter, a mum from Australia, took to Facebook to warn parents about face painting dangers after a Halloween face paint burned her son. She had applied the face paint on her four-year-old son, Mackenzie, and in just three minutes, he complained that he was in pain.
Alarmed, she rushed him to the shower and washed the paint off. However, it was too late as within that short span of time, the face paint had severely burnt her son's skin.
The paint was from a Halloween makeup kit that she had purchased from Woolworths (a retail giant), for $4. Of course she didn't simply take it out of the packaging and apply it on her son's face.
"After doing a skin test and it being fine, I proceeded to face paint my son. [...] This was only on him for three minutes and then [I] had to immediately take him for a shower. It has severely burnt his face. I'd like to share this to warn other parents," she said on her Facebook post.
Alexandra had done the face painting as a trial run for the Halloween. After this ordeal, she is traumatised by face painting dangers and has decided never to use face paint again.
You might be wondering if the problem lies with the product or her son's skin. For the record, Alexandra has confirmed that she has painted her son's face countless times and such a thing has never happened.
I'd like to see this product discontinued in case another child has to go through this! What rubbish!
A Woolworth's spokeswoman stated that this was the first such complaint it had received about the product since its introduction earlier this month. They were quick to respond to the mum and they are now conducting an internal investigation.
What do do in such a scenario
Alexandra was quick thinking and managed the situation well. Upon noticing his reaction, she gave him an antihistamine and immediately called 13-Health (Australia's version of 911).
Although this isn't something that happens very often, face painting dangers are omnipresent and this can happen to pretty much anyone, even if they have never had such a reaction before.
If you ever face a similar situation, don't wait to react. If you paint your child's face and he complains of pain or discomfort, don't dismiss it or take it too lightly. Wash off the paint immediately regardless of how much time or effort went into painting his face. You'd much rather be safe than sorry.
If you are unsure, it's best to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Rush to the A&E if you must. Avoid using your own creams or administering your own medication as you might end up exacerbating the problem.
Take precautions
Prevention is always better than cure so to minimise the likeliness of this happening, don't buy any random face paint and use it on your child's face. Of course, this can happen even when using the best quality paint but it is less likely.
Go for face paints that are specifically meant for use on children. Ensure that they are non-toxic and gentle on the skin. Also, use products that have been tried and tested. Don't use products that have only been introduced recently.
Do a skin test on your child and not yourself. And when painting your child's face, try it on a small part of their face before painting the entire face.
Don't use glow in the dark or slime paint on your child's face.
Let this serve as a warning about face painting dangers. So as Halloween draws close, do be wise in your choice of makeup and don't take any chances. Halloween should be fun filled with lots of candy, not a trip to the hospital and a bag full of medication!
Source: Hot Mums Club