Woman, 25, claims she was nearly killed by dodgy fake tan after being rushed to hospital with breathing difficulties seconds after bronzing her legs

tunisante June 16, 2016 Health

Lucy Fowler, 25, used St Tropez Instant Wash Off Face and Body Spray
Became unable to breathe and was rushed to hospital for oxygen treatment
Doctors discovered the fake tan had been recalled 3 years earlier
Miss Fowler claims she bought banned product from a high street shop

Madlen Davies for MailOnline

Published:
05:16 EST, 16 June 2016

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Updated:
07:01 EST, 16 June 2016

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A woman claims she was nearly killed by fake tan after being rushed to hospital unable to breathe seconds after spraying the bronzer on her legs.

Lucy Fowler, 25, fell ill moments after using St Tropez Instant Wash Off Face and Body Spray and needed oxygen treatment.

The telesales worker later discovered the spray had been recalled by its manufacturers three years earlier after other customers reported breathing difficulties after using it.

The spray was taken off the shelves and should no longer be sold – but Miss Fowler claims she bought it last month from a high street shop.

Now, she says she is so shaken up by her ordeal she is too scared to spray deodorant – and won’t ever use St Tropez products again.

Lucy Fowler, 25, claims she was nearly killed by fake tan after she was rushed to hospital unable to breathe seconds after spraying the bronzer on her legs

The stepmother-of-three, from Nottingham said: ‘I was spraying the tan on my legs and arms, getting ready to go out. It was nice weather so I wanted to wear shorts and a t-shirt.

‘Moments later I started feeling ill. My chest started to tighten and I thought maybe I had used too much.

‘I was in the bathroom with the window open but my chest started getting really tight.

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She continued: ‘I walked into my bedroom away from the fumes but it was really bad. It felt like my chest was being crushed and I couldn’t breathe.

‘I could taste it all in my mouth and feel it in my lungs. It was horrible.

Miss Fowler later discovered the St Tropez Instant Wash Off Face and Body Spray had been recalled by it manufacturers after other people had trouble breathing after accidentally inhaling the spray

‘I rang 101 and they sent an ambulance straight out.’

Paramedics rushed Miss Fowler to Nottingham University Hospital where she was given oxygen while they investigated the cause.

Miss Fowler told the doctors she blamed the £10 fake tan for her breathing issues.

When the medics contacted St Tropez to find out more about the product’s ingredients, they discovered that particular tanning spray had been recalled three years earlier.

A confidential safety recall was issued to retailers after women reported experiencing severe breathing problems after unintentionally inhaling the spray.

The product is no longer being produced or sold, but Miss Fowler said she bought it in the past month from a high-street shop.

Miss Fowler said: ‘They did lots of tests and took a chest X-ray. Then they came back and said they needed to keep me in.

‘After finding out about the chemicals in the product, they said I was very lucky to be alive.

‘I’m just so shocked. I’m really paranoid about using sprays now. It was so scary.

‘I was constantly coughing and it was so painful. I was really ill for a few days afterwards and I had to take a few weeks off work.’

Miss Fowler added that she spent four days straight in bed recovering from her terrifying ordeal and was unwell on her 25th birthday as a result.

She said: ‘I’m scared of using anything like fake tan again. I’m even frightened of using deodorant at the moment.

‘I can’t believe that I almost died – that I was nearly killed by fan tan.

‘I will never use St. Tropez products again. I don’t ever want to go through anything like that again.’

It is extremely worrying the recalled product is still available to buy, she added.

St.Tropez has told customers that Miss Fowler’s experience was an isolated incident and warned fake tan users not to buy the recalled spray.

A spokesman said: ‘We were very concerned to hear about Lucy Fowler’s experience and have made contact with her to find out which product she used and ascertain her progress.

‘We take the health and safety of our consumers very seriously, and we have begun an investigation to establish exactly how Lucy was able to purchase this product recently.’