Teen’s face grows back after rare illness
The girl saw much of her skin blister away due to a rare allergic reaction to the over the counter painkiller but has resumed a normal life following a long and difficult recovery.
“It was pretty scary,” said 19-year-old Eva Uhlin, a native of Linköping in central Sweden.
Back in 2005, the then 15-year-old Uhlin contracted a fever while on holiday with her family in Sweden.
She was told to take Paracetamol, a common non-prescription painkiller often recommended for young people.
When she woke up the day after taking the pill, she found her face covered with blisters which were also spreading to other parts of her body.
“I was in a lot of pain and then we rushed off to the hospital,” she said.
Uhlin and her family later learned that the teen had suffered from an extremely rare allergic reaction known as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, or Lyell’s syndrome.
The rare condition strikes about one in a million people, and despite having between a 30%-40% mortality rate, Uhlin said she tried to remain positive throughout her recovery.
“It took several months before I stopped looking like a monster,” she said.
“It was slow, but my skin got better and better and by the time I left the hospital, I felt like I looked pretty normal.”
Uhlin said her friends and family were very supportive throughout the ordeal.
“I also become stronger,” she said. “I believe more in myself now.”
“I’ve certainly rethought the importance of looks,” she said.
During her illness parts of her chest, arms, back and stomach fell off. At one point the damage to Miss Uhlin’s face was so bad that her lips grew together.
“It felt like something was crawling around under my skin, I was in total shock — it was like something out of a horror film,” she said.
“I couldn’t believe what was happening. I had taken Paracetamol many times before.
“It was terrifying, because at the time they didn’t know what was wrong with me,” she said.
“When I looked in the mirror for the first time after it happened I didn’t recognise myself.
“I’ve always been a positive person, and I didn’t let myself think about the chance that my skin would never be normal again. I thought to myself — this is what has happened and I have to deal with this.
“As well as the pain, the effect that the reaction had on my confidence for that time was pretty terrible. I was so ashamed of the way I looked, I hated anybody to see me.”
Uhlin is focused on moving forward. Now working as a waitress, she has plans to travel to Boston to work as an au pair later this year.
Lyell’s syndrome is characterised by the detachment of the top layer of skin from the lower layers all over the body.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
