Pauley Perrette, actress and star of CBS' "NCIS," was hospitalized over the weekend after suffering an allergic reaction to hair dye.
Perrette, who is naturally blonde, is known for her trademark ink-black hair and Goth look on "NCIS," where she plays forensic scientist Abby Sciuto. The actress went public with her hair dye-allergy story on social media over the weekend as a way of warning others who may not know they have an aversion to the substance.
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"Wasn't sure if I should tweet about this, but it's important," the 45-year-old wrote in her Twitter post. "Did my head look a bit puffy on the red carpet last night? Turns out I was having a dangerous allergic reaction to hair dye. Been battling this for a year now, but it gets worse every time."
"It's an acquired allergy for people that dye their hair for years. (Y'all know I'm blonde) Was in ER. Just got home from hospital. Awful. My head swelled up huge like a melon. If you or someone you know dyes their hair, especially black, please google 'hair dye allergy.' Know the symptoms. It can be fatal. People have died. For real."
Perrette told CBS Los Angeles that she first noticed she had an allergy when she broke out in a rash on her neck and scalp. Now, she is looking into natural hair dyes and even contemplating wearing a wig to keep her signature "NCIS" look.
"The most important thing to me is that anyone out there that dyes their hair, particularly black, you need to be aware of the symptoms," she said.
Jacob Offenberger, an allergist at Northridge Medical Center, told the station that people must be sensitive to early warning signs and take action.
"If you have hair dye, and the next day or the day after you start to have itchiness and you start to see redness or an eczema-type of lesion, it is telling that you that you are having an allergic reaction to that dying," he said.
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