A North Carolina teen’s attempt to go blonde ended in disaster when hair dye caused a severe chemical burn, leaving a permanent bald patch on her scalp.
Kyrie Martin, 18, visited a local salon in February to lighten her dark brown hair in time for her senior prom and graduation. She had dyed her hair multiple times over the past four years without issue, but this time, things went horribly wrong.
About an hour after the stylist applied foil, Martin felt an intense burning sensation on her scalp. “After about an hour, my entire head felt like it was on fire,” she said. When the foils were removed, she noticed her hair was smoking. At home, she saw a long red line forming on her scalp, followed by swelling, and chunks of hair and skin began to fall out.
Rushed to the hospital, doctors diagnosed Martin with a first-degree chemical burn affecting the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin. Surgeons removed an orange-sized section of dead skin, leaving a bald patch that may never grow hair again.
Martin described the experience as devastating. “I like dying my hair. I’ve been doing it since I was 14, and I’ve never had a bad dye job before. I didn’t know what had happened—nothing like this had ever happened to me,” she said.
Chemical burns like hers can occur when strong acids or bases, or other corrosive chemicals such as ammonia or hydrogen peroxide in hair dye, damage the skin and hair follicles. Without intact follicles, hair growth is unlikely, leaving permanent bald spots.
It took two months for her wound to heal, but no hair has grown back. “It ruined my senior year. I had prom and graduation, and I was in so much physical and mental pain. Everyone else was excited for college, and I was in and out of the hospital,” Martin said.
The American Burn Association estimates that 25,000 to 100,000 chemical burns are reported annually, accounting for about 3% of all burn injuries. Treatments generally include topical corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and antibiotics if infection occurs.
For Martin, the trauma has left a lasting physical and emotional mark, forever altering her hair and her senior year memories.
