A 36-year-old man who sprayed himself with Lynx deodorant on Christmas Day says he went into went into anaphylactic shock and lost consciousness while trying to wash the body spray off his skin.

The Daily Mail reports that Darren Palmer, 36, from Barnsley had never suffered an allergic reaction to deodorant spray before, but as soon as he used the Lynx spray, his skin began itching and developing blotches – and he began experiencing breathing difficulties.

Mr Palmer’s wife Joanne, 34, dialled 999 as her husband’s throat and windpipe began to swell. Paramedics arrived within minutes of the call and managed to open his airways. The medics gave Mr Palmer adrenaline and oxygen and took him to Barnsley District Hospital.

Public health consultant Dr Frances Clement said that it was not uncommon for users of deodorant sprays to suffer an anaphylactic shock – and said other common causes of such a reaction might be nuts or wasp and bee stings. Dr Clement said that spraying a chemical product on a sensitive area such as an armpit might produce an allergic reaction very quickly because blood vessels were nearer the surface of the skin.

'I would advise anyone using a chemical product to read the warning labels and carry out a patch test before use,' Dr Clement added.

The makers of Lynx – Unilever – said that the incident would be investigated by its consumer care line team.

'The Lynx Fever range has undergone the highest of dermatological testing and all of the products in the range are proven not to induce skin irritation,’ said a spokesman.

Mr Palmer said the incident occurred as he was getting ready for the family’s Christmas meal.

'We were getting ready for our family lunch and I sprayed myself with deodorant and went downstairs, but within a minute I started to get an allergic reaction.

'I work spraying chemicals so I would have thought if I had any sort of allergy I would have found out before now.’

Mrs Palmer said that her husband often worked away from home and doctors had told her that, had the attack taken place while he was alone in an hotel room, the outcome could have proved fatal.

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