Barmaid has third-degree burns and blisters ‘the size of grapes’ after brush with giant hogweed – Britain’s most dangerous plant
A barmaid was left with third-degree burns and painful blisters ‘the size of grapes’ after an encounter with ‘Britain’s most dangerous plant’.
Chloe Douglas, from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, woke up one morning with a red rash on her hands and neck, which developed into nasty blisters over the course of the day after an encounter with a giant hogweed plant.
The 20-year-old rushed to the emergency center, where doctors revealed the dreaded plant was the possible cause of her third-degree burns.
Doctors popped Chloe’s blisters and dressed her wounds, but three weeks later she is still paying the price.
Chloe still doesn’t know where or when she might have encountered the dreaded giant hogweed, but is now urging others to avoid the plant ‘at all costs’ if they do see it.
Chloe Douglas (pictured) was left with third-degree burns and painful blisters the size of grapes after an encounter with giant hogweed
Chloe woke up one morning with a red rash on her hands and neck, which developed into nasty blisters, as seen in this photo
Giant Hogweed is native to the Caucasus but was introduced to Britain as an ornamental plant in 1817 and its spread has now gotten out of control
Chloe said: ‘After work I went to the sunbed for five minutes which I think was the exposure it took for it to turn into a burn.
‘I was doing well that evening, but the next day I woke up and my hands and neck were covered in a red rash.
‘I laughed it off and assumed I was unlucky and had just gotten the stinging heat from the sunbed.
‘But as the day went on, my right hand started to burn and eventually blisters formed in these areas – I’d say the size of grapes.’
Giant hogweed sap prevents the skin from protecting itself from the sun, leading to horrific burns when exposed to daylight. And because it often does not cause immediate pain, its victims may continue to burn in the sun, ignoring any problem.
Furthermore, the plant can spread its sap with just a moment of exposure.
Giant hogweed sap prevents the skin from protecting itself from the sun, leading to horrific burns and blisters like those seen on Chloe’s hand in this photo
Chloe’s hand still bears scars from her encounter with the plant after doctors popped her blisters and dressed her wounds
Chloe still has scars three weeks after the ordeal and believes they will stay with her ‘foreseeably’
She said: “They (medics) announced that they were third degree burns. I have scars that have lasted for three weeks and show no signs of healing.
‘The recovery was extremely painful, my hand was in constant pain and had to be bandaged due to the open wound where they had punctured the blisters.
‘I had to take a few days off because I really didn’t feel well after having the treatment; It took me over a week and a half to get back to normal.
“But my hands are still scarred and I suspect they will be for some time.”
Miss Douglas is now urging others to clearly distance themselves. She said: ‘Familiarize yourself with what the plant looks like to ensure that if you see it, you avoid it at all costs.
Make sure you wash your hands constantly and wear sunscreen.”
Giant hogweed is native to the Caucasus, but was introduced to Britain as an ornamental plant in 1817 and its spread has now gotten out of control.
It was called ‘without doubt the most dangerous factory in Britain’ by Mike Duddy of the Mersey Basin Rivers Trust in 2015.
