27 Allergic Reactions That Are So Bad, They'll Actually Make Your Face Hurt

Oh my god...

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to show us the worst allergic reactions they've ever had. Here are the wild results.

FYI: This post definitely isn't making light of severe allergies. Luckily these people can all look back and laugh at what happened to them. Let this serve as a reminder for why allergies should always be taken seriously. Enjoy!

1. This person who really got the short end of the stick:

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"Apparently I'm allergic to dust mites. My breathing was never affected, and I only itched a little, but I did get the day off work."

—molly1112

2. This woman who's basically allergic to everything:

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"This was my back after my scratch test at my allergist. I wound up in the ER a few times, and I thought it was about time to figure out exactly what I was allergic to. Turns out, I am allergic to life."

—christinaoey

3. This guy who was just trying to be healthy:

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"Ever heard of the drink Kombucha? Well, neither did I... until my friend offered me just one small swig. Thirty minutes later, this was what I looked like."

—timmyd4ed91ce1c

4. This woman whose face looked like this for a year:

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"I had this rash on my face for over a year when my doctor prescribed me a topical steroid for some mild eczema around my nose. It took me about eight months and several different dermatologist visits to discover that the steroid was the issue. The real reaction came from stopping the steroid. I stayed home for three months and felt like my face was on the verge of splitting in half."

—marleynx

5. This woman who's extremely allergic to dust:

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"I went to the doctor, and apparently I am extremely allergic to dust. This is what happens when I'm in a dusty area: my eyes grow to the size of golf balls."

—melfill

6. This wild rash that covered her whole body:

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"This is how we found out I have Mast Cell Activation Disorder (MCAD). The culprit? Flax seed, which I only touched ONE time."

—valeriev422e61815

7. The numb face and swollen lip:

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"My lip started swelling up because of some new medicine that I turned out to be allergic to. My whole face was numb, and I had to stay in the hospital overnight because they couldn't get the swelling down. Luckily it didn't hurt at all."

—tiffbey

8. This woman whose whole face swelled up like a balloon:

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"I am allergic to the sun and mistakingly went out without a hat on. Ended up in the emergency room."

—pereiraolg

9. And this person who accidentally came in contact with one:

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"I'm deathly allergic to latex. This was the aftermath of someone holding a balloon and then grabbing my arm. It was so swollen and painful that I couldn't go to class for four days."

—drice794

10. This woman who should never garden again:

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"I was doing yard work and apparently came across some poison ivy (or oak or sumac – I still don't know). I got the juice from it all over my hands, which led to the worst allergic reaction of my life. I was out of work for a week!"

—cailininchains

11. This unidentified allergic reaction:

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"I woke up like this one morning, and I have no idea why. The doctors couldn't figure out what triggered the allergic reaction, since I'm allergic to basically anything. Lol."

—aniraminom

12. This person who needs to stay away from glue:

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"I had my gallbladder removed, and I got these horrible blisters around my incisions. They were so painful and felt like a million tiny needles were stabbing me at once. Turned out I was allergic to the adhesive they used to glue my incisions back together. The surgeon said I was the second person he had ever heard of to have that reaction. They even took pictures so the medical community could study my case. To this day, I can't handle any type of glue or adhesive, except for school glue."

—lindsayalison

13. This guy whose whole head inflated:

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"My friend called me to pick him up along a trail that he was walking in rural Indiana. He said his allergies were acting up. I took him home, and an hour later I got this pic from the emergency room. The moral of the story? Exercising is not worth it."

—mariabachman2013

14. This woman who should stay away from all plants:

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"Pro tip: Take note of all the plants around you before sitting next to a bush and picking at its leaves. The top two pics were from the second day of the reaction, the bottom-left was the third day, the bottom-right was the fourth day (after taking medicine)."

—hannah1857361

15. This woman who definitely shouldn't hang around cats anymore:

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"The aftermath from my friend petting a cat and rubbing her eye."

—d4aa2ad45c

16. These three sausages:

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"My sister always makes fun of me for having fingers like sausages, but when I got stung by a bee my thumb REALLY started to look like one."

—erklizzy

17. This guy's terrible vacation:

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"We were on vacation at a cottage. My boyfriend went to sleep with slightly puffy eyes. The next morning, he rolled over and asked if his eyes were any more swollen. They were. Turned out he had poison ivy in his eyes."

—mackenzieh46222ff6c

18. These swollen eyes:

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"I was eating some cashews (I didn't know I was allergic to them) at work when my tongue started to feel a little funny. Not really knowing why, I kept eating them. Then my eyes started itching really badly. I looked in the mirror, and they were growing in size. They were like that for three days."

—alisonc4130b1d37

19. This woman who has honestly had enough:

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"I laid on my dog's stomach after he roamed through poison oak. I went to urgent care, and the nurse had the audacity to ask why I was there."

—bayhr

20. This woman who had an allergic reaction THE NIGHT BEFORE HER WEDDING DAY:

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"This was what I looked like at 10 p.m. the night before my wedding. Suspected culprit: cat dander."

—clairefarron

21. This woman who just wanted to dye her eyelashes:

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"This is my reaction to eyelash tinting gone horribly wrong. My family called me Quasimodo. The infection spread to the rest of my face, and I couldn't see. I was put on oral and topical steroids, which made my face even more swollen. Apparently I'm severely allergic to metal and the dye in the tinting, which contained zinc and other metals (which are also found in tattoo ink). At least my parents know I'll never get a tattoo, because it'd probably kill me!"

—bekahlaylah

22. This full-body hive suit:

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"I only took a picture of my legs, but my entire body (including my face) was covered in these hives after an allergic reaction to antibiotics."

—susracha

23. This horrifying reaction:

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"I'm highly allergic to tree nuts. This was about three minutes before my eyes, nose, and ears swelled shut."

—amyeb2

24. This woman who had a "Get Out of Work Free" card:

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"This was 30 minutes after my allergic reaction. It was rather annoying, but my mom and I had a good laugh looking at me in the mirror. I had to call off work the next day. One of my managers thought I was trying to call off so I didn't have to work with her, but my friend showed her this picture. She felt awful for not believing me."

—sarahelainet

25. This brutal bee sting:

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"The first time I got stung by a bee was when I was 20. I was away at college and without my mom. It wasn't fun."

—isabellep419f34347

26. This woman who just wanted to practice self-care:

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"Found out I was allergic to tea tree oil after covering my face with it. The next morning, my entire face was covered in tiny blisters, and I ended up being sent to a wound care clinic. Never again."

—katiec472eebc37

27. This woman who should probably stay away from Cuba:

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"On a college class trip to Cuba, I woke up at 5 a.m. and looked like this. I took a picture and went back to bed, and then I went to the hospital in the morning. My first time ever going to a hospital was in Cuba, and it was just because of allergies. What was I allergic to? I still don't know."

—maipoisson

28. And this verrrrrry swollen lip:

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"I was getting ready for bed and noticed that my lip felt numb and tingly. I looked in the mirror, and this was what I saw. I looked like the offspring of Donald Duck and Homer Simpson for about two days until it deflated. The doctors and I still don't know what caused it."

—evac4bcd46b51

Does your own allergic reaction top any of these? Drop a pic of it in the comments below and tell us what happened!