Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Sunscreen Lotion
In August 2021, the strangest thing happened to me. Before telling you what happened, let me tell you what led me to purchase this Neutrogena product.
I am not new to wearing sunscreen. I used to wear it every single day. I know and understand the importance of using sunscreen on a daily basis. Before switching to this product, I was using a somewhat clear sunscreen. I ran out of it, therefore, I needed a new one. The reason I couldn’t get the same brand is that I used to purchase my clean sunscreen in the United States but since the pandemic, the border has been closed.
I was excited to find a sunscreen that was moisturizing my skin, wasn’t leaving a white cast as well as protecting it.
I have to specify this event happened the first week of August. After 2 months of use, I woke up to my nose bleeding. Although it hadn’t occurred in a while, I thought the hot weather was the cause. One thing I noticed is my nose was bleeding excessively with blood clots and also through my mouth which never happened to me before. I, of course, applied the techniques of how to stop a nose bleed but it took longer than usual for it to stop bleeding.
The next morning, the same thing happened. Hmm okay! That’s fishy but still didn’t think much of it. Again the following day. The bleeding rapidly increased from a day to twice a day to multiple times a day. It was to a point where I couldn’t go anywhere because my nose would start bleeding.
Quick story – I went to a nice restaurant with my fiancé at the time and before the food came, I went to the washroom. I suddenly started to bleed out and had a hard time stopping it. Thank God I was alone in there. My entire mask was filled with blood. I didn’t have my phone with me there I couldn’t alert my fiancé who was wondering what happened to me. What a disaster! I finally managed to stop the bleed. The food arrived and told him we couldn’t stay so we left.
I felt miserable and weak. I was losing way too much blood at this point. I was sleep-deprived due to the fact that I was sitting down instead of laying on my bed. My sister came to sleep with me to make sure that I’d run to the nearest medical clinic and the doctor said that it might be the coldest of the AC. One part of me was relieved of that diagnostic and the other part was raising an eyebrow up. He proceeded by explaining how I should moisturize my nostrils. While he was telling me all this, I told him that I feel the blood coming from deep within my nose but he was convinced it was the AC. So, I went cold turkey. Mind you, it was in a middle of a heatwave and I completely shut down my AC.
After a few days, NOTHING CHANGED. You can only imagine the confusion, stress and anxiety. Dealing with anemia, losing all this blood on a daily was not what I needed at that time. I called the nurse emergency line and explained the whole situation to the nurse. She advised that if the situation remained I should go to the hospital. Meanwhile, my sister kept telling me it’s probably something that I have changed/ added to my lifestyle. Although I am not new to coffee and tea, I cut them for a short period of time. I WAS DESPERATE. While going down the list of all the products and foods I consume daily, my sister told me to stop using Neutrogena sunscreen. I was obedient and the following day I didn’t apply the sunscreen.
Guess what happened? The nosebleed stopped. I was shocked. I was in denial. I was waiting for the blood to run down my nose but after waiting for days, nothing happened. The crazy thing is it stopped the same moment I stopped applying the sunscreen. Like what the heck!.
We found out that Neutrogena has been under investigation this year for their sunscreens which lead to cancer such as leukemia. In case you didn’t know, recurrent nosebleed is one of the symptoms found in leukemia.
In addition to the class action claims, Johnson & Johnson is expected to face a number of sunscreen cancer lawsuits brought on behalf of consumers who developed various forms of blood cancers following regular use of recalled Neutrogena or Aveeno products, including Acute Myeloid Leukema (AML), Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Hairy Cell Leukemia (HCL), Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDL), Myelofibrosis and Myeloid Metaplasia, Aplastic Anemia and Thrombocytopenic Purpura.
Neutrogena, Aveeno Sunscreen Settlement Reached to Resolve Class Action Claims Over Benzene Contamination. (2021, November 2). AboutLawsuits.com. https://www.aboutlawsuits.com/neutrogena-aveeno-sunscreen-settlement/
I always get emotional when I think about this situation. Until today, I suffer from PTSD. I often jump off my bed thinking that my nose is bleeding. I thank God for my sister’s wisdom. I pray that one day I won’t think about this.
The entire brand is a no-no for me. Whoever is reading this post, DO NOT USE NEUTROGENA’S PRODUCTS. I shared my story so you can be warned.
Much love,
Ga’L
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