A dream holiday in Mexico turned into a nightmare when a saleswoman developed such a horrific reaction to a sun lotion it made her look like “the lion from Narnia”.

Just two days after Leeanne Garrett, from Rochester, arrived at a luxury resort, her face and eyes began to puff up after applying the Piz Buin spray.

In desperation, she went to a doctor, who gave her an injection and a five-day course of tablets to ease the swelling, at a cost of £80.

Ms Garrett, 36, who went on the two-week all-inclusive £3,600 break with partner Gary Brown, 40, said she felt like a freak and was so self-conscious she locked her self away in her hotel room.

When the disfigurement started, she initially thought she had overdone it in the sun and put on more of the factor 30 lotion.

She bought a hat and kept her face out of the heat.

Ms Garrett, of Gundulph Road, said: “First my forehead swelled up, then one eye closed and I looked like I’d been punched in the face. I continued using the cream and then the other eye became swollen. My nose bridge was huge and I looked like a lion from Narnia.

“Thank God, I managed to see a doctor who said it was a cream reaction. It ruined at least one week of my holiday, and for four days I couldn’t drink on my all-inclusive holiday.”

She has contacted Johnson & Johnson, the company that manufactures the brand.

A spokesman wrote to her saying: “We are sorry to hear of the problems you have experienced. We would like to assure you that we will examine this occurrence in detail.

"Johnson & Johnson are dedicated to providing products of the highest standards of safety and quality.

“We follow strictly controlled procedures to ensure that this is achieved, ensuring each product has been thoroughly tested prior to its release onto the market.”

A recommendation was made to Ms Garrett to carry out a patch test to identify the problem ingredient.

Ms Garrett, who returned from holiday at the weekend, has urged the company to take the product off the market and is considering legal advice.

A spokesman for Johnson & Johnson said Ms Garrett’s concerns would be “fully investigated”. “Piz Buin Ultra Light Spray contains only permitted ingredients at levels well within EU standards set by regulators.

"In principle, nearly every substance or product in our daily life may cause irritation in some people with a particular sensitivity.”

It is not the first time Piz Buin products have caused bad reactions, and the company has had to change the formula in the past after some horrific experiences.

Johnson & Johnson featured in the BBC consumer programme Watchdog in September 2013 after 150 people complained about the suncream.

Allergic reactions included bright red bumps on the skin, fluid-filled lumps, blisters, itchy eyes and a severely swollen face.

At the time the company agreed to change the formula for its Piz Buin 1 Day Long suncream.

The company told the Medway Messenger this week: “The ingredient that was the subject of the Watchdog programme is not found in Piz Buin Ultra Light Spray. It was removed from Piz Buin products in 2014.”