GOING OVERSEAS? Parents warned of temporary tattoo danger

Families travelling overseas these school holidays are being warned of the dangers of sometemporary henna tattoos.

STEER CLEAR: A young girl suffered from a painful skin reaction after getting a temporary henna tattoo while overseas. Picture: CONTRIBUTED

WHILE getting a temporary henna tattoo while overseas may seem like harmless holiday fun, a House Call Doctor is warning residents that the tattoos can lead to permanent scarring, particularly in children.  

With painful skin reactions one of the most common side effects, Dr Ryan Harvey said parents need to be cautious of 'black henna' because it contains paraphenylenediamine (PPD), a hair dye that can cause allergic reactions, open sores and scarring.  

"Unlike here in Australia, there may not be any regulation of what goes into the dye, and children in particular can have extreme reactions that can cause blistering, open sores and a chemical burn," Dr Harvey said.  

Photos posted online show the extreme reaction in some people, and plenty of Australians have commented on a post on House Call Doctor's Facebook page saying they and their children suffered similar skin damage from black henna tattoos they had done in popular holiday destinations like Bali.  

"It looks like the patient has suffered an extreme allergic reaction to something in the dye and it's caused a chemical burn to the skin," Dr Harvey said.

"Treatment would be to immediately run the area under cool water to treat the chemical burn. If it is an allergic reaction, the patient may need antihistamine, a topical steroid cream or a steroid tablet to treat the burn.  

"It depends on the extent of the burn but if it covers a large percentage of the body, particularly in children, they may need to be observed in hospital, so they don't go into shock.

"Keep up your fluid intake and stay hydrated because all the fluid in your body will rush to the burn site."  

Dr Harvey said natural henna, as opposed to black henna, does not contain PPD and is made of plant-based ingredients.

It is never black and has a more orange colour with a red or brown tint.  

Some of the symptoms to look for include:

• Discomfort
• Burning, tingling or a painful sting
• Swelling
• Skin redness
• Blisters

Originally published as GOING OVERSEAS? Parents warned of temporary tattoo danger