Black Henna Tattoo Designs Can Cause Allergic Skin Reactions
Posted on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 and is filed under Parenting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Black henna tattoo designs can be beautiful, and bear no perceived risks for parents because henna tattoos are temporary. What’s there not to like? Well, one thing: These tattoos can cause an allergic skin reaction in your child.
Dermatologists are alerting consumers about these tattoos because they can contain a chemical called para-phenylenediamine (PPD), which is used to make the black henna tattoos last longer. This substance is also found in black hair dye, and can create a number of allergic reactions, ranging from mild eczema to blistering and permanent scarring. The first sign of a reaction is usually itching and redness, bumps, swelling then blisters.
“Perhaps the most alarming issue we are seeing with black henna tattoos is the increase in the number of children–even children as young as four–who are getting them and experiencing skin reactions,” said Dr. Sharon E. Jacob, assistant clinical professor of pediatrics and medicine (dermatology) at the University of California, San Diego. “Kids make up a significant portion of the population that receives temporary tattoos, because parents mistakenly think they are safe since they are not permanent and are available at so many popular venues catering to families. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.”
Natural henna, also used for temporary tattoos, is made from lawsonia inermis, plant leaves, which provides shades of red, green or brown. Receiving this kind of tattoo is harmless.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits the direct application of the chemical PPD to the skin because of its known health risks, but the tattoo industry is not regulated.
Dr. Jacob states that some individuals may obtain a lifelong sensitivity to PPD, triggering a cross reaction between medications such as heart, hypertension and diabetes medications, even hemorrhoid preparations or oral gels.
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