A TRENDY henna 鈥渢attoo鈥� could cause you months of pain and discomfort, and
even a lifelong allergy to a common chemical found in dyes, doctors are
warning.
Numerous cases of people developing severe skin reactions days or weeks after
having a temporary tattoo have been reported, says Bj枚rn Hausen of the
Dermatological Centre in Buxtehude, Germany. 鈥淚t was unbelievably itchy,鈥� says
one sufferer, who developed a rash after getting a tattoo from a vendor on
Venice Beach, California. 鈥淎nd it lasted for a long time. It was the worst
迟丑颈苍驳.鈥�
But the problem is not the henna dye itself, an extract of the plant
Lawsonia intermis, but the chemical para-phenylene diamine (PPD),
Hausen鈥檚 research has shown. PPD is often added to henna to make the tattoo
darker. In some people, it seems henna containing PPD can cause contact
dermatitis, in which the skin becomes swollen, red and itchy.
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鈥淚t is possible that the mark from the tattoo will remain for several months,
which is of course socially quite uncomfortable if it concerns parts of the body
which are very visible such as the hands or fingers,鈥� says Hausen. 鈥淏ut above
all, these tattoos can cause a hypersensitivity to PPD.鈥� Because the chemical is
used in several industrial processes, that means adolescents who are affected
will be unable to enter a number of professions, he says.
Hausen showed that PPD is to blame by applying both pure henna and PPD to the
skin of people who鈥檇 had adverse reactions. Only the PPD produced a strong
reaction, he found. Other doctors have got similar results when they carried out
allergy tests.
Hausen鈥檚 findings appear in Deutsches 脛rzteblatt, the journal of the
German Medical Association. The association now plans to launch a Europe-wide
information campaign to warn people of the risk.
In Europe and the US, however, most parlours use pure henna, which very
rarely causes allergies. The risk is greatest when getting tattoos from street
vendors and in third world countries where controls are lax.
Painting henna designs on the body is a long-established practice in
India鈥攚here it is called mehndi鈥擬orocco and Fiji. A
mehndi craze sprang up a couple of years ago after Madonna had her hands
elaborately decorated for her pop video Frozen. Overnight, henna body
art went from an oriental cultural tradition to a global business and tourist
pursuit.