Thanks for posting that Sanji. I must admit if my son had have asked for a tattoo whilst we are away in August I'd have probably let him. After seeing that it's a definate no-no.

my daughters and i had these done in tunisia 2 years ago with no problems but everyones skin is different.

My youngest has had a henna tattoo done every year for years when we are away in Portugal
(well before all the stories in the papers and those other poor kiddies )
Luckily he has never had a problem.
Maybe it's because he always goes to the same person who obviously uses decent stuff, or maybe
it's his skin type - dunno?

my son had a henna tattoo done in zante a couple of years ago, and his went gammy too, but not as bad as this poor lad. However my sun does suffer from prickly heat alot, so it could be something to do with skin types, as my daughter had one done in Ichmeler years back, and had no problems with hers at all.

People who are saying this is down to the poor lad's skin type are obviously missing the important point of this article. The first "tattoo" on his other arm caused him no problems at all. Unless this lad has a different type of skin on each arm, it sort of suggests that the problem is down to the chemicals that have been used. My youngest daughter has had them done in the past. I'll be showing her those pictures to stop her nagging me again this year!

It is possible to get a blue/black form of natural henna but it's not as long lasting in its effects and Asian women use it on their hair only. Years ago the Body Shop used to sell it and it always gave my dark hair a lovely shine and helped keep it in good condition but on the skin it just leaves a relatively pale greyish stain, hence its unsuitability for skin decoration and why Asian women always only use the red/brown form on their hands. As Sanji says, if you are offered a henna tattoo in black it most definitely won't be natural henna.

Slightly off topic, but I have had my hands done with traditional designs quite frequently at and for various multicultural events and one of the tips I've picked up over the years is that if you want it to last as long as possible then you need to make sure your skin is well moisturised before you have it done. Then leave it on as long as possible before washing the residue off and keep keep your skin well moisturised afterwards. Doing this means that it can last for up to a week before fading - especially if I remember to always use rubber gloves when dong any dishes!

Conversely, if you want it to fade as quickly as possible, leave off using any handcream or body lotion for at least 24 hrs beforehand, wash the residue off as soon as it starts to 'crack' and then don't use any creams on your skin until it fades. This means that I've been able to have my hands done on a Saturday afternoon and it's looked good for that eveing but it's been completely gone by the time I've had to go to a formal work meeting on Monday morning where it would have been a distraction for me to have turned up with heavily hennaed hands.

Finally, it's worth bearing in mind that whilst it's rare for anybody to have a skin reaction to natural henna, it can still happen occasionally. The women who do my hands for me always insist on doing a 'patch' test first on anybody who's never had it done before. In other words they'll put a little on the inside of the wrist or the elbow or on the back of the earlobe to see if you have a reaction within 24 hrs. If you don't they'll do your hands but they'll never do it straight off on somebody who's never had it done before. So if you are thinking of having one done on holiday, even if you are sure that it's natural hennna they are using, always ask for a 'patch' test beforehand and only go back for the 'tattoo' if by the following day you've had no reaction. A reputable 'tattooist' will never object to doing this.

SM

It is possible to get a blue/black form of natural henna but it's not as long lasting in its effects and Asian women use it on their hair only.

That's correct, it's derived from indigo and while it's used on the hair, it just gives a greyish/blue colour on the skin and doesn't last very long.
We've had this topic before, but the horrific pictures included in the article prompted me to post another warning.

First of all, there is NO SUCH THING AS BLACK HENNA and the point I was trying to make via this article, is that having one done and having no reaction is no indication that you won't have one the next time....and it's got nothing to do with your skin type, it's your skin having an adverse reaction to something that you've put in/on your skin.
This young lad had one done at the beginning of his holiday with no reaction, he went back on the day before he came home and had another henna tattoo done.
I'm sorry, but I just can't figure out why any responsible parent would even contemplate taking a risk that could scar your child for life, after being given information of what can happen.

The photo's suggest to me that his skin has suffered from a chemical burn, and it's probably because black hair dye has been added to the natural brown henna paste, to make it jet black...the culprit being a chemical called PDD or to give it it's full name Para-phenylenediamine, and it's a transdermal toxin, which means it passes through the skin layers and is absorbed into the blood stream and then becomes a potential carcinogen.

Quite frankly, it's bloody dangerous stuff and it's up to you as an adult to take this information on board, and YOU make the decisions for your children...chose how much they want, plead, cry, sulk and nag, the answer should be a firm NO because neither YOU or sometimes the tattoo artists have no idea what chemicals are in their "black" henna....and if they DO KNOW that PDD is being used, then they should be classed as criminals making a quick buck, with no thought for the consequences or your darling child.

But, you'll be reminded every day by looking at the scar and knowing that you took part by allowing it to happen.

Sanji

I agree, I'd never let my daughter have one!

I have been a member of this site for quite a few years, this topic comes up every year, an article appears in one paper or another every year,
There is loads of info on the net warning of the problems of allergic reactions to so called black henna, the parents usual excuse is "" it didn't happen last time "
Immune allergic reactions are not an everyday event, they are acquired through a previous exposure.. Sanji and Sma are both correct natural Henna [chocolate brown colour] in the vast majority of the population is free of reactions, but some of the chemicals [not natural colour] that is added to make henna dark are highly toxic..

wiz

My oldest son is just approaching the age when he probably will ask for one. After seeing that picture there is absolutely no way I'd let him have it done. I know a lot of children have it done with no problems at all, but to me it just wouldn't be worth the risk regardless of how much he nagged me. I'm really grateful that Sanji has brought this to our attention as I was totally unaware of the risks.

It might be worth printing that article and taking it away with you if you think you are going to pressurised into letting your children have tattoos.

hi,did anyone see gmtv this morning??? there was a 10 year old boy on with his parents. he had a "henna" tattoo on his holidays and went really bad..all blistered and red...apparantly some of these people put "hair dye" in the henna to make it really dark and this can cause severe reactions to the skin. this little boy could possibly be scarred for life and cant have his arm in the sun for 2 years!!! an expert recommended to do a few basic checks before letting your child have one of these

1- check the colour...if its black dont have it.real henna should be brown
2-ask the person doing it to try some on their own skin...if they wont its probably beacuse its mixed with something it shouldnt.
love sue

showed my 11 year old daughter the picture as she wanted one last year and its totally put her off

shes just been to turkey with her dad, glad she never asked him for one as he probably would've let her get one

If you click on the link and where it says BROWSE: MY PLAYLIST: SEARCH
click on SEARCH and type in the box Henna Tattoo, then click search, you should be able to watch the video of this little lad and his parents as they appeared on GMTV yesterday morning. "Henna Tattoo Nightmare"

http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=24657

I'm also pleased that the BBC children's channel has also picked up on this story, sometimes it needs the kids to see it for themselves because parents sometimes appear to be "spoil sports" through kiddies eyes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7490000/newsid_7499300/7499338.stm?ls
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7490000/newsid_7499600/7499617.stm

Sanji

I asked my son last night if he would want one of these tattoos, expecting him to say yes. He told me 'no way'...he had just seen the story on Newsround.

my neighbour let her son have one done last year, cant remember where they went, but anyway, he had an allergic reaction...a nasty one at that, and has had to have skin grafts, i would never let any child have one done, doesnt matter how much they moaned and whinged about it!

my daughter has been having them done since she was about 6, every year in cyprus she would get dolphins or something, untill one year she had one done with my niece in cyprus and they both had mickymouse on there shoulder and it got worse as the holiday went on.. it ended up going purple then there was a scar ( this was like 4 years ago ) the scar is faded now but thats not the point!

One year my daughter had dolphins on her arm, woke up in the morning screaming and crying saying AHHHHHHHHHH its on the pillow the maids gonna kill me scrub it off mum scrub it off theres dolphins everywhere!

CourtneeLouise x

Similar stories appear each year and no one ever seems to learn from them.

For me, seeing the first picture several years ago of what damage a 'henna' tattoo can cause was enough for me to say a point blank NO to my kids, they were told why and accepted it. At the end of the day, you just don't know what they're adding to the henna and for that reason alone there's no way on earth I'd let them anywhere near my kids.

There are some legit places out there but you don't know until it's too late which ones aren't legit and the question I'd ask any parent is, is it worth taking a risk on?

thats really not nice at all,poor kid
i have always wanted a tattoo but reluctant to get one,now really reluctant

hope it does not scar him for life