Plumber 'scarred for life' from $16 henna handlebar moustache tattoo
A British man has been left with huge scarring across his face after a henna tattoo he got on holiday ended in disaster.
Arran Maye, 28, from Leicester, forked out $16 for a henna moustache as part of his Mexican-themed outfit for a fancy dress party in coastal town of Benidorm in Spain.
His friend Adam Lewis, 29, went for a similar look during their six-day trip on November 14 and his 'temporary' tattoo began to fade just days later.
But Mr Maye's face immediately started to tingle after it was applied, with his face later swelling up and he was left with puss dripping from the inking.
He rushed to hospital on his return to England after the extreme allergic reaction caused his airways to narrow, and he ended up in intensive care.
Mr Maye, a plumber, is in recovery but had to go back to work with his new facial decoration, which has left him with scarring and needing a skin graft to fix the permanent handlebars stretching across his face.
“I’ve managed to see the funny side of it. I mean, what choice do I have?," Mr Maye said.
“They did mention a skin graft and that it might be permanent. I was trying not to hear it to be honest.”
He revealed he tried wearing a balaclava-type face cover but was “getting funny looks”.
