Woman's shocking reaction to temporary holiday tattoo
A mum-of-two had a holiday from hell after her temporary henna tattoo left her with painful blistering and a rash over her entire body.
Mandy Carver, 42, had a black henna butterfly applied to her skin while on holiday in Tenerife, the Canary Islands, unaware of the potential side effects.
A week later back in her hometown of Fangfoss, York, her wrist became itchy, sore, red and started to swell, before erupting into a patch of small blisters mimicking the design.
Doctors believed she suffered a chemical burn, giving her cream to avoid infection and antihistamines to reduce the swelling.
But a week later, a rash spread from her neck to her abdomen and down the back of her legs, leading dermatologists to reveal she suffered an allergic reaction to the dye.
The mum-of-two, who has been left with a scar after six weeks of symptoms, is now warning other sun-seekers that may be tempted by a temporary tattoo to do a patch test first.
Ms Carver, a secretary, said: “On the way back my daughter noticed it was broken up a bit and not like hers, hours later on it felt bumpy, I tried to wash it off, but it was too late.”
“A week later back in the UK it started to become red and swollen, then it blistered, I went to the doctors, they said it was a chemical burn.
“About a week later I had a rash that started spreading from my neck down my abdomen and back then started going on my legs.
“I was referred to the NHS waiting list for a patch test to check if I was allergic to PPD [para-phenylenediamine].”
Ms Carver said a dermatologist told her she was a ‘textbook case’ and gave her a list of things to avoid, including black hair dye, photocopy toners and black dye in clothes.
“I have been left with slight scarring, which the doctor said can take a year to completely disappear,” she said.
“I had no idea there was such a thing as black henna, I was obviously aware of the dangers of getting a real tattoo abroad, but no idea that there was this risk with a henna.
“I just thought it was a natural dye that was painted onto your skin that makes it go brown-orange, then fades away over time.”
After contacting the salon where she received the black henna tattoo, she claims the owner told her that he received the dye from ‘mainland Spain’ in a ‘small glass bottle’.
He apologised as well as vowing to do patch tests on people before using the product. He stated that in the five years using the product he “never had problems so it’s rare”.
Gina Taro, a salon allergy specialist with 18 years experience, believes reactions caused by PPD will only increase in the coming years, with more people coming into contact with the skin irritant.
She offers specialist consultations on hair dye allergies and free information online.
Ms Taro said: “It’s a wide range of chemicals, from Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) to toluene-2,5-diaminesulfate (TDS) and others.”
“Reactions can present as anything from a red area to a very angry rash with blistering to open wounds that ooze.
“To throat swelling, eyes crusting shut and the risk of a compromised airway that can lead to death.
“I can tell you that a patch test will not tell if you if are allergic to colour on your first exposure, you must be exposed twice to actually have a reaction.”
For more information visit: www.ginamarietaro.blogspot.com
