The risks of tattoos with black henna
Spring is already here and with the good weather come certain habitual practices in young people who have certain risks, such as henna tattoos, famous for being temporary, that is, they disappear after a few days. Before summer comes, it is best to be prepared for this probable request of a teenage son, and know what he is facing.
Tattoos with henna are very typical during the summer, and it is rare to walk through a street market installed in the summer and that there is no place offering them. Its main peculiarity is that, While normal tattoos are done with an injection inside the skin, those of henna are applied on it.In addition to the duration: a tattoo is for a lifetime, while the henna lasts only a few days.
Beware of black henna
But you have to be careful: Henna is not black. Therefore, if you see that they offer it to you in this color, it is better not to risk it. As explained by the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, in recent years they are introducing black henna tattoos, which have a more attractive color and set faster, but pTo make it black add dyes to the hennaand there lies the risk.
One of the typical dyes that are added to the henna to give it that black color is p-phenylenediamine or PPD, which It is forbidden for use on the skin because it can cause severe allergic reactions.
The symptoms of black henna allergy
The symptoms caused by black henna they do not have to appear at the moment; In fact, they can do it until weeks after their application, but they are all similar: in the area where the tattoo was made, it appears itching, redness, spots, blisters or even loss of skin color and scars.
Another consequence of black henna is the skin sensitization: the people who have put it on have a more sensitive skin, so it is possible that time later (even years) any chemical substance (such as clothing dyes) will cause allergy.
It is important to see the doctor as soon as these reactions are detected, because in some cases hospitalization is required, according to the pediatricians.
How to recognize black henna
As we said, Henna is not black, but it is a paste extracted from leaves and flowers of a bush that It has a greenish-brown color. Therefore, if you notice that the color of the dough is darker, you can suspect that they have added some type of dyes. Further, the resulting tattoo of henna has a reddish or brown color, while that of the black henna is, as the name suggests, black.
Another way to know if it is black henna is to ask about the Application time: the natural henna has to be in contact with the skin as long as possible, while the black henna is more immediate. If you ask if you can remove it from the skin just an hour after its application and they say yes, it is black henna.
Finally, there is a third trick: the duration of the tattoo. Those of natural henna last at most a week, although the normal varies between three or four days. If they tell you that it will last more than a week, it is black henna, so it will be better not to get a tattoo if you do not want to regret it later.
Angela R. Bonachera
