Henna Tattoo Side Effects

Henna tattoos are quite popular especially in case of the Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Southeast Asian cultures. Not many people think about the henna tattoo side effects, as it is generally considered safe. Although henna itself is a natural product, side effects can appear if other chemicals are added to it to make the ink darker.

Allergic Reactions

In case you are thinking about getting a tattoo made with premixed henna paste you should know that some of them have paraphenylenediamine, also known as PPD. This is usually added to make the pigment darker. This kind of henna ink is known as ‘black henna’.

In USA when it comes to the negative effects of henna tattoos these kinds of ink are only approved as hair dyes, and they aren’t supposed to be used on the skin. This is because added PPD can lead to severe allergic reactions when it gets in contact with the skin.

Skin Eruption

PPD can also lead to skin eruptions. There is a specific kind of reaction known as the type IV hypersensitivity reaction. This kind of reaction appears about 10 days after a person gets a tattoo made with black henna.

Although you might think that the negative effects can’t be that bad, in this case the skin eruption develops into a papulovesicular weeping lesion. The problem can be taken care of by topical treatment, but it is everything but pleasant.

Long-Term Side Effects

In case you happen to have hypersensitivity to the chemicals in henna, it is possible that you will show long-term side effects. It is possible to have some post-inflammatory scarring in the region where the henna was applied and in some cases the pigments of the skin will change as well.

Scarring

The adverse effects of henna tattoo can also involve keloid scars and rubbery collagen scars. If a child has a reaction to PPD, he or she may become oversensitive to the ingredients that can often be found in hair dyes and to other allergens.

In order to avoid the henna tattoo side effects the best thing you could do is to get a tattoo only from people you trust and it is important to ask whether the henna they use contains PPD or not.