A mum fears her son may have permanent scarring on his arm after he suffered a chemical burn just days after getting a henna tattoo abroad. Louise Byrne was looking forward to her holiday in Bali with her husband Jesse and their three children when they visited the Indonesian island last month. Just days into the trip, Ms Byrne paid $5 (£4) for her son Logan, 5, to get a henna tattoo from a local beach vendor. The 37-year-old stay-at-home-mum thought nothing of the risks after seeing several other children with the same tattoo, but was horrified when her son began suffering an extreme adverse reaction after returning home to Perth, Australia.
“Logan woke up and said his arm was sore, and it was really itchy hot, burning. I couldn’t believe what had happened,” Ms Byrne said. “It was very hot, red and lumpy. It got worse so we went to the doctor, who gave us a special cream.” After the temporarily tattoo started to fade, a hot red lump started to appear, Ms Byrne told Yahoo! News .
Almost a month later, the wound has still not healed. Ms Byrne took her son to the doctor who said Logan was suffering a chemical burn from the dye. He was prescribed cortisone cream to help the dermatitis. The mum now fears the burn might never heal and her son could be left with permanent scarring. She is sharing her story to warn other parents about the potential dangers of getting temporary tattoos while on holiday.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advises travellers to avoid temporary black henna tattoos while overseas, stating that they “often contain a dye which can cause serious skin reactions”. Dr Adrian Lim, who teaches at the Australasian College of Dermatologists, warned reactions to henna tattoos can take seven to 10 days to occur.