Say no to black henna tattoos!

[5 July 2007 - 10h47]
[mis à jour le 5 July 2007 à 15h47]

The temporary black henna tattoos available on beaches and at summer markets “can lead to potentially serious skin allergies”, warns the French Health Products Safety Agency. As far as the Agency is concerned they should quite simply be banned.

For 3 years, allergy specialists and dermatologists have regularly been reporting to the Agency cases of allergic eczema occurring a few days or weeks following the application of a black henna tattoo. These allergic reactions are caused by paraphenylenediamine – or PPD – which is illegally added to henna to give a black colour to the tattoo and make it last for longer.

Since 2004, 33 reports of undesirable effects have been recorded. A figure “most likely to be lower than the actual number of cases of eczema identified”, the Agency points out. But the consequences are not insignificant. These eczemas can lead to “violent reactions, sometimes requiring urgent surgical intervention or even hospitalisation. They can be limited to the area of the tattoo (but sometimes too) will spread to neighbouring areas or even to the whole body”.

And that’s not all. As the Agency points out, these reactions can also lead to photosensitization, which is particularly dangerous during periods of exposure to the sun. They can also develop into forms of allergies: to rubber, clothes dyes and hair colorants for example. To the point where they can make it impossible to work in certain occupations – hairdressing for example!

“These sensitisations are all the more worrying in that they mainly affect children and adolescents and because they can impact on people’s daily and/or working lives”. In addition, the Agency reminds us that “any skin reaction following the use of a cosmetic product must be reported to a healthcare professional”.

Source : AFSSaPS [French Health Products Safety Agency], 5 July 2007

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