Temporary henna tattoos with long-term consequences

Authors: Pablo J Almeida and Leopoldo Borrego

Med J Aust 2009; 191 (11): 687. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb03381.x
Published online: 7 December 2009

Two sisters aged 6 and 11 years presented with pruritic inflammatory lesions, one on the arm and one on the shoulder (Figure). The lesions appeared 72 hours after the girls had black henna tattoos applied while they were on holiday in Egypt. On examination, each girl had eczematous eruptions that perfectly outlined the tattoo. Patch tests were positive for paraphenylenediamine, a known potent contact allergen.

Black henna tattoos are a frequent source of sensitisation to paraphenylenediamine among Australian tourists to South-East Asia.1 Potential significant consequences include allergic reactions to hair dyes, textile dyes, anaesthetics, sulfonamides and sunscreens containing p-aminobenzoic acid.

1. Department of Dermatology, Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain.

Correspondence: lborher@gobiernodecanarias.org