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.
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- Department of Dermatology, Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain.
Correspondence: lborher@gobiernodecanarias.org
- 1. Mohamed M, Nixon R. Severe allergic contact dermatitis induced by paraphenylenediamine in paint-on temporary “tattoos”. Australas J Dermatol 2000; 41: 168-171.
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