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"It was very strange, I did not understand what was happening, I had never heard of black henna ."
The British Mary Bates was lying on the beach in Turkey in 2015, when a woman she asked him if he wanted to get a henna tattoo.
He had never done it before, but he liked the drawings and decided to make a dream catcher on his ankle. He was then sixteen.
"At the time, something was starting to go wrong," he recalls in his remarks on the BBC 3 program.
"All the lines were starting to get up. the days began to ooze and large pieces of skin fell. "
What Mary was experiencing was an allergic reaction to the so-called" black henna ": a potentially toxic variety of this natural and temporary dye It is traditionally used in the Middle East, Asia and North Africa to decorate the skin, especially before the celebration of a wedding, or to dye the hair or to paint the nails.
What the local artists promise, is a tattoo that will disappear naturally in a few weeks
But unlike what happens with natural henna which is brown and made entirely with plant ingredients, the black variety contains a large amount of a chemical called Paraphenylenediamine or PPD.
This product is found for example in hair dyes, but in the case of black henna, it can be in high concentration.
A drag one for ever
The use of black henna has proliferated in very touristy places, especially in North Africa.
Although do not all undergo a black henna tattoo reaction the risk of doing so is so severe that in the European Union it is forbidden to put high concentrations of PPD on the skin.
Mary, who is now 19, received treatment with steroids and a honey-based gel, but she had to go to the hospital once. the week for more than a month before his ankle is healed.
The doctors themselves thought that they would have traces left for life, but fortunately Mary said that they had missed it.
She is the luckiest
Alex, the son of Kelly Hutton, another Briton, had a similar problem to Mary but in her case the scars still cover much of her arm
The boy was 7 years old when they left. holiday in Morocco last October. When two women approached them on the beach and offered them tattoos, Kelly did not suspect anything since she had already had henna experience.
"He wanted to get the biggest tattoo possible on his arm and ask for a tattoo. huge drawing of a dragon . "
Kelly then had no idea of the difference between black henna and natural henna.
The child did not have a bad reaction immediately. It happened a week and half later, when they were back home, when in the middle of the night he got up wishing to scratch his arm
" His skin had begun to rise exactly with the same C was like the dragon who had been tattooed on his arm, and he kept beating him, "says the mother to the BBC
" We took him to the doctor, who we gave a cream with steroids. "
the cream finally worked and stopped itching, but the black henna left a scar on his arm which, 8 months later, still has not disappeared." [19659013] 69% permanent scars
26 year-old Deena Stevens did the same in the United Arab Emirates a year and a half ago
When he saw her shortly after being Tattooed that he was black henna, he washed his hand as soon as possible. six days, he had no reaction and thought that he had escaped a reaction, but the week was early in the morning with a great itch.
Despite scarring scars and steroids still has marks on the hand.
According to dermatologist Anjali Mahto scars are common with black henna, but whether they are prominent and permanent or not depends on what
Several studies have confirmed that at least s 69% of people would suffer from a black henna reaction if they left it on the skin for 120 minutes or more, which is common when it is applied as a temporary tattoo.
"If you have a lot of inflammation and blisters, you may end up with permanent scars."
How to distinguish natural henna from black
] The henna artist Ash Kumar, whose designs can be enjoyed in Bollywood music videos and films, is one of the most vocal active against black henna.
Ash Kumar explains that now people are afraid of tat henna tattoo for afraid to have a reaction but insists that black henna is the "impostor"
"The true henna is totally safe, was used for thousands of years ", he says
"It is made with plant-derived ingredients, such as l & # 39; 39, eucalyptus, which help refresh the skin, and that is why it is given to women a few days before their marriage. "[19659004]" Traditionally, this is done for therapeutic reasons, to calm the Bride and help her relax.That's why Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and some Jewish communities do it.If you have a good product, it is very good, "said L & # 39; ;artist.
According to the artist, natural henna has a very distinctive odor while black henna does not normally do.
Natural is a brown paste that gives an eucalyptus or clove smell, similar to Vicks Vaporub, if you know it. But black henna paste is odorless or can smell a little paraffin. It does not smell pleasant "he described
He also warns that henna never marks the skin immediately, but gradually over several days, which may be a sign early warning
"If you are offered a temporary henna tattoo on vacation, ask them if the color is instantaneous. If they say yes, flee ", recommends
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