A six-year-old Australian boy may suffer permanent allergies from a temporary henna tattoo he got while on vacation in Bali last month.
The boy’s mother, Samantha Cooper, says she couldn’t believe the lack of warnings for travelers on toxic black henna ink and she wants to share her son’s story to hopefully prevent others from going through the same ordeal.
It was actually ten days later, after the tattoo had totally disappeared that a rash in the shape of the tattoo appeared on Cooper’s son.
“He had no immediate reaction, only once the tattoo was well and truly gone did this nasty, itchy mess come up,” she said to NT News.
Cooper reportedly works as a paramedic and says the tattoo could have life-long consequences for her son—though NT did not interview a specialist confirming that the damage to the boy will be that long-lasting and severe.
“And it’s highly likely that as a result of being exposed to this disgusting, toxic substance Ben will suffer with allergies for the rest of his life,” she said.
“Things like he won’t be able to use hair dyes, and latex may be a problem.
“These people are painting it on children knowing that it could brand them for the rest of their lives.”
Cooper says after doing research on black henna versus traditional henna (that appears reddish brown) she realized that its common for people to have bad reactions to the dye. It’s too bad that she did not do this research before having her son inked.
“I can’t understand how there aren’t warnings put out for travellers heading to countries where it is commonly used on tourists,” she said.
She said it was important people understood the difference between traditional henna and black henna.
So if you’re looking to get a henna tattoo while in Bali, avoid the black stuff!
Illustration: Pixabay
