Black Henna Tattoos Present Possible Danger

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Black Henna Tattoos Present Possible Danger
June 9, 2012
By Alyssa Hyman
WMBB News

t's a popular beach body art, temporary tattoos, like henna tattoos. But what may seem like a harmless body decoration could turn out to be very dangerous.

It was supposed to be a family vacation to the beach. Little did Frankie Mihok know it would land the Augusta, Georgia, teen in the doctor's office seeking immediate medical attention.

"It started getting red, and it started getting really itchy. It started blistering the next morning," says Mihok.

Mihok and his cousins went to Gulf Foods off of US 98 in Mexico Beach for what they thought was a normal henna tattoo.

"I thought I was just getting a regular tattoo," says Mihok. "A temporary tattoo. And it would stay there for like a month. I didn't know it would do this."

What Mihok got was a black henna tattoo. According to the Food and Drug Administration, black henna contains a chemical known as PPD which may cause allergic reactions for some.

The only legal use in cosmetics, according to the FDA, is in hair dyes, and it's not approved for direct application on skin.

"It can cause significant skin damage, scars, reddening of the skin, and almost a chronic area which just becomes disfigured," says Dr. Vincent Ivers from the Cosmetic Medical Center.

With the possibility of such reactions, family members want to know why the store had no warnings.

"It's furious to me that anybody that could put anything on your skin and not have a sign not have a warning. Not an age limit, that its okay its not okay. It's a chemical," says Laura Humphrey, Mihok's mother.

The owner of Gulf Foods, Ike Godwin, says the store has never had this issue come up and was unaware of the potential adverse reactions.

"We immediately stopped the henna tattoo and decided not to go forth with it until this thing is at least check out," says Godwin.

Gulf Foods says if they ever plan to give the henna tattoos again they will have signs and waivers.

The Mihok family has reported the incident to the Mexico Beach Police.