(Image source from: Yahoo News)
An Australian woman almost lost her hand while on holiday after suffering a reaction to a henna tattoo.
Brooke Crannaford said she was “extremely lucky” not to lose any of her fingers.
The incident took place in November last year when Crannaford was 25 and was visiting a village in the city of Aswan, on the Nile River, when she decided to get the $5 body art from a local woman.
She decided to get the design on her left wrist and hand, but just hours after applying she felt something wasn’t right.
“At first, a few hours after it was applied I started to feel really itchy, and then progressively over 24 hours it got worse and worse,” she said.
By the time Crannaford was able to get access to a doctor, she was starting to lose feeling in her fingers from cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection.
“They diagnosed me with stage 3 cellulitis and a severe chemical/second or third-degree burn,” she said. “I was extremely lucky not to lose any digits.”
Crannaford said it took three weeks for the wound to heal enough to leave it uncovered and another week on top of that before she could return to work.
What Kind of Henna Causes Burns?
The type of henna that causes the burns is usually black henna, which includes an ingredient named paraphenylenediamine (PPD). PPD is usually used in hair dye and is an extremely toxic chemical for the skin, causing chemical burns, scarring, and blisters, according to House Call Doctor.
Those wanting a proper henna tattoo should be sure that it’s natural henna, which is made entirely out of plant-based ingredients.
Real henna will be in orange color with a brown or red tint. Any non-permanent tattoos with dark tints should be treated with cautiousness.
Similar Case Earlier
Brooke Crannaford case is not the only one, a little girl from the UK who was on Egypt tour in 2017 got pretty Heena swirls on her forearms. Later when she returned back with her family in the UK she experienced itching on those designs which lead to a series of blisters and had to be removed by medics at a specialist burns unit. It is recommended to consult a dermatologist before applying Heena tattoo, as it may or may not suit your skin type.
By Sowmya Sangam
