Sunday 15 July 2012

Say NO to Black Henna Tattoos - Personal Experience

Hello All,

I love applying henna not only on my hair but like applying it on my hands, feet, forearms, neck etc.. In my recent visit to Mumbai, I had purchased a lot of Mehndi cones, the ones used for your nails, black tattoo ones and usual ones..

I was so tempted to try the black henna as I have never used it in my life.. Once I was having a casual discussion with one my aunts about the effect on temporary tattoos and how many have had skin related issues and even cancer due to prolonged exposure.. This was almost years ago and I am stupid !

This thought never struck my head.. I applied a arabian Mehndi pattern on my palm and nothing happened.. Then I opened the next cone and made a typical tattoo on my leg and my forearm.. It was just nice and I was proud carrying a tattoo..

These ones stayed for 5 days or so and then vanished..  I had rashes in my leg and arm on Thursday, they were so itchy that I continued scratching them..  I had shrimps on Wednesday and I thought it was an allergic reaction.. I am not allergic to shrimps or any food for that matter.  It was worse the second day - I would have burning sensation followed by a bad itch.. I had scratched myself during sleep..  Then a friend of mine spotted a pattern.. I said its art if I scratch myself.. Brains !!  This area swelled and I had difficulties walking.  I showed it to my mom and she said "yeh to mehndi ki tarah hai, kahi pe bhi mehndi lagate raho, aise hi hoga" - which means "its because of the mehndi, look at how this looks.. Apply mehndi everywhere and this would happen" She likes natural mehndi and kept asking me if this had dye in it.. I said "saari duniya lagati hai, sirf tumhari beti ko kuch kyun hoga??" translated as " the whole world applies it, why will something happen only to your daughter ?? These words are haunting me now.. Mom knew it ?? Huh, doesn't this happen only in movies??

I visited my doc today and he had prescribed anti-allergens and corticosteroid.. The rashes are in the pattern of the design, even the strokes.. I read this after I came back from the doc.. I am dreaded reading about it...

Natural henna is not black in color , this color is added by a chemical named para-phenylenediamine, also known as PPD, and that can hurt you. PPD is a dye.. And these rashes come usually after 7 to 10 days of exposure.. Never had them on my palms though.. Maybe this package was contaminated/adulterated.. No idea why !

This is one site that I found while researching online.. http://www.eastonwest.co.uk/bhw.html.

And I found some pics on this site.. Here they are:

The tattoo
The rash
 This is how my leg looks like, its dreadful and scary. This is not a pic of my leg but taken from the same website I had mentioned .. I don't wanna post the scary pic of my leg on my blog.. I am really getting emotional, scared and worried here.. I hope its just skin deep and doesn't enter my blood stream and cause more damages.. My family doc asked me to wait for 2 days, but I am sure I am gonna visit my derma if nothing happens and discuss about this with him.. Docs, don't you hate patients to interfere in your work because they think they know everything because of Mr. Internet?? Well, Dr. House does ! lol.. 

I am really trying hard to be normal but I am scared !! That's the most horrible feeling one can ever have!

Bloggers who are also doctors, please suggest.. Because like I said,. at this moment I am super duper  scared..

Please hope and pray that I recover soon - I don't mind scars but nothing more than that.. I am not someone who cares about something that's just skin deep.. 

I am not sure if I will ever be applying Mehndi in my life again.. We all learn from mistakes but not something that's scary and something that will make me repent every day of my life..

I am hoping to cheer up before I say Cheers..


Amrin

Note: The pics are taken from the website I had mentioned in my post.. Please do let me know if you would like me to take off the pics from here

20 comments:

  1. Oh. My. God! I am so glad I dislike Henna in general.

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    1. Wish I could say the same Poorna.. Maybe I'll , from now on!

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  2. Always Always avoid temporary tattoos and stickers from anywhere, i personally dont like dem coz if they r stickers they swell the area whr v put the tattoo n with such black henna u defnitely dono wats the ingredients,, Amy!

    this really luks scary n horrible, i hope u get well soon after 2days do visit the derma, u cant keep this just like it!

    take care babe!

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    1. I know it does.. I am freaking out and made up my mind that I will not read anymore articles..

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  3. thanks for the post dear!! i am also crazy above this stuff but hardly tried it!!


    do visit the derma soon and hope u ll get well soon!!! <3

    Take care.. :)

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    1. I know.. Never did I think that this would happen.. One of my friends asked me if I can apply mehndi and I denied.. You never know what chemicals are mixed to get that color.. I will mix my own mehndi from now else I will stay away from it!

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    2. Huh I applied mehndi to my frend who i denied initially !

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  4. Oh my, those look so painfull :( Hope they heal soon and there is not permanent issues. I think you did good job, when posting this, even in here Finland people wants henna tattooes and even black. But they don't get how bad things they can add in dyes. I can't dye my hair with regular hairdyes anymore, I did for decades but them suddenly my skalp burned, clear liquid was ouzing from it and it hurted so much :( After that I have had issues with washing liquids (personal and chore ones) cremes and lotions and other wich are in skin exposure, I'm glad that I usually don't have issues with colorcosmetics :)I have only few things what I cannot use in those.

    Take good care on those healing areas (keep clean and put creme or what ever lotion doctor asked you to put there) you might even get out without scaring then, but most of all they wont get more infection.

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    1. That is what I am scared about, hope I don't get more infection

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  5. Hi Amrin....get well soon....me too have similar experience like yours and I can understand how awful it is....takecare

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    1. You had similar experience?? What happened?? I really hope that things get better

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  6. OMG :) couldnt even imagine :) visit a good derma .........get well soon !

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  7. oh god !!! .. dear take care.. i will also keep in mind before using any such tattoo.

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  8. Never knew till now, dat heena can create such painful experiences too!
    take care gal. dont worry u will be o'ryt soon.

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  9. You know how quick fix and commercialization has seeped into everything. they have started to add this shit in henna so that dark brown color develops with in an hour !While i was growing up, mom used to make her own mehndi mix at home.. there was not much of buying cones from outside. At the most we would get a dark orange brown after keeping it overnight..My mom was so shoukeen of mehndi....I am so scared of buying henna now. I have stopped applying from ready made cones when in a wedding i was made to sit and mehndiwalis applied and within 1 hour my hands became red and i scratched so much.I had to take a steroid injection .

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    1. Oh Zee, I have been taking steroids orally for the last 3 days. Add cherry to the cream - I running high temperature could be a sign infection. But my doc thinks its because of the weather cuz I have sore throat too!! I have made my mind that I will never buy mehndi cones again and make them myself like we did say 10 years ago !

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