This Tourist Almost Lost Her Hand From a Henna Tattoo

This henna infection could have been fatal

Despite the MANY articles we’ve written about the dangers of black henna tattoos, every time Spring and Summer rolls around we see dozens of stories of people having horrific reactions from the supposedly temporary and harmless tattoo. Black henna is a variety of henna that contains paraphenylenediamine (PPD) a chemical that is very toxic and can cause scarring, blistering, and chemical burns.

For this unlucky henna recipient, the 26-year-old Australian native got tattooed while visiting Egypt on vacation. She got the tattoo for $5 in a town called Aswan by a local woman and in an interview with Yahoo News, revealed that within hours realized something was wrong.

“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 shared. The traveler visited the hospital when she began to lose feeling in her fingers and was diagnosed with a bacterial skin infection.

“They diagnosed me with stage 3 cellulitis and a severe chemical/second or third degree burn,” she explained. “I was extremely lucky not to lose any digits.”

When it comes to henna, be sure to stick with the red/orange based product and be wary of anything that comes in a darker pigment. Real henna should leave a red/brown tints and is the consistency of a thick toothpaste. Black henna on the other hand often leaves a black or dark brown tint, with a watery or liquid consistency. Anyone traveling abroad should be extremely cautious when it comes to henna, as the consequences of black henna have been known to cause permanent disfigurement and can be fatal.

What do you think about the dangers of black henna? Have you ever gotten a henna tattoo? Let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments section.