Holiday craze maimed my son

Nathan shows his badly scarred arm

31 July 2002 12:29

A schoolboy was left scarred for life after a temporary holiday tattoo went disastrously wrong.

Nathan Solomon, 10, was left with horrific burns on both arms after he suffered an allergic reaction to Henna tattoos he had painted on while in Spain.

He is so distraught by the injuries he refuses to wear short-sleeved T-shirts in case people see the four-inch long burn marks.

The £8 tattoos showing Chinese symbols should have worn off in two weeks, but doctors have said the burns are so deep, the outlines will stay with him for life.

He was given them on the final day of a trip to the Spanish resort of Cala De Finestrat.

It is suspected he fell foul of dangerous black Henna, which contains impure chemicals and can penetrate deep into the skin.

Mum Karen, 36, of Bulrush Close, Horsford, today warned other parents to take care when allowing their youngsters to get holiday tattoos.

She added Nathan was in constant discomfort and was on medication to reverse the reaction.

"He is using cream and is on antibiotics and antihistamines to bring down the allergy," she said.

"He was brought out in spots all over his body and the doctor has said the burns will be with him for good.

"It's the summer holidays and he won't wear T-shirts that show his arms. He's very upset."

Nathan, who is a pupil at Horsford Middle School, asked to have the tattoos when an English woman arrived in the foyer of their hotel offering the service.

Scores of youngsters had the same tattoos as Nathan, and some even had them painted on their necks.

He had originally asked for a large tattoo of a dragon, but his mum allowed him to settle for the Chinese symbol.

When the first tattoo failed to take on one arm, the Henna artist tried more successfully on the other.

But days after returning home he began to experience an excruciating burning pain on the top of both arms.

Grandmother Diane Elliot, 58, said: "He couldn't sleep and it was really itching. It's just like a burn and it's brought him out in spots all over his body.

"We want to warn other parents about this. There was a sign up saying it can cause mild skin irritation, but this was more than mild skin irritation."

Most serious reactions to Henna occur when the artist uses black Henna, which contains impure colouring other than the naturally safe Henna.

It can penetrate deep into the skin, whereas natural Henna only dyes the surface, causing an allergic reaction and a burn-like mark.

Henna tattoos are different to traditional tattoos in that the skin is simply dyed, rather than ink being injected below the surface of the skin.

Scientists have warned that henna tattoos can lead to months of pain and discomfort through an allergy to the chemical para-phenylene diamine (PPD), added to make the henna darker.

Research carried out last year by Dr Bjorn Hausen, of the Dermatological Centre in Buxtehude, Germany, revealed that henna containing PPD could cause dermatitis and make the skin swollen, red and itchy.

Dr Hausen said: "It is possible that the mark from the tattoo will remain for several months, which is of course socially quite uncomfortable if it concerns parts of the body which are very visible, such as the hands or fingers.

"But above all, these tattoos can cause a hypersensitivity to PPD. Because the chemical is used in several industrial processes, that means adolescents who are affected will be unable to enter a number of professions."

The British Allergy Foundation has also warned people with sensitive skins to avoid the tattoos.

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