The chemical reaction by black henna has left the skin on her leg permanently damaged by the temporary tattoo.
According to Mail Online, Mary, 16, a resident of England had a dream catcher tattooed above her left ankle at the start of her first break with friends in Turkey. The tattoo was inked using black henna.
Mary had the tattoo retouched a week later and after a few hours, it began to seep and swell, forcing her to seek medical treatment when she returned home to St Albans, Hertfordshire.
Doctors initially tried to treat her wounds before she was referred to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital specialist burns service.
"Bits of my skin were coming off it was just disgusting as it looked like open flesh," she said.
'The burns doctors said it was the worst black henna injury they had ever seen.
"I wanted to show off my tan but I couldn't wear dresses as I had this big burn I wanted to cover up. I felt a bit unglamourous."
The tests revealed the burns were caused by a chemical paraphenylenediamine - a strictly controlled substance in the EU.
The chemical reaction by the black henna has left the skin on her leg permanently damaged by the temporary tattoo.
The teen is now considering dropping out of a fashion show this month because she does not feel comfortable showing her scars.
She has also been warned she will never be able to dye her hair due to the risk of anaphylactic shock from PPD - often found in hair dye.
Agonised, Mary said she could never have imagined this would happen. "I've had hennas on my hands before which have been fine and I think they are really pretty,” she said.
“I had aspirations to be a model in the future and I do enjoy it a lot so it's going to be hard. It is not very attractive and I won't be able to have my hair done which they usually do in modelling. Who is going to pick me over a model with a normal leg? If I thought I was going to get a scar, I did not think it was from something like this,” she added.
Mary’s ambition is now to become a makeup artist in the film industry. She is hoping to use her injury to her advantage by studying theatrical hair and makeup, arts, and photography. “I’d like doing theatrical make up and eventually learning how to do all the scars for the movies. Hopefully, I will be able to cover up my scar if I get good enough at it,” she said.
Her mother, Lisa, 43, who helped Mary book the holiday, is calling for travel companies to warn customers about the dangers of henna tattoos. “The long lasting effects of exposure to PPD chemical is very serious and will be something she will need to consider,” said the upset mother.
According to Lisa, Mary cannot go in the sun for at least two years without protection which is going to be very restricting for her.
Dr Christopher Flower, Director-General of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association, a Chartered Biologist and a toxicologist, said black henna frequently causes allergic reactions.
“Having a so called black henna temporary tattoo presents a significant risk of a very nasty adverse reaction to the tattoo itself. It also increases the risk of either not being able to use most hair dyes in the future or having a bad reaction to them if the warnings are ignored,” warned Dr Flower.
The advice is clear, please avoid so-called black henna temporary tattoos.
All Photos are taken from Daily Mail
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