Henna body art that blisters
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If you're going away on holiday this summer you might be tempted to have some temporary body art done. Before you do, it's worth ensuring you know exactly what's being put onto your skin.
Watchdog has been contacted by the Smith family who recently came back from a two-week holiday in Egypt. They stayed at the 5-star Jaz Mirabel Resort which they booked through Thomson.
On the hotel complex was a shop offering temporary henna tattoos and the Smith children Connie and Tyler were desperate to get one done.
Dad Lee said: "We assumed the people that did the tattoo were approved by the resort because they had a shop on the complex and they actually had ID tags and were in proper uniforms so we just assumed they were OK."
Children experienced classic reaction
Their son Tyler had a scorpion design on his back, while their daughter Connie had a Hello Kitty design on her arm.
Mum Michelle told Watchdog: "It was really Connie's that started to react first of all. Just a little bit of redness. We didn't think much of it and then by the time we got home and the few days after that it just got worse and worse. The skin just started to blister in the exact shape of the tattoo. They were just getting raised blisters which were very red, angry and inflamed."
Michelle and Lee Smith are angry with Thomson for allowing the tattoo artist to operate on an all-inclusive complex.
Proper henna tattoos won't cause the sort of reaction seen in the Smith children. However, in some tourist resorts you will come across darker dyes where the henna has been mixed with paraphenylene diamine or PPD. In most of Europe it's illegal to use PPD in henna tattoos but it seems the Smith children seem to have experienced a classic reaction to PPD which means they could be sensitive to it for life.
Temporary tattoo became inflamed and blistered
Watchdog has also been contacted by Mrs Cabrera. Her son also had a henna tattoo done at the same shop on the Jaz Mirabel Resort in September 2008. Her son's back where he'd had the tattoo applied also became inflamed and blistered. A dermatologist told her that he too had experienced an allergic reaction to PPD. Six months later and his back has healed but he's still scarred.
Mrs Cabrera wrote to Thomson back September 2008 to warn them about what had happened to her son. She says all she has received so far from Thomson is a compensation claims form.
When Watchdog contacted Thomson it said:
"Thomson would like to reassure its customers that their health and safety is our primary concern, and we are therefore sorry to hear about the Smith and Legg children's reaction to a Henna Tattoo they received while staying at the Jaz Mirabel Beach Resort in Egypt.
The Jaz Mirabel Beach Resort is exclusive to Thomson in the UK, although it does also welcome customers from other countries. The tattoo shop in the resort is operated by a third party, and neither Thomson nor the hotelier have any involvement in the service nor are they affiliated with our company.
"We would like to clarify that we do not promote or endorse any products or services of this kind. Customers are advised by the Tattoo Parlour that its usage is at their own discretion.
"Thomson has advised all hoteliers of their duty of care towards our customers as regards Henna Tattoo shops operating within their premises. However, although Thomson does exercise control over the checking of all fire alarm systems and any high-risk installations within shop premises, we do not have any say over goods and products on sale.
"After hearing from Watchdog, Thomson is conducting a full investigation in collaboration with the hotel management. We have requested that the hotel management speak to the owner of the tattoo parlour with a view to suspending its service until this investigation is complete.
"Thomson will be in touch with the families presently as regards any claims they may have."
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I was on holidat in Port El Kanaui in Tunisia in March of this year.
I stayed at the a 4 star hotel and had a "henna" tattoo on my leg.
Is spelled like creasote and after a while began to sting and raised up and did so for several days. I was left with a mark for a week or so.
that was a Thomas Cook holiday.
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I don't think you can blame anyone for the intolerance. We had the same thing happen on a trip to Morocco. My friend's Henna tattoo went red and swollen. I had no trouble at all. Done by the same person, one after the other. Just bad luck. Any doubts... don't get one, especially not kids!
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im 17 now and when i was 13 i went on a school trip to spain where i got one of these henna tattoos, and now when i get a tan you can still see a faded out line to dolpin shap tattoo
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On a trip to Sousse in Tunisia my boyfriend got a black henna tattoo done in the 4* hotel we were staying in. It was done in the hotel salon so you'd assume approved by the travel provider, Thomas Cook.
I remembering saying to him at the time it looked strange, as when I got a proper henna tatoo in Egypt it was a different colour.
Needless to say it became red, swollen and blistered. Three years on you can still see the scar!
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I would like to stand up for Thomsons. I have only ever used Thomsons and as a holiday company they are only given a certain number of rooms per year for a hotel, they are not the sole responsibility of the hotel so they are not responsible for employing people in to resorts to carry out treatments etc, that is the responsibility of the hotel.
we went to Morocco two years ago and they were offering Henna tattoos there. My daughter decided to have a tattoo but before she went in she was told that she could only have the brown henna as the black was only suitable for darker skin pigment. At this point a child came in with the same burns as the children on the report. His parents had been told the same as my daughter but they had ignored the advice and only wanted the black henna. My daughter was not put off and had a lovely design created in the brown henna as suggested. It lasted just as long as the black henna. My advice for people would be to ask if the black henna is suitable for fair skin before hand.
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My 8 year old son had a black henna tattoo done in February at Aqualand in Tenerife. A week and a half later he reacted to it. It became red, swollen, itchy and hot to the touch. Was given cream by doctors but it has left a scar and 3 months on the hairs are still black where they were dyed. I emailed Aqualand but never received an answer. I believe everyone should be made aware of the dangers of these tattoos. Why is this chemical still allowed to be used if it is banned in European countries. This was not a street trader it was a well established holiday attraction. And yes as a parent you do feel extremely guilty. Never again.
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I went to Turkey over the Easter week, with Thomas Cook, and stayed in a 5* hotel in Belek. I also had a henna tattoo, 3 in total, all of which turned into lttle red raised blisters. The blisters have cleared, but I am left with a red shiny shape, just like when you have been burnt. Luckily they were only small tattoos, but one is on my wrist and is clearly visible. When I approached the henna tattoo stall, the lady did look rather shocked, but was very helpful and gave me some bepanthem cream (nappy rash cream!), which soothed the itching and redness. I am just so relieved that i didn't let my two children have one too.
Lara
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My son had a black henna tatoo 4 years ago in Gran Canaria. He didn't have a bad reaction as such but the skin became red and sore. Once the tattoo wore off the skin returned to normal and we forgot about it. Since then my son has been dying his hair a dark brown colour. After using the same hair dye 4 or 5 times he has this last time experienced a very bad reaction which has left his head very sore and weeping. After speaking to the company which makes the dye they did say that this reaction could have been attributed to the henna tattoo and the amount of PPD in it which he had previously had and they recommended that we have him seen by a dermatologist to confirm the allergy. They informed me that the reaction could have happened at any time.
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I am 17 and I went to Menorca last July where I got a henna tattoo from a lady in a bar, she seemed to know what she was doing so me and my sister got 1 each. My sister had a small one on her shoulder and I had a quite large butterfly on the bottom of my back. The first sign of something wrong was that I fainted later that day. It then started to blister a couple of weeks later. I then got into a jacuzzi at the end of august in a devon cottage holiday and the tattoo got worse. It was itching and oozing so we bathed it regularly, I came out in a rash all over which turned out to be blood poisoning and had to have 2 courses of strong anti-biotics to clear it up. It stayed blistered for a couple of months then was just red for a bit and now it's just a white butterfly shaped scar. Pretty but painful. The annoying thing is, my sister didn't have any problems with her tattoo. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that I have hayfever and other allergies. One thing's for sure, I'm never having one again.
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my daughter had a henna tattoo done last september, no choice of brown
or black was given and no warnings of any kind. her arm was blistered and burnt and very painful. it isnt just intolerance and now 8 months later she still has the imprint of daisy duck on her arm! thomson havent replied to any of my emails that ive been sending since september. i am very angry and want some response from them.
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I had a black henna tattoo on my hand whilst on holiday in Tunisia 2 years ago.I reacted just like the kids on the show.It went to the extent of me becoming physically ill with a form of blood poisoning because the dye had gotten into my circulatory system.I have been told that I should be careful when attempting to use hairdyes etc because I could have a serious reaction.I react to dyes on leather shoes when I am on holiday in hot humid countries and sometimes get an itchy reaction on my hand where I had the tattoo done.I am of asian origin and don't think it has anything to do with the pigmentation of the skin. It is the dye that is used in the 'henna' mixture and it affects some people in varying degrees. I have used natural henna which when washed off leaves an orange/red tint on the skin in the pattern that it was originally put on. I would advise tourists not to take a chance with the black henna, because you don't know what type of chemicals are used. You can't blame tour companies as these people who do the tattoos are independant of the tour company and sometimes even the hotel. We need to take responsibility for our decisions and make informed decisions in the future. It is worth Thomson investigating this and informing the hotels they deal with. This needs to be exposed to avoid people being injured and having life changing consequences.
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I have recently just returned from my Honeymoon in the Jaz Mirabel Beach in Egypt and I also received a henna tattoo on my foot. I have had no problems with the tattoo and this was also done in the shop on the complex. We met another couple whilst we were there and she also received a tattoo on her foot and again no problems at all. I think this could just be a case of the children having sensitive skin and not actually a problem with the Henna itself.
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Sometimes we carry on the blame culture too far, Traveling agents can only guaranty your holiday and not your activities while on holiday, parents are liable to what ever happen including advising their children against having a tatoo. Next they will demand for compensation!
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I agree - This is in no way Thomsons fault. The family explained in the short film that the tattooist were wearing uniforms, this was not the case when I was there in April. The guys had badges yes but they told me they were independant to the hotel.
People who blame the tour operator for their own bad judgements are pathetic in my eyes. It has been said before, Thomsons and other tour Operators are only there to ensure you have a pleasent stay at your hotel. They are not there to be blamed for a 3rd party working at the hotel who caused this issue. There are plenty warnings out there about Henna tattoo's and have been for years. This is no different to anyone affected by this before.
Compensation should not be given to these families from Thomson as this is purely a bad judgement made by the parents. If my Henna tattoo had went wrong I would have went straight to the guy who did it, not Thomsons!
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this isnt just sensitive skin, the henna was black and therefore
had ppd added to it. the hospital said her skin was burnt.
there were no warnings that henna could be harmful, otherwise i
wouldnt have let my daughter have one!
i do blame thomson for not regulating the shop and making sure they
were not using the black henna and displaying warning signs my daughter could be scarred for life, we didnt expect this to happen from a "harmless" tattoo
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My son had a henna tattoo, also at a 5 star hotel in Egypt in 2001.
He had no immediate reaction but a week later we had to take him to hospital as it had blistered and was terribly sore. He made front page news of our local paper in an effort to warn others. The tattoo was treated with Hydrocortisone cream for weeks and would still show up when he got a tan.
It took two years to disappear completely. Josh is now 16 and I'm glad to say that the scar has gone.
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When i went to Spain, Majorca in 2007. I had a henna tattoo on my ankle which was my boyfriends name, i'm only 19 years old so would't want the real thing. whever i like it or not i am now stuck with it! It blistered up and turned very painful, i now have his name scarred on my leg, luckily im still with him!
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Hi I am the parent of one of the children featured on the show (not the one interviewed) and i would like to put a few things straight for the record.
1. As for blame culture, I emailed Thomson and the Jaz Mirabel Hotel 3 days after returning from Egypt having by now been to the GP and paid to see a private dermatologist (as nhs was a 3 month wait). My initial email was not about placing blame it was about warning them about what had happened and i enclosed photos, graphic photos of what had happened to my sons back. So that no other children or adults would be scarred in the same way. Neither Thomson or the hotel ever replied and obviously never did anything about it as the family on the programe's story shows given that they went some 7 months after i did.
2. This is reaction is not because my son has sensitive skin as he has previously had henna tattoos, proper ones that do not contain ppd, and he has never had a problem.
3 One of the key points here is that Henna is not dangerous but PPD is dangerous and this is why european countries strictly monitor its use. The point is the tattoo shop never said anything about extras in the paste they just said it was Henna, which is a natural plant/veg extract. if they had said we want to paint a hair dye chemical onto your son and then we want you to leave it on for nearly 24 hours, I would never have agreed to the tattoo and they would have been lucky to only get a piece of my mind.
4 My son is now scared and the fact that some people can condone inocent people being painted with a highly toxic chemical, beggars belief.
Lastly i would like to add that my son had a tattoo at the begining of the holiday which was fine, it was only when they knew we were leaving and they touched up the original tattoo did we have problems, from the vast majority of people i have spoken to who have had a similar reaction the story is the same...........so i pose the question do these so called tattooist know the risks and only use the cheap chemical enhanced stuff when the family is about to fly 5 hours away.
Rant over.
Ps Redhotangrymum, if you are who i think you are and were on holiday at the same time as my family i hope S is ok.
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The hotel mentioned in the other comments is not the only hotel that allows such a subcontractor to opperate on there premises.
My partner and I visited Egypt this April and stayed at the [hotel removed], Sharm el Sheikh, an absolutely fantastic hotel, however the after effects I am still suffering.
We were cohersed into getting these henna tattoos by a very persuasive man that had identification hanging around his neck, whilst we were sunbathing on the complex. He took us back to his hut and we had the tattoss, which, although expensive looked ok.
Everything appeared fine and we had no problems with them until about 2weeks after we returned home. My partners tattoo was fine and sshe has experienced no problems with hers whatsoever, however, on my leg I have the perfect arrabic imprint of my partner and my names.
The redness seems to be spreading and the ichiness at times can at times be almost unbarable. I haven't as of yet been to the doctors, preferring to see the our local pharmacist, who has prescribed a Hydrocortisone cream, howvever after 5 days of using this nothing seems to have changed. the area is still red and raised, it still itchess like mad; next stop doctors i think.
My advice, as much as they look nice at the time, its probably worth waiting till you get home...
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Also went on a Thomson holiday to Egypt and stayed at the [hotel removed]. My son had a "henna tattoo" done in the hotel grounds by one of the staff who worked at the hotel - It went sceptic and scarred his body - After seeing several doctors it seems that the tattoo could leave a permanent scar! He had to have time off school when we returned from the holiday as he was so ill.They are using other chemicals in the tattoo solution such as a substance called PPD and this is banned in many places. I contacted Thomson but they didn't want to know and just sent me a fob off letter!
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Tantamount to child abuse? Anyone who dyes their hair knows that henna is likely to cause a reaction hence the 24/48 hour test advice on every packet of dye. I am so fed up of ignorant people blaming others - what ever happened to responsibility?
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