‘Black Henna Tattoo’: art or allergen?

Henna Tattoo: Temporary or Permanent?

Contact dermatitis with henna tattoo.

Allergic and irritant reactions to henna are rare. Para-phenylenediamine, which is sometimes added to obtain a dark, blackish henna, causes the majority of contact dermatitis reported related with tattoos. Allergic contact dermatitis due to temporary paint-on tattoo with black henna is described in two adolescents.

Cutaneous hyperpigmentation following nonpermanent henna tattoo.

Decorative henna skin painting can provoke severe reactions in the skin. We report 3 cases of unusual and persistent hyperpigmentation following nonpermanent henna tattoo, which alerted us to identify an additional side effect.

Irritant contact dermatitis from a black henna tattoo without sensitization to para-phenylendiamine.

Allergic contact dermatitis from nonpermanent black henna tattoos has been frequently reported, particularly in children. Contamination or adulteration of the dyes with para-phenylendiamine has been identified as major cause of active sensitization and elicitation of severe allergic contact dermatitis. Sequelae include permanent sensitization, hyper- or hypopigmentation, scarring, keloids, and ...

Eosinophilic cellulitis (Wells’ syndrome) caused by a temporary henna tattoo

Eosinophilic cellulitis (Wells' syndrome) is an uncommon condition of unknown etiology. Wells' syndrome is usually seen in adulthood but very rare in childhood. Although pathogenesis of the disease is not very clear, it is a hypersensitivity reaction developing against a variety of exogenous and endogenous antigenic stimuli. Paraphenylenediamine is a strong allergen frequently used as a tempora...