Scarred for life: henna tattoo turns young boy's Bali holiday into nightmare
<p>A mother has sent out a warning to those who get henna in Bali: Don’t.</p>
<p>Despite being warned of what to do and what not to do in Bali, henna had managed to escape the “do not” list.</p>
<p>It was only after a woman’s son got a henna tattoo on their last day in Bali, but it turned red, itchy, raised and sore a week after returning home.</p>
<p>“My 10 year old son got what we thought was a ‘henna tattoo’ on our last day in Bali and it wasn’t until a week later, after we’d returned home, that it started turning red, itchy, raised and sore. It wasn’t henna!” she explained to<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/warnings/bali-henna-tattoo-leaves-boy-scarred-for-life/news-story/350899ccdd929314b20f9c52da8a566e" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>.</p>
<p>It gets worse, as the family has no idea what the dye was mixed with.</p>
<p>“We believe it was black hair dye mixed with … God knows what, as apparently it’s cheaper to purchase and mix with chemicals. It may have been mixed with petrol or kerosene we’ve since learned. After a course of prednisolone and cortisone it isn’t itchy and red anymore, but my son will probably have scars for years to come.</p>
<p>It has upset her son so much that the family are considering a plastic surgeon to undo the damage left by the tattoo.</p>
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<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
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<p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3vnCcBgg4G/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Do NOT get a henna tattoo in Bali! This photo may be alarming to some, but I hope it may spread the word about the dangers of henna tattoos that many tourists sign up for, blissfully unaware that this seemingly natural henna product, is quite possibly hair dye mixed with harsh chemicals like petrol. Sadly, this is my dear friends son, who I just happened to run into at the doctors last week. Her son may be scarred for life and his Mum can only say ‘if only I knew!’. Her full story will be on my travel website @journeystocome soon, but for now, trust me avoid the henna tattoos. #bali #hennatattoo #travelwarning</a></p>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/catrionarowntree/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Catriona Rowntree</a> (@catrionarowntree) on Oct 17, 2019 at 8:08pm PDT</p>
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<p>“To the point that we are now consulting a plastic surgeon. Please, be very cautious when considering a henna tattoo, especially for your children.”</p>
<p>They’re not the only ones to have an adverse reaction to henna in Bali.</p>
<p>“Back in the 90’s I had one done on my ankle....my ankle swelled up like a balloon!!!” one person shared.</p>
<p>Another said that the same thing had happened to their husband.</p>
<p>“This happened to my husband... terrible experience for him. It’s will get worse before it gets better I am sorry to say. It won’t scar for life - use bio oil when it stops blistering and weeping. My husband has no scar.”</p>
<p>Others said that it could take a while for the damage to heal.</p>
<p>“It took 6 months for my son’s arm to heal from a bad Bali tattoo,” one person explained.</p>
