title: Temporary henna tattoo is unsafe in atopic children.
abstract: Temporary henna tattoos have become increasingly popular as a safe alternative to permanent tattoos among American and European children and teenagers during the summer holidays. Currently, temporary henna tattoos contain not only henna, but also other additives such as para-phemylenediamine (PPD), which is considered to be the chemical agent that most frequently causes skin reactions associated with the use of commercial black henna. In this report, we describe an 11-year-old boy who applied a temporary black henna tattoo on his right arm during the summer holidays in Greece and developed a severe contact dermatitis at the tattoo site with residual hypopigmentation. He had no previous history of contact dermatitis, however he did suffer from seasonal allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis. Patch testing revealed a strong reaction to PPD, a substance commonly contained in temporary henna tattoo preparations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Henna tattoos are an increasing problem worldwide since they carry an increased risk of severe skin reactions; therefore we suggest that the use of temporary henna tattoos in children be discouraged.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Allergology and Immunology Center, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico Tor Vergata, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. stefy3@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Corrente
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Moschese
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chianca
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Graziani
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iannini
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: La Rocca
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chini
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009285:Naphthoquinones / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology; D013653:Tattooing / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D009285:Naphthoquinones; C005090:lawsone