Allergic contact dermatitis from temporary henna tattoo.
Temporary henna tattooing has been very popular during recent years. Henna (Lawsonia inermis) is a plant from the Lythraceae family. For henna tattooing, henna dye is used. It is a dark green powder, made from the leaves of the plant, used for hair dyeing and body tattooing. Very often, para-phenylenediamine (PPD) is added to henna dye to make color blacker and to speed up dyeing. PPD may be a very potent contact sensitizer. We report a 9-year-old boy with allergic contact dermatitis due to temporary henna tattooing. Patch testing showed a positive reaction to PPD. After the treatment with topical corticosteroid and oral antihistamines, the lesion cleared with discrete residual hypopigmentation.
Jovanovic
Dragan L
DL
Department of Dermatovenereology, Medical Faculty Nis, Clinic of Dermatology and Venereology, Nis, Serbia. bukid@eunet.rs
Slavkovic-Jovanovic
Maja R
MR
D000485:Allergens; D002648:Child; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009285:Naphthoquinones / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology; D010328:Patch Tests; D010655:Phenylenediamines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D013653:Tattooing / Q000009:adverse effects*
D000485:Allergens; D009285:Naphthoquinones; D010655:Phenylenediamines; C005090:lawsone; C029728:4-phenylenediamine