Table of contents:
- Is hand henna tattoo safe for your skin?
- What are the risks?
- Safe tips before putting henna tattoos on hands
- People with G6PD deficiency should not wear hand henna tattoos
Henna tattoos can be an easy solution for those who want to decorate their skin with beautiful pictures but are still unsure about permanent tattoos. Henna has also been used as a way to paint the body of the bride in various traditional ceremonies for thousands of years. Hand henna tattoos are considered safe so far because they are temporary. However, are henna tattoos really safe from a medical perspective?
Is hand henna tattoo safe for your skin?
Unlike permanent tattoos which are painted using special ink and needles, henna tattoos are not the case. This temporary tattoo is made from henna leaves which are dried and ground into a dry powder.
When going to be used as "ink" to paint the body, henna powder must first be diluted with a little water until it becomes a paste. Henna's natural color is brown, tawny, or reddish brown. There are also several henna products on the market that are green, yellow, black, or blue.
This hena tattoo drawn on the hand is not a real tattoo. Hand henna tattoos should fade on their own in about 2-4 weeks, depending on the type of ink used. So, this henna tattoo will not stay on the skin forever, but only temporarily.
So far, the safety of using henna as a temporary tattoo is still confusing. Both the FDA in the United States and the BPOM in Indonesia do not strictly regulate the distribution of henna because it is classified as a cosmetic and supplementation, not a medical drug.
Although the use of henna is very popular for skin tattoos, henna should only be used as a hair dye. Not to be applied directly to the skin of the body.
What are the risks?
Henna tattoos run the risk of causing an allergic skin reaction. The FDA, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, reports that some people experience serious allergic skin reactions after using henna. They complained about reddish blisters that resulted in injuries, fading skin color, scarring, making them more sensitive to the sun.
The FDA suspects that this is because most henna products may have been added with other chemicals during the production process to make the color more intense and last longer.
A chemical that is commonly added to henna is coal-tar dye containing p-phenylenediamine (PPD). PPD is what can cause dangerous skin reactions in some people.
Safe tips before putting henna tattoos on hands
We recommend that before you plan to paint the skin of your hands with henna tattoos, first try a little test on the skin. This suggestion was also shared by dr. Laksmi Duarsa, SpKK, as a skin and genital specialist doctor at D&I Skin Center Denpasar.
How to use it, just apply a little henna paste on the closed skin area of the hand, for example the inner arm, then wait 2-3 hours to dry. If you don't have any strange skin reactions, such as itching or redness, then you may continue to use the henna tattoo extensively on the skin of the hands.
On the other hand, if you experience any unusual sensations after 3 hours of testing, it means you are not suitable for a henna tattoo. Stop using it as soon as possible and rinse thoroughly with running water and soap.
To be safer, choose henna products that are truly guaranteed natural and quality. You should not be easily tempted by cheap product prices and tattoo artist services that set prices below normal.
Although everything cheap is not always bad, you still have to be careful. Especially because this hand henna tattoo is attached directly to the skin of your body. Don't just want to look beautiful, you are forced to ignore your own health.
People with G6PD deficiency should not wear hand henna tattoos
Source: Groupon
Although beautiful and attractive, hand henna tattoos can be dangerous if used by people who have G6PD deficiency. For some people with G6PD deficiency, the use of hand henna tattoos can trigger damage to red blood cells. This can lead to a variety of medical complications from mild to serious.
G6PD deficiency is a condition in which the body does not have enough glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme. Whereas it should be, this enzyme is responsible for helping red blood cells function and regulating various biochemical reactions in the body. If the amount of the G6PD enzyme in the body is insufficient, red blood cells will automatically experience damage, known as hemolysis.
This condition can then progress to hemolytic anemia, which is characterized when the destruction of red blood cells is much faster than the process of their formation. As a result, the supply of oxygen that is circulated to various organs and tissues of the body will decrease.
If this happens, the body will experience fatigue, shortness of breath, until the eyes and skin appear yellowish. G6PD deficiency is a genetic condition that is passed down from one or both parents. This condition most often occurs in men due to different chromosome factors from women.
However, it is still possible that this disease can also affect women. Often, people with G6PD deficiency don't know if they have it because the condition doesn't cause any symptoms at first.
