US FDA warns temporary tattoos are not risk-free

US Food and Drug Administration has warned that temporary tattoos are potentially harmful.

While permanent tattoos are injected into the skin, temporary tattoos, often called henna, are applied to the skin’s surface and last up to four weeks.

Henna is a reddish-brown coloring drawn from a flowering plant grown in Africa and Asia.

People have been using henna to dye skin, hair, and fingernails for centuries.

Also known as mehndi, henna body art is used around the world to decorate the skin in cultural celebrations.

According to the FDA, a henna tattoo is not risk-free just because it is only temporary.

Among the reported problems due to use of temporary tattoos include redness, blisters, red weeping lesions, loss of pigmentation, increased sensitivity to sunlight, and even permanent scarring.

The additional ingredient used to darken henna is a coal-tar hair dye that contains p-phenylenediamine (PPD), which can cause adverse reactions to the skin.

PPD is not permitted in make-up as it stains the skin, although henna is allowed in hair colouring.