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When Thomas Collins asked his mother for some temporary tattoos while holidaying in Turkey, the 9 year old got much more than he bargained for.

The child experienced a reaction to the henna used in that tattoo and is now scarred for life.

Whilst holidaying with his family, Thomas saw a henna tattooist near the pool at the hotel, and asked for one on each of his arms – a skull and Bart Simpson. His mother Katie saw it as some harmless fun. She said:

“It seemed like fun, and the tattoos only cost five Euros each.

“Plus, the man doing the tattoos was based in the hotel complex, so I assumed it would be safe.”

On the day the family were departing for home, the tattoo artist offered Thomas a ‘top-up’ for free. Soon after, Thomas began to complain that each arm was irritated and painful.

His mother described his condition:

“When I looked at his arms, I saw the outlines of the tattoos had been replaced by angry red blisters. It looked awful - the blisters were raised and even looked a greeny-yellow colour in some places.

“His arm was weeping and fluid was seeping out where the tattoos had been.”

She took him to their doctor straight away, who referred Thomas to a dermatologist. It was soon apparent that he had experienced a severe reaction to a chemical found in Henna called paraphenylenediamine.

The doctor said that it was one of the most severe allergic reactions he had ever seen, and Ms Collins was thankful that Thomas had not had any more tattoos. Thomas’ symptoms were present for eight weeks, and his family was relieved that they did not begin whilst they were still on holiday. Every year, many people from the UK on holiday abroad are hit for huge medical bills and repatriation costs as they do not take out an adequate travel insurance policy.

Thomas has now full recovered from his ordeal, but now has allergies to most household products. His mother commented:

“It was a really frightening experience that I wouldn't wish on any other family. People should be aware of how dangerous these tattoos can be.”