ANKARA, TURKEY — Holiday henna tattoos are a cute little souvenir of days in the sun, but they could also open up a world of pain if you're not careful.<br /><br />The BBC reports that Mary Bates found this out the hard way, after getting a dreamcatcher henna-tattooed on her ankle during a vacation in Turkey.<br /><br />After about an hour, the tattoo lines on the then 16-year-old's skin became raised. It got worse over time, resulting in blistering, oozing, and a lot of skin peeling.<br /><br />Bates would later find out that she was having a reaction to black henna.<br /><br />Natural henna is entirely safe and made from plant-based ingredients. It hardens and peels off, and should leave an orange stain that becomes darker over the next few days.<br /><br />But black henna, contrary to the name, isn't actually henna. It's a synthetic black dye that's chock-full of the chemical PPD, which is toxic to the skin.<br /><br />While not everyone will experience a reaction to black henna, the risks can be severe for those that do. Bates had to get steroid treatments, and was at the hospital every week for over a month before her ankle got better. Now 19, she is relieved the scar wasn't permanent.<br /><br />Many others though, have not been so lucky, and still bear the scars of a little holiday fun gone wrong.<br /><br />Experts are cautioning tourists to only use henna that's brownish or olive-green in color. Anything that's jet black and purports to dye instantly should be avoided.
