Burns from henna

This natural remedy is very popular, it is often used to disinfect the surface of wounds, treat skin diseases, and in addition to this, to dye eyelashes, hair, eyebrows, nails, and apply tattoos to the skin. But few people know that an allergy to this substance is a common occurrence, henna burns can even be quite dangerous to health.

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Causes henna burn

Henna used to be considered completely harmless, but nowadays it can be called such with a great deal of doubt. There are several reasons for this:

• use of various chemical components (such as herbicides, pesticides, etc.) in growing products without observing safety rules and dosages;
• general deterioration of the environmental situation in the world;
• weakening of human immunity;
• adding ingredients to a recipe that can cause allergies.

An important factor is the color of this paint. The natural henna shade is white, orange or red, and allergic reactions to these colors occur in very rare cases. But black henna can provoke an acute allergic reaction, because such a shade does not exist in nature. To obtain this color, various chemical components are added to it, the most harmful of which is paraphenylenediamine. As a result of interaction with these substances (especially in the case of eyelash dyeing), very severe burns can occur.

Symptoms henna burn

A henna burn can cause a variety of symptoms. This is especially true for cases of eyebrow and eyelash dyeing. The intensity of symptoms will increase depending on the individual sensitivity of the person to the dye elements.

The most common symptoms are:

• In case of dyeing eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair, shortness of breath or spasmodic cough may occur;
• Local or general redness of the skin appears, swelling of the respiratory organs may be observed;
• In almost every case, redness of the skin is accompanied by a rash and severe itching, and peeling, burning and swelling of the skin often also occur;
• Conjunctivitis and allergic rhinitis may begin;
• According to numerous experiments, it has also become known that in case of prolonged contact with henna, chronic diseases (for example, eczema) may become aggravated;
• In addition, the active use of henna for hair coloring or tattooing leads to an exacerbation of problems with the digestive organs - irritation of the gastric mucosa begins, the secretion of hydrochloric acid increases, which causes heartburn;
• Sometimes lichen develops;
• Symptoms of a henna burn can also include severe pain and chronic aversion to previously familiar elements.

Burn from henna tattoo

Henna tattoos are applied without pain, they are temporary and wash off after about 1 month. But it has already been refuted that such patterns do not have a negative effect on the skin. If the henna used is a natural product, there really will be no problems, but usually in such cases, mixtures with various additives are used.

That's why doctors often have to deal with reactions to the so-called paraphenylene diamide, which is added to henna to make the dye last. Many people are allergic to it, which results in a burn on the skin that itches a lot and is covered with small blisters.

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Henna burn on eyebrows

In case of eyebrow dyeing with henna, the burn is mostly localized and manifests itself as redness and rash on the face. In addition, this reaction is accompanied by severe burning and itching. It should be remembered that in case of repeated use of henna for eyebrow dyeing, after some time, the allergic reaction may reappear and have increased symptoms.

Complications and consequences

Quite often, after temporary henna tattoos, pigment spots remain on the body for a long time, and in some cases even scars. The most dangerous complications from a henna burn are angioedema, as well as anaphylaxis. In this case, edema of the respiratory organs develops, followed by asphyxia.

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Diagnostics henna burn

When you come to see an allergist, you need to give him the most reliable and complete information about your health, and answer his questions in detail. When diagnosing, it is very important to collect an accurate anamnesis - this will also help in further treatment.

Next, a blood test is performed to determine the level of IgE - this is an immunoglobulin produced in large quantities by the body after it has been exposed to an allergen.

The final diagnostic stage is allergy testing. When severe damage is observed on the skin, the test is performed using blood taken during the previous examination, since repeated application of the allergen can provoke a deterioration in the patient's condition. And if there are no allergic manifestations on the skin, skin allergy tests are performed, which make it possible to clearly establish the nature of the burn.

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Differential diagnosis

In the diagnostic process, it is important to differentiate a henna burn from possible skin irritation caused by a chemical burn from PPD and synthetic additives.

Treatment henna burn

In case of hair dyeing, henna burn may appear immediately during the procedure. Having noticed this, you should immediately stop dyeing, you need to quickly wash off the remaining dye from your hair with running water. After this, it is advisable to visit a doctor so that he can prescribe further treatment.

Medicines

In case of a severe allergic reaction to a henna burn, antihistamines are prescribed - such as Suprastin, Zyrtec or Zaditen. It is recommended to take 2nd generation drugs, because they have fewer side effects.

Zyrtec for adults and children over 6 years of age dosages are: initial - 5 mg (0.5 tablets or 10 drops) 1 time per day, if necessary it is allowed to increase it to 10 mg (1 tablet or 20 drops). Contraindications include: hypersensitivity to substances such as hydroxyzine, cetirizine and piperazine derivatives, or other components of the drug; pregnancy and lactation; terminal renal failure. Side effects: digestive organs - dry mouth and sometimes dyspepsia; central nervous system organs - a mild, transient feeling of drowsiness, fatigue, and pain may appear, in addition, excitement sometimes occurs; allergy - sometimes Quincke's edema, skin rash.

In addition, various ointments based on hydrocortisone are also prescribed.

To more effectively remove toxins from the body, you need to follow a drinking regimen, as well as take enterosorbents such as Polysorb, Enterosgel or Polyphepan, etc.

Enterosgel is taken orally. The duration of treatment is individual for each patient, on average it is 7-14 days. If the intoxication is severe, the dosage can be doubled in the first 3 days of treatment. The medicine is taken between meals (2 hours after or 1.5-2 hours before), washed down with water. The daily dosage for adults is 45 g, divided into 3 doses (15 g/1 tbsp at a time). Side effects include: constipation at the initial stage of treatment (especially if the patient has a tendency to constipation). If constipation occurs, a cleansing enema should be done (in the first 2 days of using the medicine). Contraindications include: should not be used in case of acute intestinal obstruction.

Doctors also sometimes prescribe adjuvant therapy with immunomodulators to strengthen the patient's immunity.

Vitamins

During the treatment, vitamin therapy with a large amount of vitamin C is additionally prescribed.

Folk remedies

There are several folk methods for getting rid of allergic symptoms.

Pharmacy chamomile infusion: this remedy effectively removes paint when a negative reaction occurs during dyeing. You need to use fresh or dried flowers, from which a decoction or tincture is prepared. You need to pour boiling water (1 cup) over the ingredients (1 tbsp), leave for 30 minutes, then squeeze, bring the volume of the tincture to 200-250 g using boiled water, and then wash the affected areas of the skin.

With the help of boric acid, you can relieve redness and severe itching when a rash occurs: you need to make a 5% solution of this acid. Moisten gauze, cotton wool or bandage with it, then apply such a compress to the burn site and hold for 10 minutes.

Kefir: compresses and rinsing with kefir or sour milk help remove residual allergic reactions from the skin. In addition, this allows you to additionally moisturize and nourish your hair.

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Prevention

To avoid burning and a negative reaction to henna, you should follow these rules and recommendations:

• It is better to dye your hair and eyebrows with the help of an experienced specialist in a beauty salon - this way you will avoid burns and other possible problems;
• It is important to remember that the skin in the areas where the tattoo will be applied, as well as on the face and head (in the case of eyebrow, eyelash and hair coloring) should not have wounds or scratches, as well as acne. Before the procedure, you need to test the skin reaction - apply a little paint to the inside of the wrist and wait 10-20 minutes. If you do not feel itching and the skin does not turn red, then this paint can be used;
• When working with henna, it is essential to protect your hands as much as possible by wearing rubber gloves. If you do not do this, you should expect an allergic reaction or a chemical burn;
• Henna should be purchased only in pharmacies or special stores, but this is not always a guarantee of safety. It is also recommended to apply a tattoo with a regular pigment, without experimenting with mixing different colors.

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Forecast

Henna burns, if you see a doctor in time and start therapy quickly, are treated fairly quickly and without complications. In the absence of adequate treatment, the prognosis will not be very favorable, and in some cases, the burn can lead to very serious consequences.

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