Bali tattoo scars Perth boy - The West Australian
A Perth primary school pupil is under the care of burns specialists after a so-called temporary tattoo he received in Bali turned toxic.
Blake Laufer, 9, had seen other children with the decorative henna tattoos while holidaying this month in Seminyak and finally convinced his parents to let him have the dragon design done on the day before returning to Perth.
But two weeks later, the tattoo resembled a chemical-style burn and Blake's arm became badly blistered and inflamed.
"They can't be positive, but it could be a chemical burn, which burns from the inside out, or it could be an extreme allergic reaction," his mother Helen Davey said.
Blake's wound is being checked every two days at the Princess Margaret Hospital burns unit and his parents want other WA families to know of the danger the tattoos pose.
"At the time we assumed the man on the beach was using henna, but clearly it was not," Ms Davey said. "There is no way we would have let him get it done if we knew of the risks before. The doctors have told us they'd seen a bit of it lately and what's used could be things like kerosene and boot polish."
Further research by Ms Davey suggests substances are added to the henna to make it thinner and easier to work with. The boot polish is used to make the tattoo blacker. The tattoo cost about $10.
In May, the father of an 11-year-old told _The West Australian _that his son developed welts all over his body after getting a temporary tattoo in Kuta.
As in Blake's case, the condition became noticeable only after the boy had returned to Perth. The boy's father was told by doctors that the scarring could be visible for at least 12 months.
In 2011, an eight-year-old Perth boy experienced a burning sensation about 15 minutes after getting one of the black henna tattoos.
His mother said it looked innocent enough when it was being applied, but soon became very painful.
Ms Davey said yesterday that Blake's doctors had not ruled out skin grafts to repair the damage.
"He's scared about what could happen," she said. "No other parent would want their child to go through this."
Blake Laufer gets his tattoo in Seminyak in July.
Helen Davey and her son Blake Laufer back at home in Mount Hawthorn. Picture: Nic Ellis/The West Australian
via bali - Google News http://n ews.google. com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHW9dSeCw CPx4cVq182EHzuGMJ3CA&url=http://au. news.yahoo .com/thewest/a/-/wa/18185389 /bali-tattoo-scars-perth-boy/
Blake Laufer, 9, had seen other children with the decorative henna tattoos while holidaying this month in Seminyak and finally convinced his parents to let him have the dragon design done on the day before returning to Perth.
But two weeks later, the tattoo resembled a chemical-style burn and Blake's arm became badly blistered and inflamed.
"They can't be positive, but it could be a chemical burn, which burns from the inside out, or it could be an extreme allergic reaction," his mother Helen Davey said.
Blake's wound is being checked every two days at the Princess Margaret Hospital burns unit and his parents want other WA families to know of the danger the tattoos pose.
"At the time we assumed the man on the beach was using henna, but clearly it was not," Ms Davey said. "There is no way we would have let him get it done if we knew of the risks before. The doctors have told us they'd seen a bit of it lately and what's used could be things like kerosene and boot polish."
Further research by Ms Davey suggests substances are added to the henna to make it thinner and easier to work with. The boot polish is used to make the tattoo blacker. The tattoo cost about $10.
In May, the father of an 11-year-old told _The West Australian _that his son developed welts all over his body after getting a temporary tattoo in Kuta.
As in Blake's case, the condition became noticeable only after the boy had returned to Perth. The boy's father was told by doctors that the scarring could be visible for at least 12 months.
In 2011, an eight-year-old Perth boy experienced a burning sensation about 15 minutes after getting one of the black henna tattoos.
His mother said it looked innocent enough when it was being applied, but soon became very painful.
Ms Davey said yesterday that Blake's doctors had not ruled out skin grafts to repair the damage.
"He's scared about what could happen," she said. "No other parent would want their child to go through this."
Blake Laufer gets his tattoo in Seminyak in July.
Helen Davey and her son Blake Laufer back at home in Mount Hawthorn. Picture: Nic Ellis/The West Australian
via bali - Google News http://n ews.google. com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHW9dSeCw CPx4cVq182EHzuGMJ3CA&url=http://au. news.yahoo .com/thewest/a/-/wa/18185389 /bali-tattoo-scars-perth-boy/
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