Teenager gets holiday henna tattoo to tease his mother...and ends up scarred for life



Joker: Teenager Luke Schofield got the henna ink tattoo to tease his mother



A teenager who ended up in hospital for five nights after getting a fake tattoo to tease his mother could need skin grafts.

Luke Schofield, 17, got five stars painted on his left arm in henna ink, while he was on holiday in Spain.

The next day his arm felt sore before the stars began to swell and blister.

Three days later after he returned home he was admitted to hospital and hooked up to a drip.

Doctors at Tameside General discovered the ink contained a banned chemical which caused a serious infection.

Luke, from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, is now waiting to see a plastic surgeon to find out if he needs skin grafts to cover the scars.



He said: 'I just got the tattoo to tease my mum. My brother got a real tattoo when he went to Greece and she went mad.



'It was fine for a day and then it started to get a bit sore. My arm swelled up and blistered and my thumb and fingers on my left arm got tingly and numb.



'I got a sharp pain down my arm and that side of my body. I've got to see a plastic surgeon. It's serious. I'd say to other people it's not worth the risk.'

Doctors told Luke he had reacted badly to PPD, a dye that makes henna ink black.



It is banned for use in temporary tattoos in the EU because many people are allergic to it.



The dye caused an infection in his skin which spread up his arm.

Ouch: Luke reacted badly to the tattoo's ink dye which is banned for use in temporary tattoos in the EU because many people are allergic to it



Luke's mother, Anne, an HR director, said: 'He said he got it to tease me, but I think it's quite frightening when you see what damage it's caused.



'When you get a bunch of kids queuing up for a tattoo on the beach they just don't think what they're doing.'



Father Nigel, 48, said: 'I don't think he'll be going out and getting a real tattoo soon.



'They said if he'd had it on his face he could have gone blind. It's such a relief to have him home.



'It's quite a worrying thing because you don't know at the time how it's going to end up - whether the infection could have spread to other parts of his body.'



A scientist at the Health Protection Agency said: 'The substance added to black henna is a chemical dye which is known to cause allergic reactions in a lot of people.

'The use of it in temporary tattoos is therefore banned in the EU. Pure brown henna has been used for years and is harmless to skin and hair for most people.'