July 2nd, 2007 by Atomictumor
So, yesterday at PunkHP’s party, MastaG had a freaky allergic reaction to the combination of the henna tattoo and, evidently, the chlorine in the water, which made the tattoo essentially change from a tattoo into a big ol allergy in the shape of a dragon.
Threw some benedryl on it, itching went down. Picked him up after work, damned if it wasn’t right back up again.
So, a few lessons:
1. Henna tattoos aren’t for MastaG (Pigpen was unaffected, and still sports the Jack Sparrow tat)
2. 40 dollars goes better toward getting a real tattoo anyway.
3. Damn, thats a reaction, ain’t it?
Thats a good pain face, isn’t it? Its the only picture he’d approve for the ‘tumor.
He’s of the opinion, not necessarily shared by his father, that it’d be cool if it left a dragon shaped scar.
Yeesh.
July 2nd, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Owie!
July 2nd, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Man that does look painful. Hope the G-man can get some relief soon.
July 2nd, 2007 at 4:18 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henna
Read the “chemistry and allergic reactions” section.
July 2nd, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Yeah, but the boy had the tattoo on him for a week now, no reaction at all, until he got in that pool.
July 2nd, 2007 at 4:34 pm
There have been several cases up here (think Shore Boardwalks) of allergic reactions to the black henna because vendors were putting unregulated ingredients in the henna to make it darker. Several boardwalks have outlawed the henna places for the time being.
I hope Master G feels better soon! Right now he kinda looks like he got against that big cauldron in the Kung Fu movies. Come on, you guys know what I’m talking about, right?
July 2nd, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Dude, I’m with you
July 2nd, 2007 at 5:36 pm
That looks painful…but I hope it doesn scar, even tho MastaG thinks that would be cool now, I am sure he would change his mind later. Too bad he is too old to be distracted by many, many bandaids like PP
July 2nd, 2007 at 5:46 pm
In fact, go to that link that Daco gave you and look under “Black Henna”.
Likely the reaction is to PPD, NOT to the henna itself. From what I can see, it looks like a pretty classic PPD reaction to me. I would add this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-Phenylenediamine
…to your reading list. I am not trying alarm you, but I would get Masta G to an allergist or dermatologist as fast as you can to have it looked at. PPD sensitization is lifetime - he could have his hair dyed (or even react to a pair of black leather boots) in the future and have a anaphylactic reaction. Best to find out now rather than later.
July 2nd, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Another vote for a professional opinion. I’ve seen enough allergic reactions and anaphylaxis to know that’s not something you fool around with. At the very least, they can give you some industrial strength antihistamines and maybe pop him with some Decadron and make it go bye-bye real fast.
July 2nd, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Oh, man, that sucks!
Please get him to an md to get that checked out, okay? We’re all codependent, and worrying. (My mom’s in UT med center right now with a drug-resistant staph infection, and I don’t need any more worry)!
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Ouch!
I third (or fourth) the opinion - go see a doc.
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Me too on the MD visit, if only for how much worse it looks now than just 24 hours ago.
Poor little guy — between this and the poison ivy, he’s just a sensitive type.
July 2nd, 2007 at 10:10 pm
Besides, epi-pens are all the rage! Come on, all the cool kids are doing it.
July 2nd, 2007 at 11:02 pm
I couldn’t comment earlier because my stomach did somersaults when I saw it, and I’m not even the queasy type. Hope it isn’t as painful as it looks.
July 3rd, 2007 at 7:34 am
Uhhh, the pain face is largely for effect, right?
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:39 am
I finally got around to clicking that link… Geez, AT, your tan is a little uneven…And did you swim with that hat on, too?
hee hee.
July 3rd, 2007 at 11:22 am
Dude, I apparently don’t tan. Thats from a few days at Bonnaroo shirtless, and then the day at the pool.
I’m a freak.
Speaking of freaks, the doc gave us some Keflex (which BJ was on two rounds of back in September, not exactly thrilled to see it back in the house), and told G to stay out of the sun, out of pools, don’t get sweaty. G was thrilled, the slacker.
July 3rd, 2007 at 12:11 pm
You mean the poor kid just has to sit around inside the house playing video/computer games all day??? That is an outrage!
July 3rd, 2007 at 12:33 pm
I hate, hate, hate to second guess your GP on this one, but as a pharmaceutical scientist type, I REALLY think you should get a specialist-type person to take a look. They are going to be a little more up-to-date on the black henna thing.
Trust me, if I hadn’t seen some pretty serious shit from those things, I wouldn’t say a peep.
July 3rd, 2007 at 3:04 pm
you posted this yesterday and i somehow missed it … i’m slipping. hope he’s feeling better … looks crazy painful.
July 3rd, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Sweet mercy, I must have missed this post, had no idea. I hope he gets better soon and doesn’t have a scar.
July 4th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
> This is from a friend of a friend.
> here’s more info…. http://www.hennapage.com/henna/ppd/bigbrochv.pdf
>
> A quick google search also finds info from CBS News about this issue.
>
> Amanda
>
>
> Friends-
> I am sending this email to the majority of my address book - please
> pass this one on. It is so important!
> We were in Seaside, Florida, 2 weeks ago and decided to allow our
> children to get “henna tattoos” - the adults decided to indulge, as
> well. This was done at a very nice, “high-end” place - next to $ 2
> - 3 million dollar homes. I asked if it was “safe” for children and
> was assured that it was a “natural” dye with no consequence. 10
> days later , my 7 yr. old and my 5 yr.old are having “severe”
> allergic reactions to the “black henna”. Their tattoos will now,
> most likely, be permanent scars. They are reacting to PPD - a
> substance added to natural henna to make it more “black” and allow
> it to set more quickly. Now that my girls have been exposed to PPD
> - they can NEVER have their hair dyed - as it could be fatal. They
> can not ever use PABA - based sunscreens, they can not have “Sulfa”
> anti-biotics, they can not use most cosmetics, and they can not
> have most drugs ending in “-caine”. Our first visit is to the
> dermatologist tomorrow and then to the allergist to determine the
> life long consequences of this exposure.
> PLEASE do not allow your children to get these “all natural henna
> tattoos” unless you are 100% sure they are pure henna (which has a
> much lower rate of allergic reaction). MAKE SURE THEY DO NOT
> CONTAIN PPD! It can be a life altering decision.
> Take care,
> Kim Beathard
July 4th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
I hope the “Mastah” is feeling better.
I just wanted to say that your hat is a bold pool side fashion xtatement!