If you don’t want to put a little dragon permanently on your skin, do you want to opt for an ephemeral tattoo – sometimes called a “fake tattoo”? Be careful, before you start, we give you some advice.
This summer, on the beach, you want to register a small tattoo on your skin. A heart, a flower or a butterfly that would nestle on the top of an arm or an ankle. For various reasons, you want to opt for a temporary tattoo, which can disappear after a few days. Here’s what you need to know.
tattoo stone and decals
There are several temporary tattoo techniques that do not all require the help of an outside or trained person for its realization. This is the case, for example, for techniques using tattoo stones, inkers and decals. For these, it is necessary to pay attention to the origin of the ink, whether it is well CE standards and the components are not responsible for allergies. The point of vigilance is the concentration of paraphenylenediamine (PPD). This substance is responsible for the allergies and intolerance reactions observed.
In theory, ephemeral tattoos cannot contain any (CE standard). On the packaging, it must also be written, among other things, the contact details of the manufacturer, the contents, the list of ingredients and an expiry date.
If you buy these products on the internet, make sure that CE standards are respected and that there is no PPD. In case of contact with PPD, lesions, burns or eczema may appear and persist for several weeks. They can also leave scars, explains the Doctor’s Daily.
Under five years old: no tattoo, even temporary
Another point of vigilance to have when applying a tattoo: on whom am I applying this tattoo? We avoid ephemeral tattoos:
- on a child under 5 years old
- on the face too close to the eyes
- close to mucous membranes
- on a person with fragile skin.
A study carried out by the University of Granada in Spain and published in the Journal of clinical medicine in 2021, also concluded that transfer tattoos were more harmful to the skin than permanent tattoos. The reason: temporary tattoos prevent proper hydration of the skin and have a poorer overall antioxidant capacity. What permanent tattoos don’t do. The researchers of this study also recommend not to apply temporary tattoos on a person who suffers from skin lesions (psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, etc.).
“Black Henna”
Apart from do-it-yourself tattoos, there are also henna tattoos. In summer, it is not uncommon to see people settling along Marseille beaches to offer their service to adults and children alike. Traditional henna (hydroxynaphthoquinone) is used both for the hair and to decorate the skin. Several hours after being applied, the henna turns red-orange.
To obtain a darker color, it is necessary to mix it with other substances, such as coffee powder, lemon juice or even paraphenylenediamine (PPD). This chemical substance makes it possible to shorten the drying time and to obtain a more intense coloration. It is this black henna that will be applied directly to the skin. Only, the PPD is also responsible for the main skin problems related to temporary tattoos, recalls the INSPQ (the national institute of public health of Quebec).
PPD responsible for polysensitization
” It is estimated that about 4% of apparently normal subjects are sensitive to paraphenylene diamine and 1% are acutely so.continues the Institute. In general, the reactions are localized to the area of application of the tattoo and present in the form of erythematous, oedematous, vesicular and exudative lesions, which can be very painful, generally accompanied by pruritus which can be severe. Several cases of eyelid edema have been reported. »
Finally, by being exposed to PDD, it can develop polysensitization. This substance is also found in rubber, dyes or certain hair products. In fact, as soon as polysensitization develops, as soon as the person is exposed to PPD, an allergic reaction will occur. This can be disabling for a person who works in a textile factory, in the hairdressing industry or as soon as this person comes into contact with rubber.
To avoid any risk of allergy, it is therefore strongly recommended to know the composition of henna before its application. If this is not possible, do not hesitate to ask to test it on a small spot of your skin and see how it evolves in the next few days, before possibly adopting this heart on the ankle.
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