There has been a worryingly growing trend in 2017 of henna tattoos going wrong, and leaving their victims burned and scarred in the process.
The latest story features a seven-year-old girl who got her black henna ink whilst on holiday with her family.
Madison Gulliver was on a trip to Hurghada, Egypt, when her Dad, Martin Gulliver, allowed her to get the design at an in-house salon.
Yet, after arriving back in the UK, that tattoo, which stretched from her right elbow to her fingers, became itchy.
Credit: SWNS
It soon erupted into a series of painful blisters, which had to be cut in a specialist burns unit and left scarring as a result.
A chemical called para-phenylenediamine, or PPD, is added to black henna to make the tattoos appear darker and increase their lifespan.
PPD can often be seen in hair dye and sun cream, but only in small doses. It's now a recognised public health issue and can cause hypersensitivity reactions in children.
Martin, from the Isle of Wight, said: "She's potentially scarred for life after getting a black henna tattoo.
"The tattoo was done in the hotel's salon and they claim it's not the henna and that it's my daughter's skin.
"We were entirely unaware of the dangers and I think they should warn of this in the brochures."
Credit: SWNS
Martin admits some responsibility for not being aware of the dangers of chemicals such as PPD, but still thinks the salon should take some of the blame.
"We would have thought that the travel agents would have had concerns about this. We want to get the message out to other people about this," he added.
Madison wasn't the only family member with an issue on the holiday. Her mum, Sylvia, had a gall bladder infection, and her brother, Sebastian, instantly complained of irritation when he was given the tattoo as a reward for being so well behaved - it was instantly washed off.
Credit: SWNS
Madison was initially taken to St Mary's Hospital for treatment and returned on four occasions. She was given ointments in return before it became worse.
"We started to panic," added Martin. "They had never seen it before, and each time we went in they were trying different things, but it was getting worse and worse.
"They decided to treat the skin by removing the blisters, so they could access the burned skin underneath.
"They thought they would be able to soak the blisters and rub them off, but that wasn't possible as they were so thick, so they had to cut them off."
Madison has now been referred to a scar management unit and has to wear a pressure bandage for at least six months to minimise the scars covering her arm.
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The hotel has since apologised and no longer offers the tattoos and, in an email to Martin, wished Madison well.
Youngster Teigan Koorts and teenager James Colley were also left with bad scarring following henna tattoos on separate holidays - although both did happen in Greece.
Real henna is orange-brown in colour, with higher PPD levels in black tattoos which has caused the complications.
Featured Image Credit: SWNSTopics: egypt, Holiday, Tattoo