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An Australian woman appeals for help after her husband’s tattoo in Bali erupted into bumps on the skin and turned into an ‘extremely itchy’ rash.
Leanne Stewart and her husband, 50, were on the third last day of their Bali vacation when they decided to get tattoos.
It wasn’t until they returned to Western Australia that the man’s tattoo started to flare up despite following the advice to stay out of the pool and use an antiseptic cream to ward off infection.
The man decided to get a Viking-themed tattoo during his vacation in Bali. When he returned to Australia, the tattoo erupted in bumps, causing a painful and itchy rash (pictured)
Ms Stewart explained that she had had a tattoo done in “same place, same time” as her husband, but her tattoo was “all right.”
She wrote that the bumps around her husband’s Viking-themed tattoo were extremely itchy and causing him a lot of pain.
The desperate woman took to a Facebook group after antibiotics and steroid cream prescribed by a doctor failed to curb her husband’s pain and rash.
“Apparently it’s a reaction to the ink, but he tried antibiotics” [and] steroid cream, but nothing has helped,” Ms Stewart wrote.
“Has this happened to anyone else and what did you use?”
Some commenters on the Facebook post said they had similar experiences with Bali tattoos.
‘I occasionally have this on my tattoos, also from Bali. Only once in a while it will go up and get all those bumps because of all those bumps,” one user wrote.
‘This happened to me too! Was so itchy! I was on antibiotics at the time, so I think it helped to get rid of them,” commented another user.
They added: ‘I also took antihistamines and used a steroid cream. It took at least 2-3 months for it to clear up properly.’
Leanne Stewart (right) appealed to Facebook users for help after steroid cream and antibiotics failed to relieve her 50-year-old husband’s rash (left)
Ms Stewart said she also had a tattoo (pictured) done at the same place and time as her husband, but she was “all right”
A third user exclaimed, “My husband does have a reaction to the ink and some raised dots. Unfortunately nothing helped him and when the blisters finally disappeared, his tattoo was left with scars.’
Users claimed the reaction was caused by ‘cheap ink’, but other users claimed the reaction may have been caused by the climate.
‘That is sometimes very normal in the heat. Mine are still getting bumps and they are 15 years old,” one user wrote.
‘Mine do the same from Thailand. Ingrown hairs. Sweat bags with heat,” commented another user.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Commerce advises travelers to Bali to check the ‘hygiene and safety’ of tattoo providers and to avoid temporary black henna tattoos, which ‘often contain a dye that can cause serious skin reactions’.
Perth mother Jessie Kingscote warned Bali travelers about the dangers of black henna tattoos after her son developed a severe reaction to the ink (pictured, Mrs. Kingscote with husband Henry, son Riley and daughter Ella)
The four-year-old was left with a painful blistering rash, which spread from the tattoo site on his upper right arm to his cheeks (left) and body (right)
Although Mr Stewart’s tattoo was permanent and inked, there had been previous warnings about the temporary henna tattoos available all over Bali and other tourist hotspots.
Perth’s mother, Jessie Kingscote, told Daily Mail Australia that her four-year-old son had suffered scars after developing a whole body blister caused by a henna tattoo.
Ms Kingscote shared a photo of Riley’s arm on the ‘Bali Bogans’ Facebook page in September, warning others not to take the ‘risk’ with henna tattoos.
In August, Melbourne mother of two, Elena Kovalenko, said her sons had both suffered chemical burns from henna tattoos.
Elena Kovalenko warned Bali travelers about henna tattoos after her sons both suffered chemical burns (pictured, Mrs. Kovalenko with husband Phillip Saenko and their two sons Luke and Adrian)
Mrs Kovalenko’s sons Luke, 8, and Adrian, 6, suffered chemical burns to their skin after getting temporary henna tattoos while in Bali (pictured, Luke’s arm (left) and Adrian’s leg (right))
Ms Kovalenko was told the damage to her sons Luke, 8, and Adrian, 6, could be permanent and called for black henna ink to be banned.
Henna – a paste made from grinding dried henna leaves – has been used by various cultures for centuries and is usually brown or orange-brown in color.
Traditional henna is considered safe to use in temporary tattoos and causes few allergic reactions.
Travelers are cautioned, however, to avoid “black henna,” as it usually contains para-phenylenediamine, or PPD, a black ink found in hair dye.
PPD can cause serious side effects, including redness, itching, burning, swelling, blisters, and scarring that appear seven to 10 days after the ink is applied to the skin.