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Her question was whether I knew of a way to “try out” a tattoo first. Hmmm. I’ve always thought it was dumb to reply, “That’s a good question,” when there is no good answer.
Instead of “That’s a good question,” I responded, “Hmmm.” Very non-committal. I learned it during the Dad Years with Teenagers. How about a temporary tattoo, like so many kids want? The “stickers” they love in childhood are really childish tattoos, if you think about it.
Wait a minute. What about a tattoo with henna? It would fade in about three to four months with no trace, and can be redone if desired. Henna is a pigment call lawsone, extracted from the plant’s leaves. It has an orange-brown-reddish color. It binds to protein, mainly the dead cell or keratin layer of skin and hair. It has been used for centuries to color both. It is approved in the U.S. as a hair dye.
If you’re considering a temporary henna tattoo, make sure it is not “black henna.” This contains a black coal tar derivative called parphenylenediamine or PPD, used in the U.S. in hair dyes and black rubber products. On occasion, it can create a nasty contact allergic reaction.
Tattoos have lost their stigma as symbols of drug use, gang associations (still meaningful), aberrant or decadent types. They have become mainstream décor. As many as 25 percent of the U.S. adult population have been injected with tattoo inks, which are basically unknown, unregulated substances that stay in the body for life. Fewer people are requesting tattoo removal than are acquiring them. Hence, a real increase in percentage is occurring.
Once a tattoo is made in your skin, it is almost impossible to get your completely normal skin back if you want the tattoo off. Lasers for removal are expensive. Removal takes many treatments and doesn’t totally remove the color or pattern 50 percent of the time. Cutting it out in stages, if possible, at least leaves an anonymous scar with no pigment.
As one who is on the removal end of the tattoo process, I have some bias about making a lifetime commitment if you are not sure. I have no bias about the reasons a person wants a tattoo. I have cut the names of ex-boyfriends off of two patients’ arms. Had the women used henna, the tattoos could have faded into the past, just like the boyfriends, without a trace of either.
This is not a recommendation that a person not get a permanent tattoo, but a suggestion that henna as a temporary trial could give the feel for what would otherwise be a companion for all time.
