Holiday Village Turkey – A Child’s Tattoo Horror
Simpson Millar LLP Solicitors have been instructed by the parents of a young boy from Southampton who faces being scarred for life after a henna tattoo caused his skin to burn and blister.
The family were staying at the Holiday Village in Sarigerme – Turkey and allowed their son, aged 5, to have the temporary tattoo believing that the service would be safe.
The little boy now faces years of treatment to reduce the scarring in the shape of a dragon running the entire length of his forearm.
The family were given no warning about the possible side effects of the tattoo which children queued up to have done at the First Choice Holidays exclusive resort.
The little boy’s mother said: “Lots of children had the tattoos done and I am angry at First Choice to have allowed the seller to use what I am led to believe was a chemical called PPD. I wish I’d just not let him have it done.”
The problem did not become apparent until the end of the holiday when the little boy’s mother explains:
“He had 2 tattoos done. The first at the beginning of the holiday which had almost disappeared so we said on the last day he could have another one.”
“This is when the problem started and at the airport I noticed it starting to weep and blister. He was in a lot of pain. Then the 1st tattoo started to reappear and blister.”
Nick Harris, Head of International Travel Law said:
“Henna is a natural plant extract and usually fades within 10 days and is usually completely harmless. However, some unscrupulous traders mix henna with PPD (paraphenylenediamine) which can cause the skin to burn.”
“I am very surprised that First Choice Holidays allow the practice to go on at one of its own exclusive resorts.”
“The Daily Mail reported a similar incident in September 2009. The paper interviewed Dr Chris Lovell a Consultant Dermatologist at Bath’s Royal United Hospital.”
Dr Lovell was quoted as saying: “Under European rules it is illegal to use PPD in henna tattoos and most professional salons use pure henna which rarely causes allergies.”
“But these rules are not always enforced and people getting their tattoos on beaches and in some developing countries where the controls are less strict are at greater risk.”
“I would strongly recommend that travel agents and companies warn their customers about the potential hazard.”
Nick Harris said:
“I will be taking the matter up with First Choice Holidays shortly but in the meantime it is very important that the young boy receives appropriate medical treatment and that we establish the extent of the injury he has suffered.”
If you or a member of your family have suffered an injury abroad that wasn’t your fault then get in touch with our Holiday Injury Experts on:
Freephone: 08081293329 or drop us a line using the form above.