Henna tattoos are a right of passage for a lot of young girls on beach vacations. Unlike real tattoos, hennas are typically quick, painless, cheap, and last for only a few days. Hennas are supposed to be a fun, temporary way to express yourself and have fun. Unfortunately for British teenager, Mary Bates, however, her henna tattoo will be with her for the rest of her life.

The teen was vacationing in Turkey, when, like many girls her age, she decided to get a henna tattoo. Almost immediately, though, she realized something was very wrong, as the tattoo began to itch and burn.

“Bits of my skin were coming off it was just disgusting as it looked like open flesh. The burns doctors said it was the worst black henna injury they had ever seen. I wanted to show off my tan but I couldn’t wear dresses as I had this big burn I wanted to cover up. I felt a bit unglamourous.”

IMAGE SOURCE: DAILYMAIL

IMAGE SOURCE: DAILYMAIL

Bates went to the doctor and experts determined that her henna tattoo contained paraphenylenediamine (PPD), something commonly used in hair dye. Because of the severity of her burn, she will be scarred for the rest of her life.

Because her plans to be a career model are now in jeopardy, Bates plans on going to college to study theatrical makeup, saying “I like doing theatrical makeup and eventually learning how to do all the scars for the movies. Hopefully, I will be able to cover up my scar if I get good enough at it.”

IMAGE SOURCE: DAILYMAIL

Kudos to Bates for seeing the silver lining. We wish her the best in her new career. And let this be a lesson for everyone else — turns out, black hennas are very dangerous.

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