Henna tattoo on a spray tan

[sharon h]

Hi I have just had a lady in for a patch test ready for a spray tan on Thursday. She asked if she could still have a big Henna tattoo on her back on the Friday. I truthful said I did not know if it would be ok but I would find out asap for her.
I have never been asked this before does anyone know if the temporary tattoo would go on ok etc? would the tattoo look ok over the tan!!!

 

[Ruth Mills]

So she is having the spray tan before the henna tattoo by the sound of it...

Both DHA (dihydroxyacetone) and erythulose found in spray tans react with arginine in proteins in the top layer of skin (the stratum corneum) via a chemical process known as the Maillard reaction.

Lawsone (1,4-dihydroxy-2-napthoquinone) in the henna also reacts with the stratum corneum, but via a process called Michael addition (I will need to research this further).

I'd assume that only some of the arginine in the top layer of the skin would react with the spray tan, otherwise if all of it did, you would end up severely Tangoed. So I'd therefore imagine that the henna would still be able to react with the skin to give a stain - although the contrast between the henna and the skin would not be as great as if she hadn't had a tan simply because the rest of her skin will be darker...

 

[sharon h]

Thank you Ruth for replying.(yes she is having the tan thursday and the henna tattoo on friday afternoon) I do not know about henna products or the way it is put on the body so I could honestly not say either way. I did tell her to ask the lady who is applying the henna tattoo if it would be ok.

 

[Ruth Mills]

Thank you Ruth for replying.(yes she is having the tan thursday and the henna tattoo on friday afternoon) I do not know about henna products or the way it is put on the body so I could honestly not say either way. I did tell her to ask the lady who is applying the henna tattoo if it would be ok.

Henna is usually applied in a paste (a mixture of crushed henna plant with essential oils and sometimes lemon juice) - the most common method of application is via a small cone with a hole in the end of it, in a similar way to how decorative icing is applied to a cake, but on a much finer scale. The lawsone in the henna is then absorbed by the top layer of the skin as the paste dries. The paste then flakes off eventually; the henna stain takes a couple of days or so to reach its darkest colour (it usually starts off orange and then deepens to a rich reddish brown)...