Before you decide on boasting a permament or a henna tatto, you may want to know this. By Kistin Frieze. Los Cabos Magazine Issue #19 Winter 2009.
Be it due to the excessive flow of alcohol or simply the inspiring, perhaps for some exotic surroundings, Los Cabos is a popular place to get “inked.” A temporary henna body art on the beach, or the real deal in a shop, buyer beware! Along with the advantages of a new beautiful addition to your body, both types of tattoos come with risks to consider.
Traditional tattoos, while colorful and limited by only your imagination, are a permanent surgical insertion of ink and, like with some body piercings, the faint-hearted need not apply. If at some time you were to change your mind about having your body art, removal of the tattoo would require laser surgery. Think ahead! These permanent tattoos have very few risks when done in a professional shop adhering to proper procedures of sterilization; however, bumps and skin irritation can occur as the body reacts to the ink.
Looking for less commitment than that? A henna tattoo, lasting anywhere from two weeks to a few months, may be perfect for you. Seemingly harmless in its original state, henna, a plant derivative used as ceremonial body art in India, can become dangerous when it is altered. For example, when the normal reddish-brown substance is combined with PPD (para-phenylenediamine), a chemical used to blacken the ink, the combination has been known to cause major skin problems: localized irritation, blisters, and even scarring. Of course, henna body art is far less expensive than tattoos, but nothing is risk-free.
According to Delia Gutiérrez at Psycho Tattoo, located in Plaza Aramburo in Cabo, both types of ink are beautiful forms of body art. Gutiérrez states, “Henna allows the wearer to display solid designs, without any type of shading, and generally lacks detail and color options. Permanent tattoos on the other hand, allow customers to select any color of the rainbow and specify the desired shading effects, creating clear, amazing results that will last a lifetime.”
