Temporary Tattoos May Leave Permanent Damage

As spring break nears, FDA warns that seemingly harmless lark might blister, scar skin

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- As thousands of college students head to sunny spots for spring break, getting temporary tattoos may seem like a fun thing to do. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that they can cause blisters and permanent scarring.

While the ink used for permanent tattoos is injected into the skin, temporary tattoos are applied to the skin's surface. Temporary tattoos often use "black henna," which may contain a coal-tar hair dye containing p-phenylenediamine (PPD), an ingredient that can cause dangerous skin reactions in some people.

By law, PPD is not permitted in cosmetics intended to be applied to the skin, the FDA noted.

The agency has received reports of serious and long-lasting reactions in people who received temporary black henna tattoos. The reported problems include redness, blisters, raised red weeping lesions, loss of pigmentation, increased sensitivity to sunlight and permanent scarring. The reactions can occur immediately or up to two or three weeks later.

Incidents involving black henna tattoos that were reported to the FDA include:

A 5-year-old girl who developed severe reddening on her forearm about two weeks after receiving a tattoo.A 17-year-old girl whose skin became red and itchy and later began to blister.A mother who said her teenager daughter's back looked "the way a burn victim looks, all blistered and raw." A doctor said the girl will have scarring for life.

The FDA said that people who have a reaction to, or concern about, a temporary tattoo should contact a health care professional and contact MedWatch, which is the agency's safety information and problem-reporting program. This can be done online or by phoning 1-800-FDA-1088.

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Could my child outgrow dyslexia or is it permanent?

Posted June 03, 2013, 2:00 am

My first-grader was just diagnosed with dyslexia. Can you tell me more about it? Will my daughter outgrow it, or will she always struggle with it?

Dyslexia is a learning disability caused by a problem in the way the brain processes information. But we are only beginning to understand what the problem is.

Dyslexia makes it difficult to:

identify wordsrecognize the sounds that make up wordsunderstand and remember what is readtranslate printed words into spoken wordsspellorganize or sequence thoughtsrhyme wordslearn the alphabet and numbers during preschool and kindergarten.

A person with dyslexia tends to reverse or misread letters or words. He or she might confuse the letter “b” for “d,” or read the number “6? as “9.” The word “was” may be read as “saw.” Or the order of words in a sentence may get switched around. Because of these difficulties, a person with dyslexia usually reads slowly and hesitantly.

Many young children reverse letters and numbers or misread words as a normal part of learning to read. Children with dyslexia, however, continue to do so after their peers have stopped, usually by first or second grade. It is really important to recognize dyslexia early, before the third grade. Treatments started early are more effective.

Dyslexia is not a vision problem; the eyes do not see words incorrectly. It is also not a problem of intelligence; many people with dyslexia have average or above-average intelligence. Many are extremely successful in life. Many are exceptionally articulate when speaking, but have trouble writing.

Children and adults with dyslexia have no trouble understanding things that are spoken. They are just as curious and imaginative as others. They can understand new concepts as easily, so long as the concepts are described by the spoken word and visual information. They can figure out puzzles as well as others — so long as the puzzles don’t involve written words.

Dyslexia is a lifelong condition that cannot be cured. But children with this disorder can learn ways to succeed in school.

Several techniques and strategies can help. Many are based on the observation that although people with dyslexia have trouble understanding words they read, they usually can understand words that are read aloud by another person. As a result, listening to books on tape rather than reading them, and taping lectures rather than writing notes, can be effective strategies. Computer software that checks spelling and grammar is another useful tool.

With support, most children with dyslexia adjust to their learning disability. And with early and appropriate treatment, many people with dyslexia go on to succeed in school and in their careers.

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Something More Permanent

Do you ever feel so busy that you can’t get a real grasp on anything? Things are slipping through the cracks?

That feels like me right now.

I feel like there is so much going on I just can’t keep up. Blogging is a pretty low priority for me so it’s been on the back burner for the most part. That’s a shame sense it’s actually a huge stress relief for me!

Things feel like they are going super fast and everything is in transition at the moment. From where I live to work to how I exercise… you get the point.

I’m used to this type of thing. I have segmented my life into 2, 3, or 6 month segments for years now. Three months living in Vermont, four months living in Austria, two months living in Oregon, five months in Tennessee, six months in New Zealand…. since I’ve started blogging I’ve bounced around every few months. I’m used to being more of a nomad than a permanent citizen anywhere.

I’ve felt temporary and in flux for so long. I know things always change and I’ve accepted that and flowed with it better than most people, but right now I’m not loving it.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s been fun. I’ve seen more of the world and had more awesome experiences than I ever dreamed I would. It’s been amazing, but I’m craving something more permanent. A city that I’m planning to stay in for a while. A place to stay for a few years instead of months. Roots. Family. Stability and permanency.

It’s something I’ve been craving for a while now. Getting married and thinking about starting our own family has made me want to have a place to call home. It’s made me want to have more than just what fits in suitcases for the next move.

Maybe it’s not surprising to you based on what I’ve been blogging lately, but I’m moving back to Memphis.

Yes, with Kepa. No, not right now. Yes, hopefully this year. Yes, I’m going back to New Zealand still.

This is more of a change in long term plans. I love my family and want to be closer to my mom since she has cancer and is getting up there in age (sorry Mom!). I love my job and want to work in my office instead of a room by myself. I love my city and want to be part of making it a better place with people who want to be here.

So Kepa and I made the decision together to choose Memphis over New Zealand at least for the foreseeable future. It will be a chance for us to actually start a regular type of married life and have a more permanent living situation together. You know, ‘cause I actually like living with my husband!

I’m still going back to New Zealand in July and will stay for a bit. I plan to go snowboarding and road trip the South Island and do a bunch of other things off my list before leaving again. It will be fun!

That’s the plan for now! But remember, like I mentioned, things are always changing.

No related posts.

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