ASK THE DOC
Surgeon and lecturer Dr Sarah Rayne weighs in on henna tattoos, a drug called Metformin and whether to give your teenage son the HPV vaccine.
Q: People constantly warn against henna tattoos and I’m not sure why.
A: Henna (the natural, red kind) has been used for thousands of years (often at weddings) to decorate the skin and, apart from causing an allergic reaction on sensitive skin, it’s relatively safe. But the black tattoo trend has recently led to the use of ‘black henna’. This is not safe: it is a mix of henna and other substances, most significantly paraphenylenediamine, or PPD, which gives it a black colour. It can cause an allergic reaction with an extreme sensitivity reaction in one in 30 people.
This reaction causes blistering and scarring of the skin at the site of the tattoo and in other parts of the body. Also, more dangerously, it can cross-react with hair dye and other chemicals or cosmetics later in life (without you realising you’re at risk), leading to skin reactions and even anaphylaxis, and death.
That is why, if you use hair or other dyes, it is absolutely crucial to do a patch test every single time in case of a new allergic reaction – particularly if you’ve had a ‘black henna’ tattoo done recently. And if you’re considering using any dyes, make sure you go to a reputable beautician.
Q: My son is 18; I’ve never even thought about giving him the HPV vaccine. Is it too late? Q: A doctor friend says ‘we should all be taking Metformin’. What is it? Is she right?
A: Sometimes the media is really bad at presenting research and medical progress – which is why I love writing this column. In the search for ‘new, exciting’ advances, some medications can be presented as a cure-all based on very preliminary research findings. Metformin (or Glucophage) is an anti-diabetic tablet that ‘resensitises’ your body to insulin. It’s great for recently diagnosed diabetics, especially those who are obese, and recommended for those with pre-diabetes (who don’t fit the criteria for diabetes but have high sugar levels). It’s safe, with few side effects. It’s also useful for pregnant diabetics, or for treating polycystic ovary syndrome. The more interesting (but very preliminary) studies are around the ability of Metformin to reduce the risk of some types of cancer, but it’s too early to recommend it as yet. Diabetes is developing into a modern epidemic as more people become obese. But the best way to avoid diabetes is through lifestyle changes. In fact, the studies that found Metformin was good for pre-diabetes actually found that losing weight and exercise were even better. There is no tablet that replaces a healthy change to your life!
A: Not at all! Young men can receive the vaccine up to the age of 21; it’s administered over six months. The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a family of bugs passed on through sexual contact that causes genital warts but can also cause cancer – most commonly, cervical cancer in women – the second most common cancer among SA women and one of the top 10 causes of death in women here. But the same virus is responsible for cancer of the penis in men, and cancer of the tonsils, tongue and anus in all people. So it’s vital to get both boys and girls vaccinated. It will protect your son from cancer and also prevent the transmission of HPV, thereby helping to protect his future sexual partners too. The government programme delivers the vaccine only to girls at government schools at the moment. But, with a few exceptions, it’s advised that all young people up to 26 years get the vaccination. It costs about R2 000.