HARRISON, Ark. -- Something advertised as temporary could leave a permanent mark on your life -- and your body. A family from Harrison recently found out about the dangers of one kind of temporary tattoo.

The Millers were on vacation, and 3-year-old Halle asked to get a temporary tattoo. It seemed harmless, so her parents said yes. The mark didn’t go away, however, and now Halle’s parents and doctors say it has permanently altered several aspects of her life.

The image of a crab on Halle's arm should have disappeared by now. Originally, it was a temporary tattoo that she got at a store in Branson. At the shop, the person stamping it on her arm told the Millers to leave the henna stencil on her arm and it would last up to 10 days.

That was last month. Since then, Halle and her mom, Staci, have made trips to the emergency room and two other doctors' offices, only to find that tattoo wasn't what they thought.

"These places that advertise black henna are really advertising the fact it has the PPD in it,” said Dr. John Paulson, a resident in family medicine.

PPD is a chemical that Paulson says companies and vendors sometimes add to the henna to make it darker. What Halle's parents thought she was getting was an all-natural henna tattoo.

If that were the case, the tattoo would have turned a reddish brown color within a short period of time. Instead, it turned black, and the PPD that made it so dark has been known to cause problems for some.

"On the ninth day, it started to blister,” said Staci Miller.

By nine days later, most people have left the tourist towns where the tattoos are most commonly found.

“Tourists will come in and get the tattoos and, two weeks later, they have the reaction and they're already gone. There's no ramification,” said Paulson.

The owners of the store in Branson where Miller says Halle got her tattoo refused to speak to a reporter. Their store isn't regulated because the temporary tattoo business is not regulated.

“It's like buying a street drug. You're buying it from someone who isn't licensed or registered,” said Miller.

And now the memory of that trip to Branson will stick with Halle for years.

"If you are sensitive after this first exposure, the next time would even be worse,” said Paulson.

In Halle's case, a dermatologist has provided her a list of possible -- even likely -- allergies. On that list are many kinds of sunscreen, lotions, cosmetics, and hair dye that contain even limited amounts of PPD. The restrictions probably won't bother her today, but her mom worries about 10 years from now.

"What teenage girl doesn't want to wear makeup and lotion and dye her hair -- and she can't,” said Miller.

She can't, all because of a temporary tattoo that left a permanent mark on her arm -- and on her life.

People getting temporary tattoos should ask for a list of ingredients. If PPD is on the list -- or the merchant refuses to give you a list, doctors say you should walk away. The only way to completely avoid it, though, is to avoid henna altogether.