Adding a twist of lime to your favourite summer drink could leave you with severe blisters and a painful rash.
Phytophotodermatitis, also known as “margarita disease,” “lime disease” or “Mexican beer dermatitis,” is a condition caused by lime juice left on a person’s skin.
When hit with sunlight, the juice reacts similarly to skin that has come into contact with hogweed.
“Within about 24 hours the patients may describe initially a burning – in some patients, itching – and then they’ll start to get raised swelling,” Dr. Richard Langley, a Nova Scotia-based dermatologist, told CTV Atlantic. In more severe cases, patients may develop large blisters.
Skin affected by the disease can remain discoloured for a lengthy period of time. One patient reported having brown marks on her skin for six weeks after being splashed with the juice of a lime that was being used to garnish a beer. Another received large blisters on three separate occasions after making sangria with lemons and limes.
Warm-weather vacationers who have been adding lemons or limes to their drinks are particularly at risk for phytophotodermatitis, according to an article published in Canadian Family Physician. In addition to citrus fruits, it can be caused by contact between sunlight and skin that has been in contact with carrots, celery, dill, fennel, figs, mustard, parsley and other foods.
Langley says people can take simple precautions to avoid the disease, including using gloves when working with potentially problematic foods, washing hands with soap after contact with those foods and wearing sunscreen or clothing to limit sun exposure.
Lime juice isn’t always bad news for skin conditions. Dermatologists also use it to treat psoriasis, lymphoma and other disorders.
With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Marie Adsett
