An injury well known to dermatologists and surgeons.
A summer aperitif that goes wrong. In June, Amber went to a chalet by a lake with friends. Noon sounds, the 34 -year -old young woman decides to prepare a delicious cocktail then enjoy the day in the sun. Two days later, she wakes up in a panic with what she calls “atrocious burns” and impressive blisters between her fingers and on the top of the hand. “”I almost vomited“, she says. The pain is as much must go to the emergency room.”When I arrive in the hospital, the doctor is disconcerted. At the beginning, he thinks of an allergic reaction and then evokes a phytophotodermatite, colloquially known as “Margarita burns“, Confides Amber to the Foxnews media. His hands, burned in the 2nd degree, are heights with gauze and anti-brief cream.
Similar cases are identified in medical studies and dermatologists know this type of burning well (less the general public). It occurs when certain chemicals of vegetable origin – the furocoumarins – affect the skin and are then exposed to the UVA rays of the sun. “”At first glance, it can pass for an ugly sunburn“, Indicates Dr. Melissa Piliang, dermatologist, in an article in the Cleveland Clinic. The reaction generally starts 24 to 48 hours after sun exposure and causes redness, swelling, painful blisters, intense burns and itching.
Furocoumarins are present in large quantities in citrus fruits like lemons. “”Symptoms only develop in areas where chemicals touches the skin, which explains strange shapes like streaks or points where lime juice has been able to flow on the skin or splash“, Complete Dr. Joshua Zeichner, Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research at Mount Sinai Hospital (USA). In more serious cases, large blisters filled with liquid can form with a sensation of lively and irritated skin. It is because of the Magarita pitcher prepared for her friends that the young woman has developed this violent allergy. And Lemons Green.
For 2 months, Amber saw a ordeal. “I have boxing gloves instead of hands, with peaks of pain that I have never felt before and the horrible feeling of being cooked from the inside. It was to cry“. She can hardly move her hands and needs help to make everyday gestures like washing her hair. She also indicates having burns on other parts of the body, especially on her stomach and legs, where she was splashed by lime juice.
Everyone is at risk. Even more clear -skinned people, barmans and catering employees who handle citrus fruits on the terraces, pool bars and seaside establishments. Most of the time, these burns are benign and disappear in a few days using corticosteroid cream. If, like Amber, the eruption persists, consult a doctor. To avoid the risks: it is absolutely necessary to wash your hands with water and soap after handling lemons (or wear gloves) and put high protection sunscreen before exposure to the sun.
