Lime Juice And The Sun Can Be A Painful Combination
By Lynne Adkins
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Better be careful when squeezing that lime into your summer cocktail.
Squeezing the lime into your Corona could give you a nasty red burn thanks to a chemical reaction between the citrus fruit and the sun. Dr. Robert Willard, chief of Dermatology at Abington Memorial Hospital says it's quite common in the summer, and it's a big problem for outdoor bartenders.
"If you can imagine what a streak of juice spraying out of a lime would look like on the skin and then react with the sunlight it would be a straight line or streaks of redness and blisters along the area where the juice came in contact with the skin," Dr. Willard said.
It even has a name: Phytophotodermatitis.
"There have been cases of child abuse reported from this parents have gotten juice on their hands and touched their children and it can look like bruises."
He suggests after squeezing any limes or lemons, wash your hands with soap and water.
