'Margarita Dermatitis' Is Real ... and Really Painful

Villa Park blogger Lindsay Rosasco's husband is a tough guy, so he ignored the mysterious blisters that appeared on his hand one day.

But the blisters spread, growing larger and more painful until Justin agreed to see a doctor.

Was it poison ivy? A chemical burn? It turns out the culprit was something the Rosascos didn't see coming but a dermatologist recognized right away: phytophotodermatitis.

Photo courtesy of Lindsay Rosasco.

Phytophotodermatitis is a reaction caused by ultraviolet radiation on a plant chemical on skin. In Justin's case, the second-degree chemical burn was caused by lime juice left on his skin after hand-squeezing the citrus for guacamole.

This reaction is also sometimes called "margarita dermatitis," since it often happens when people make the summertime drink.

Now, Lindsay is spreading the word about the dangerous combination of lime juice, skin and sunlight. She's detailed the dangers of limes, other culprits of phytophotodermatitis, methods for treatment and how to avoid it in a post on her blog, It's Simply Lindsay.

You won't believe what she and Justin used to soothe the burn on his hand.

"Please spread the word about this scary, dangerous, and painful thing that can happen to you – because as we, unfortunately, learned the hard way, it can happen to you," Lindsay wrote.

Read more about their experience from It's Simply Lindsay.

Lime photo by panafotkas via Flickr Creative Commons.