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Bodyrock.tv|Alexa
Erickson
What do you picture as the perfect leisurely activity on a hot summer day?
How about sitting by the poolside, margarita in hand, soaking up the sun, with
not a care in the world? Sounds like a healthy dose of downtime if you ask
me.
You may want to have a care, however, as it’s been found that there are health risks associated with partaking in the sun while enjoying cocktails, like margaritas, that are typically made with citrus.
We can all appreciate a touch of tan, but, with skin cancer constantly an issue, we’re becoming more aware of the risks of burning our skin. So, we wouldn’t want to add in any other factors to skin damage than we already do by laying under the rays, would we? Apparently the combination of citrus, like lemon and lime juice, mixed with the sunlight causes the skin to burn.
The condition, referred to as phytophotodermatitis, happens when the chemicals in some fruits and plants get on your skin and react to UV rays, which causes your skin to be left with what feels and looks like a sunburn, even causing redness, swelling and sometimes blistering. In rare cases the reaction can turn into a permanent discolouration on your skin. If you’re wondering why a few sips sunny side up aren’t causing you to immediately react, be aware that the burn doesn’t typically happen for a few hours to up to 24 hours, with the symptoms really peaking 2-3 days post exposure.
So what plants and fruits should you steer clear of? The main ones would be: parsley, celery, carrot, wild parsnip, lemon, lime, certain orange and even fig leaves.
And if you do want that margarita poolside per say? You can try to avoid the condition by washing your hands immediately after handling the above offenders, and following up with a broad spectrum sunscreen. Oh, and try not to spill your drink on your skin!
Have you suffered from phytophotodermatitis? If so, what did you do to alleviate your symptoms?
You may want to have a care, however, as it’s been found that there are health risks associated with partaking in the sun while enjoying cocktails, like margaritas, that are typically made with citrus.
We can all appreciate a touch of tan, but, with skin cancer constantly an issue, we’re becoming more aware of the risks of burning our skin. So, we wouldn’t want to add in any other factors to skin damage than we already do by laying under the rays, would we? Apparently the combination of citrus, like lemon and lime juice, mixed with the sunlight causes the skin to burn.
The condition, referred to as phytophotodermatitis, happens when the chemicals in some fruits and plants get on your skin and react to UV rays, which causes your skin to be left with what feels and looks like a sunburn, even causing redness, swelling and sometimes blistering. In rare cases the reaction can turn into a permanent discolouration on your skin. If you’re wondering why a few sips sunny side up aren’t causing you to immediately react, be aware that the burn doesn’t typically happen for a few hours to up to 24 hours, with the symptoms really peaking 2-3 days post exposure.
So what plants and fruits should you steer clear of? The main ones would be: parsley, celery, carrot, wild parsnip, lemon, lime, certain orange and even fig leaves.
And if you do want that margarita poolside per say? You can try to avoid the condition by washing your hands immediately after handling the above offenders, and following up with a broad spectrum sunscreen. Oh, and try not to spill your drink on your skin!
Have you suffered from phytophotodermatitis? If so, what did you do to alleviate your symptoms?
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