Beware the citrus juice. It may make for more than a mean cocktail this weekend.
Nothing says beach day like a cold beverage with a splash of lime — but, keep the tiny citrus fruit's juices off of your hands. The combination of skin, sun and lime can cause a painful reaction and red, blistering rash.
"It's called Berloque Dermatitis, and it's very comon this time of year," says Dr. Neil Sadick, a clinical professor of dermatology in private practice in New York City, “The lime juice is a sun sensitizer, so it makes you susceptible to rashes and burns on your skin, sometimes resulting in a change in pigmentation.”
Although not everyone is susceptible (it's genetic), there's no way to determine that before it's too late, so always wash your hands after handling lime (or a lime-related beverage) and of course lather on the sun block, which may help, says Sadick. And if your priorities somehow shifted in the sun and you find yourself afflicted, there is a treatment plan:
1. Immediately try an over-the-counter cortisone cream or Aquaphor Healing Ointment.
2. Get thee to the derm's office for a prescription topical steroid or bleaching cream.
For more healthy beach tips, read: