Aaron Peers found out the hard way that a rare and painful skin reaction from lime juice and sunlight could give you second-degree burns.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, Peers was squeezing limes while making margaritas in his backyard. He had no clue at the time that the lime juice on his hands was toxic under sunlight. The next night, he started noticing burns on his hands, and it was the on the following day that he woke up with a huge blister on his hand. Peers and fiancée Alyse Golden rushed to the hospital for treatment where he was diagnosed with second-degree burns, but the cause left doctors stumped, according to USA Today.
The reaction, called Phytophotodermatitis, takes place when sunlight and citric acid create a toxic mix. Although somewhat rare, it's more common in Florida, particularly in the summer, when many, like Peers, enjoy the summer sun with citrusy drinks, CBS News reported.
"So the blistering is gone and now I'm left with really bright pink skin," Peers said. "The most normal reaction is, 'that's gross,' which I agree, it's super gross."
The burning and blistering is caused by the reaction of chemicals prevalent in certain plants when they are exposed to UV rays of the sun. The reaction is caused not only by limes, but also other foods including celery, parsley and parsnips. Certain types of wildflowers can also bring about the reaction.
