Beer, Lime, Rash: Your Favorite Summer Drink Could Give You A Nasty Rash
Summertime livin' might be easy, but it can wreak total havoc on our skin. Sun, humidity, and sweat are just some of the things that bring our faces one step closer to a bad outtake from Something About Mary, but it turns out your favorite summer drink has some dangers of its own. Limes, our favorite summer garnish for everything from beer to classy cocktails, can cause a severe skin rash called phytophotodermatitis when their juice reacts with the sun on your skin.
Jessica Wu, M.D., author of Feed Your Face, cleverly calls the condition "The Other Lime Disease," and while it's not particularly serious, it can cause a sunburn-like rash and red blisters or splotches on the skin. The condition is caused by a chemical reaction between certain plant compounds found in limes - called coumarins - and the UVA rays in the sun, which damages your skin's DNA, causing the rash.
3 Steps to Naturally Radiant Skin
The best way to avoid phytophotodermatitis is to simply wash your hands well after mixing your mojitos or squeezing limes into beers. And if you're doing tequila shots in the sun (hey, you never know!), make sure to keep your lime chaser off your face. Wearing a strong sunscreen that protects against UVA rays can also protect against the condition, since it's the UV rays that cause the chemical reaction (if you're doing those shots in a dimly-lit bar, your skin should be safe - although we can't guarantee anything else).
Thankfully, consuming limes isn't linked to the skin condition, so wear your sunscreen, wash your hands, and drink up.
You can reach this post's author, Briana Rognlin, via e-mail at briana@blisstree.com.
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