Shoving a Lime in Your Beer While Out in the Sun Could Burn Your Hands
Corona ads always show people hanging out at the beach, shoving lime wedges in their beers. But if you do that in real life, you could end up with BLISTERS on your hands . . .
You might have heard about this before. But it has to do with something called phytophotodermatitis. (fyto-photo-derma-tytis.)
When the juice from a lime or lemon gets on your skin, it creates a chemical reaction that can make you hypersensitive to ultraviolet light. And if you’re out in the sun afterward, it can cause SERIOUS burns.
If it’s just one or two lime wedges, you might be fine. Or if you’re only in the sun for a few minutes, no big deal. Your hands might look a little red the next day, but nothing major. And it affects some people worse than others.
You just don’t want to cut a bunch of limes up then stand out in the sun for LONG periods of time. Because the results can be pretty horrifying.
Your skin can swell up and turn red for a week or more. And you can end up with giant BALLOON blisters all over your hands. If you don’t believe it, just google “lime juice burns” and prepare to be horrified.
(Slate)
