Recently, an Australian mother shared some photos of her baby on social media. son with blisters from burns on her forearms. It was a warning to other parents and caregivers about the dangers of “lemon burns”.“. According to her, her son developed very severe burns shortly after squeezing some lemons.
‘Lemon burn’, what is it?
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The correct and scientific name for this condition is “phytophotodermatitis” or “phytophotodermatitis” and the reason is not quite the lemon. In fact, burns appear when someone exposes their skin to the sun after handling lemon or some other citrus fruit. That is, it can also happen after handling oranges, acerolas and others.
This happens because citrus fruits have a substance called bergapten, very present in the peels and pulp of these fruits. By having contact with this substance, our skin becomes much more sensitive to the sun's rays, which makes burns much more intense and frequent.
Due to their origin in the consumption and handling of fruits, these burns tend to appear more frequently on the hands, mouth and face. However, it occurs in other parts of the body, as in the case of this Australian child, whose burns appeared mainly on the forearms. After all, it may be that some of the fruit spills on other parts.
How to prevent and treat
In the case of child australiana, there was the appearance of water bubbles in the affected places. This demonstrates that there was a large amount of bergapten in contact with the body. In cases like this, it is necessary to consult a dermatologist. However, most of the time, the burns are mild, with red or purple spots and a burning sensation in the area.
In addition, other care is important to treat, such as avoiding exposure to the sun, using cold compresses and washing the skin with water at the time of the burn. To prevent this, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling citrus fruits, as well as your mouth and other contact areas. Finally, use sunscreen to prevent sunburn.
