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Food

This Summer, Beware of Blistering 'Margarita Burns'

With summer finally here, social media is filling up with confused party people covered in chemical burns. The culprit: phytophotodermatitis. The cause: margarita spills.
Photo via Flickr user regan76

It's that time of the year again: sun, fun, and unsightly scars. With summer finally here, social media is filling up with confused party people covered in chemical burns. And it's all because of everyone's favorite hot-weather tequila drink.

Stories abound warning of phytophotodermatitis, or "margarita burns." The same thing happens every year, and yet no one ever learns.

If you follow a certain type of Instagram account—boat parties, American flag swim trunks, those inflatable swans — you've probably seen them: bright pink scars surrounded by patches of flaky dead skin on chests, hands, and even lips.

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Apparently, the worst cases are often the result of people trying to bleach their hair with lime juice— we've just learned this is a thing—which sounds both ill-advised and awful.

And it's not just citrus that can cause this type of reaction. Other plants like parsley and parsnips can also have the same effect; but parsnip body shots haven't really caught on (yet!) so you rarely see the aftermath in these instances.

On the bright side, the scars from phytophotodermatitis only last a couple of months, but then again, that's pretty much the whole summer.

We try to warn you every year, but people keep getting burnt. So have fun, guys, but be safe—and try to keep that spicy paloma in its glass. The only blisters you get this summer should be from falling asleep on a yacht and waking up to a third-degree sunburn.