Lime Burn.

We can file that in the “Weird Tropical Ailments” file right behind Jon’s bout with Dengue Fever. Lime burn is what happens when you get lime juice on your hand and then go out in the sun. Who knew?

Last week while the kids were on spring break we spent a day at the beach. Tori ate a shrimp dish that came with lime slices to squeeze on top.  After lunch she headed out onto the beach to play in the sun.

Twenty-four hours later her hand looked like this:

We have since learned that a component of the lime reacts in the sun and creates a kind of chemical burn. However, it doesn’t show up for about 24 hours. It’s fairly common in El Salvador, and I remember a friend mentioning something about it months ago. Sure enough, the pharmacist knew exactly what it was and what kind of cream to give me to treat it.

A week later, her hand is scabby and dark colored. It could take months for the mark to go away, but thankfully it’s not hurting too badly. Not to be outdone, Ian also had a little burn of his own…apparently he was in the line of fire when Tori was spraying lime juice around!

Now we know to wash our hands after touching limes…lesson learned.