Everything was fine until a day later when Otis’ mum says she noticed a rash had developed on the boy’s skin.
“What we thought was an allergic reaction to a juice he had that morning was actually the start of a not-widely-known reaction called a ‘Margarita burn’ (also known as phytophotodermatitis),” she said in the post.
The term is a burn that can result when a chemical called furocoumarin, which is found in citrus fruits, reacts with sunlight.
Otis’ mum stated there were “no real answers” to why her son had developed the rash at first before he was rushed to emergency department after his condition worsened.
“It wasn’t until Sunday afternoon when the rash started to blister, that I started doing more of my own research and was able to put two and two together,” she said.
“The small lime he had been innocently playing with on Friday had now burnt his skin horrifically!
“We now have ongoing appointments with our local paediatric burns team for ongoing management to ensure no long-term scarring and implications,” the mum said.
The post went onto further explain that UV rays from the sun can activate the furocoumarin chemical, which is a chemical that can be found on plant surfaces.
“Remember not everyone will experience phytophotodermatitis after exposure to furocoumarin,” Tiny Hearts Education wrote.
“Your little one may be at a greater risk if you have a history of contact dermatitis with other substances, such as metals and cleaning agents.”
