Margarita Burn: The Painful Reason You Must Wash Your Hands After Touching Limes In Cancun

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It’s the perfect Cancun scene, one played out a thousand times a day: you’re relaxing on a lounge chair, the brilliant tropical sun is high in the sky, and a waiter has just handed you an ice-cold Corona with a fresh lime wedge. You dutifully squeeze the lime into the bottle, wipe your fingers on your swim trunks, and take a sip. Paradise found.

The next morning, you wake up and find it. An angry, red rash on your hand. Or a strange, streaky “burn” on your leg that looks like you spilled a chemical on it. It’s bubbly, it’s painful, and it’s definitely not a sunburn.

You hop onto a travel forum and post the panicked question: “What is this mysterious rash I got in Cancun?” You are immediately met with a flood of replies all saying the same thing: you have “Margarita Burn.”

Here at The Cancun Sun, we’re here to tell you that this is a very real, very painful, and very preventable vacation-ruiner. Here is our insider’s guide to this bizarre chemical reaction and how to avoid it.

What Is “Margarita Burn?”

The official medical term is phytophotodermatitis. It’s a nasty-sounding word for a simple, two-step chemical reaction that happens on your skin.

• Step 1: The Chemical. The “culprit” is a chemical compound found in plants called furocoumarin. This compound is harmless on its own, but it is found in extremely high concentrations in lime juice. (It’s also found in lemons, celery, and parsley).
• Step 2: The Activator. When this invisible, harmless juice gets on your skin and is then exposed to the powerful UV rays of the Cancun sun, it “activates.” This triggers a phototoxic reaction that is, for all intents and purposes, a severe chemical burn.

It is not an allergic reaction. It is not a sunburn. It is a chemical burn caused by the combination of lime juice and sunlight, and it can leave blisters and dark, discolored skin that can last for weeks or even months.

Why Is It So Common in Cancun?

This is the “perfect storm” environment for it. Think about your daily activities at an all-inclusive resort:

• Squeezing limes into Coronas.
• Handling lime wedges for margaritas.
• Eating ceviche or guacamole that is loaded with fresh lime juice.

You are constantly handling lime juice, often while sitting directly in the intense tropical sun, and then wiping your hands on a napkin or, more commonly, your leg or arm. This is why the “burns” often appear in strange streaks, drips, or even as a perfect little handprint on your thigh where you wiped your fingers.

The Savvy Traveler’s Prevention Playbook 🍋

The good news is that “Margarita Burn” is 100% preventable. You just have to treat lime juice like it’s a hazard… because, in the sun, it is.

By following these simple steps, you can ensure that your love for a cold Corona with lime results in a great vacation, not a painful, blistering burn.

Safe travels!