You can also face the same situation if you have a habit of drinking lemon water in the morning but do not wash your hands thoroughly before going out.
The scientific journal BMJ Case Reports has chosen to publish the case of a 29-year-old Australian man, as a general warning to lemonade enthusiasts and those who work in restaurants and cafes.
Dr. Luit Penninga, medical director at Ilulissat Hospital and Avannaa Regional Health in Northern Greenland (Netherlands), one of the authors of the article in BMJ Case Reports, said the patient was admitted to the hospital with two tables. hands “looks like zombies” , reddened, purple-blue areas appear, blisters like severe blisters.
Two white young men’s hands are red, appear green spots like necrotic spots just because of 2 lemons and camping in the sun – (photo: BMJ Case Reports).
The results showed that he had a condition called phytophotodermatitis , which in Greek is a strange inflammatory skin syndrome that occurs when the light and plant factors combine . The state of two hands zombies originated two days ago, after he squeezed two lemons into his water bottle and walked leisurely for 10 hours under the “midnight sun” of Greenland.
Phytophotodermatitis happened because he saved water, didn’t wash his hands after squeezing a lemon, and then a light-sensitive compound called psoralen in the lemon juice was exposed to UV rays from the sun, triggering inflammation of the skin. Called “midnight sun” because when the case happened, it was summer in Greenland, the sun rose 24 hours a day and in the evening, when the young man went for a walk, the sun was still shining brightly. .
It took doctors 2 months to help the patient’s hands get rid of the zombie state.
Although the condition as severe as this male patient is rare and strange, scientists have recorded many cases of milder skin lesions in people who work as bartenders, work in restaurants, have to come into contact with Lemons and some plants contain psoralen. Also not necessarily “midnight sun” , the normal sun is still full of UV rays and can damage your lemon-stained body part.
Psoralen is also found in other citrus fruits, celery, figs, some weeds, and wild plants. So it is best after making a glass of lemonade or any other drink from the above, you should wash your hands thoroughly before going out.