My baby got ‘margarita burn’ after eating celery: What parents should know
This could start your summer on a bitter note.
An infant suffered a blistering rash after munching on celery in the sun, a horrified mother is claiming.
Reanna Bendzak, from Canada, gave her then-7-month-old daughter a stick of celery to gnaw on to soothe her gums while teething. The family was spending time outdoors soaking up some rays and thought the little one was protected against the sun.
“It wasn’t warm by any means, but it was sunny, so she was covered neck to toe in a onesie, and we had a sun hat on her, so we thought she was fairly well-protected,” she told “Good Morning America,” adding that she was continuously wiping off her child’s face with a cloth.
But the next morning when the infant woke up with a rash around her mouth that later blistered, Bendzak knew something was wrong.
![Infant's cheeks with blistering rash](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011798209.jpg?w=1024)
![Photo taken before rash of baby's clear face](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011798207.jpg)
The little one had phytophotodermatitis — a reaction that occurs while touching certain foods outside, such as celery, citrus fruits, figs, carrots, as well as wild dill, parsley and parsnips.
“When you get a substance on the skin that’s photo- or UV-sensitive, it creates a phototoxic reaction after sun exposure, the severity of which will be proportionate to how much of the agent touched the skin,” Dr. Clarissa Yang, chair of dermatology at Tufts Medical Center, previously told The Post.
The painful condition is often referred to as “margarita burn,” due to the common propensity to sip on the lip-puckering cocktail while basking in the summer heat.
![Baby's face with rash as it heals](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011798208.jpg)
“As any parents out there would know, your first reaction is just like, ‘Oh my gosh, what did I do? And how could I have prevented that?’ ” said Bendzak, adding that in hindsight, she would have washed her baby’s face with soap and water.
“But you’re only as good of a parent as the knowledge you have, and we did what we thought was best at the time.”
Her daughter, now 9 months old, suffered blisters on her face for 10 days, which later turned into hyperpigmentation before eventually disappearing after six weeks. While the infant is doing “fine” now, all it took was 20 minutes of direct sun exposure to initiate the reaction.
Now, the mom of two is sharing her story on Facebook, and even re-created the reaction her baby experienced on her arm.
“Hopefully this story can help others learn from our experience and they can make better decisions for their own personal lives moving forward as well,” said Bendzak, who had “no idea” this could happen.
Earlier this year, a young boy experienced the same reaction after juicing limes, and last year, a TikToker suffered a similar fate.
The creator, who goes by Shana online, issued a public service announcement advising viewers not to cut limes in the sun — no matter how good a refreshing marg sounds.
“I now have second and third-degree burns and blisters on my hands,” she wrote on a viral TikTok video to warn others.