Mom Issues Warning After Baby Suffers "Margarita Burns" From Celery
A mom in Canada has taken to social media to spread awareness after her 7-monht-old daughter suffered painful "margarita burns" following some time in the sun.
Reanna Bendzak lives in Canada and when the sun came out, she decided to get outside and enjoy it with her baby.
She said in a Facebook post that she offered the baby a stick of celery to chew to "help soothe her teething gums" while they enjoyed the sunshine.
"She was in the sun for 20-30 minutes, the celery juice/drool was wiped away with a dry cloth and bathed that evening," Reanna wrote.
Unfortunately, that short amount of time was all that it took for a "margarita burn," more officially known as phytophotodermatitis, to set.
Speaking with Good Morning America, Reanna said: "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."
In the Facebook post, Reanna hoped to educate other parents to avoid the burn happening on other babies.
She wrote: "After our experience, we hope to spread awareness of the risks around consuming certain foods and drinks in the sun. Phytophotodermatitis is a burn-like skin reaction that occurs after the juice of a fruit/vegetable containing furanocoumarins becomes present on the skin and is then exposed to sunlight. Carrots, celery, citrus fruit (most commonly limes), figs, bergamot, dill, parsley, and parsnip all contain furanocoumarins."
She added that her daughter is "healing well" but they have a "long road of hyperpigmentation and scarring to treat."
Malorie works as a writer and editor in Northern California. She's passionate about food, conscious living, animal welfare, and conservation. She's worked with a variety of publications in different sectors but is happiest covering topics close to her heart. When not at her laptop, Malorie can be found enjoying picnics on the beach, hiking in the redwoods, and spending time with her rescue pup, Jax.