Mum’s poolside beers on holiday left her legs covered in burns after lime garnish triggered ‘margarita burn’
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Madison Reeves thought she was enjoying a harmless poolside drink — until lime juice left on her skin sparked a painful reaction in the Mexican sunshine.
A mum’s relaxing first day of holiday beers turned into a painful nightmare after lime juice from her drinks left her legs covered in horrific burns and blisters.
Madison Reeves, 29, had travelled to Cancun, Mexico, with her husband Gunnar, four-year-old son Jack and her parents for a family getaway on May 17.
But just one day into the trip, the insurance agent discovered the dangers of squeezing citrus in the sunshine the hard way.
While relaxing around the hotel pool, Madison enjoyed three small Mexican lagers, each served with a wedge of lime.
After squeezing the fruit into her drinks, she casually wiped some of the juice from her hands onto her legs, thinking nothing of it.
The following day, however, she felt a painful burning sensation while showering.
When she looked down, she was horrified to see strange red marks covering her legs.
At first Madison feared she was having an allergic reaction. But the marks became increasingly swollen and painful before large, pus-filled blisters began appearing.
The bizarre patterns eventually led Madison and her mum Angie, 54, to realise she had suffered phytophotodermatitis — commonly nicknamed “margarita burn”.
The reaction can occur when chemicals from certain plants, including citrus fruits, get onto the skin and are then exposed to sunlight.
Madison said: “I looked down once I got out of the shower and saw all these red marks all over me.
“I thought I might have been having an allergic reaction to something because they were these weird, strange patterns.”
She said one blistered area looked like “flower petals”, while three large blisters and more than 50 smaller ones developed across her skin.
Walking became extremely painful as her leg swelled, leaving her worried about the pressure from the blisters.
Luckily, Madison’s mum had heard of the reaction after seeing it discussed on medical television shows.
The pair searched online and connected the dots with Madison’s lime-filled drinks.
A doctor she met while away advised her to apply Vaseline and cover the affected areas with gauze.
Madison also tried to stay out of direct sunlight and limited her time in the pool.
She said the injury didn’t completely ruin the holiday, but left her exhausted and unable to enjoy it as much as planned.
A month later, the blisters had burst naturally and were healing, although Madison was left with areas of darker pigmentation.
Now she is urging holidaymakers to think twice before handling citrus in the sun.
“I would say just be mindful and wash your hands,” she said.
“It’s put me off having a beer in the sun with a lime.”
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