Mum horrified after child suffers 'margarita burn' to chest

A mum has issued a warning to other parents after her child suffered a 'margarita burn' to their chest while playing outside.

The incident involved a lime and took place in a paddling pool, where the Australian mum said her son Otis had been playing with some citrus fruits as part of a sensory experience.

She subsequently shared pictures of the incident with Tiny Hearts Education, a company that delivers first-aid courses to parents.

"This nasty burn was caused by a lime," she wrote alongside the images.

While there was no initial sign that something was wrong when Otis first left the pool, a day later his mum noticed that he had developed a painful-looking rash.

She explained that she thought it was an allergic reaction at first when it was actually something else entirely.

"What we thought was an allergic reaction to a juice he had that morning was actually the start of a not-widely-known reaction called a 'Margarita burn'," she said.

This type of burn, which is also referred to as phytophotodermatitis, happens when the furocoumarin mixes with sunlight and causes a reaction, Healthline reports.

"We took him to the doctors on Saturday and Sunday with no real answers," she went on.

"It wasn't until Sunday afternoon when the rash started to blister, that I started doing more of my own research and was able to put two and two together.

"The small lime he had been innocently playing with on Friday had now burnt his skin horrifically!"

Sadly, things got so bad for Otis that he found himself in the emergency department because of his rash.

"We now have ongoing appointments with our local paediatric burns team for ongoing management to ensure no long-term scarring and implications."

Tiny Hearts Foundation explained that the UV rays from the sun can activate the furocoumarin and, while not everyone will suffer from phytophotodermatitis, young children are at far greater risk.

Luckily, there are some simple prevention tips you can follow to minimise the risk of this type of burn and prevent rashes like Otis'.

According to Healthline, these are the practices people should be following to protect themselves from a harsh 'margarita burn'.

• Washing your hands and other exposed parts of the skin immediately after being outdoors;
• Wearing gloves when gardening;
• Wearing pants and long sleeves in wooded areas; and
• Putting sunscreen on before heading outdoors (prevent rash from exposed hands)