Corona and Lime Could Come With Cosmetic Price: Mexican Beer Dermatitis

(Oct. 19) -- As fall temperatures descend on Americans, revisiting summer with a chilled bottle of Corona sounds like a welcome respite. But if you're looking to stay sexy from head-to-toe, reconsider that wedge of lime.

That's the advice of dermatologist Scott Flugman, who warns of a decidedly unsexy condition -- "Mexican beer dermatitis" -- that can result from lime splashing onto the skin.

"Affected patients may exhibit bizarre patterns of phototoxic effects reflecting the pattern of cutaneous exposure to lime-derived phototoxins," Flugman writes in a case report in the Archives of Dermatology, adding that he sees a number of clients suffering the condition because of alcohol-lime consumption.

Beer's carbonation leaves one particularly susceptible to unwanted splashes, as pressing a wedge of lime into the open bottle can cause unexpected spurts.

Sadly for beach bums, that's especially true "in a patient who is shirtless by the beach or pool," Flugman notes.

Psoralen is the compound to blame for the problem. It makes the skin more vulnerable to rays of UVA light and is actually used in conjunction with UVA beams to clear up skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

But when psoralen hits otherwise healthy skin in patches, odd discoloration is the result -- and the splotches persist for months.

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The problem isn't serious, but Flugman tells Reuters that for those fixated on cosmetic appearance or who work as bartenders, it can be emotionally taxing.

Not to mention that many don't realize what's behind the bizarre dark spots and suspect they're afflicted with a legitimate illness.

"People are worried that it's something serious," he said. "You might have some brown spots you're been looking at for a few months."

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