Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Sep 29;4(4).
doi: 10.3402/jchimp.v4.25090. eCollection 2014.

Lime-induced phytophotodermatitis

Andrew Hankinson  1 , Benjamin Lloyd  2 , Richard Alweis  2
Affiliations

Lime-induced phytophotodermatitis

Andrew Hankinson et al. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. .

Abstract

This case describes a scenario of lime-induced phytophotodermatitis. Phytophotodermatitis is a dermatitis caused after the skin is exposed to photosensitizing compounds in plants and then exposed to sunlight. Many common plants including citrus fruits, celery, and wild parsnip contain these photosensitizing compounds which cause phytophotodermatitis. It is important for a physician to be aware of phytophotodermatitis because it may often be misdiagnosed as other skin conditions including fungal infection, cellulitis, allergic contact dermatitis, and even child abuse.

Keywords: Rutaceae; dermatitis; lime; photodermatitis; phytodermatitis; psoralen.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Well demarcated tender red patches and crusted vesicles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Quaak MS, Martens H, Hassing RJ, van Beek-Nieuwland Y, van Genderen PJ. The sunny side of lime. J Travel Med. 2012;19(5):327–8. - PubMed
    1. Derraik JG, Rademaker M. Phytophotodermatitis caused by contact with a fig tree (Ficus carica) N Z Med J. 2007;120(1259):U2658. - PubMed
    1. Goskowicz MO, Friedlander SF, Eichenfield LF. Endemic “lime” disease: Phytophotodermatitis in San Diego County. Pediatrics. 1994;93(5):828–30. - PubMed
    1. Pomeranz MK, Karen JK. Images in clinical medicine. Phytophotodermatitis and limes. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(1):e1. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources