A mother is warning parents about the dangers of eating and drinking outside during hot weather after her toddler got burned while gnawing on a piece of celery.
Reanna Bendzak and her husband were enjoying a cookout with their two children. To help beat the heat — and to help her 7-month-old who was teething — she gave her a daughter a piece of celery to chew on.
“Our daughter was cutting her second tooth, so we gave her a piece of celery to chew on, just to help soothe those gums,” Bendzak told Good Morning America. “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.”
The next day, they woke up to discover their daughter had a bad rash around her mouth that “worsened throughout the day,” slowly turning into blisters. The couple said their daughter only had contact with direct sunlight for about 20 minutes. After a doctor’s visit, their daughter was diagnosed with phytophotodermatitis, a type of contact dermatitis.
“As any parents out there would know, your first reaction is just like, ‘Oh my gosh, what did I do? And how could I have prevented that,’” Bendzak said. “But you’re only as good of a parent as the knowledge you have, and we did what we thought was best at the time.”
To better understand what phytophotodermatitis is, it’s best to break the name down into three parts, says Healthline:
- phyto, which means plant
- photo, which means sunlight
- dermatitis, which is an inflammation of the skin
In this condition, contact with the chemicals in certain, including celery, carrots, citrus fruits and figs, can cause skin inflammation when exposed to sunlight.
Treatment options include steroids, and other topical medications, but generally doctors simply advise waiting for the rash to clear up on its own. Better yet, avoid the burns by using sunscreen.
“If you are going to be outside in the summer months, make sure you’re reapplying that SPF every two hours,” said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News’ chief medical correspondent and a board-certified OB-GYN. “But to be crystal clear, SPF should be used 365 days a year, on your face, hands and neck, people of all skin colors, all skin types. So make it part of your day-to-day routine.”
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