I Drank A Margarita and Got A Blistering Burn All Over My Lips—Derms Say This Was My Big Mistake (2025)

It was the morning after a birthday barbeque, and I woke up wondering why my lips felt dry and flaky, more so than usual. When I looked in the mirror, I saw dark patches on my lips, and NGL, I lowkey freaked out. I just assumed that I’d somehow gotten a bad sunburn on my lips from being outside all day. Luckily, later that afternoon, I had a dermatologist appointment that I’d booked weeks ago, so I asked her about it. I’d never gotten a sunburn like that before, so as you’d probs expect, I had some questions.

Her first question to me? “Have you been drinking margaritas?” “Yes,” I responded, a little confused. Turns out, she wasn’t psychic. She could just tell immediately by looking at my lips that I had a case of phytophotodermatitis (say that three times fast). I had never heard of it before, but apparently it’s super common and def something you should be aware of, especially as we're entering peak "sip margs outside" season. Let me break it all down with a help of a few dermatologists: what the heck phytophotodermatitis, how it happens, and how to protect yourself from it.

What is phytophotodermatitis?

“People often think it’s a sun allergy, but it’s a toxic reaction,” says dermatologist Elizabeth Geddes-Bruce, MD. The chemicals in lime juice interact with the sun and cause an intense reaction that leaves behind a blistering or hyperpigmented burn. Your derm will probs be able to immediately tell that you have phytophotodermatitis. “Someone will come in, and they’ll say, ‘Oh, this rash. I can’t get it to go away. What is this?’ And you can tell just by looking at it. You’ll say, ‘Were you recently drinking margaritas?’” (Literally what happened to me—I’ve never had an original experience.)

What does margarita burn, or phytophotodermatitis, look like?

In the most extreme cases, phytophotodermatitis can cause irregular-shaped blisters all over the affected area of your skin. In 2019, YouTuber Allana Davison burned the entirety of both of her hands in Tulum after squeezing a whole lotta limes—she ended up wrapping her hands since they were so significantly burned. In my situation, I only experienced margarita burn around my lips, and it looked like a rash or maybe a really gnarly sunburn.

One thing to note is that the burn will often be a bit sporadic, since it only will occur where the lime juice actually dripped onto your skin. For some, that could be down their arm, or maybe it dribbled onto spots on your legs or feet as you were happily drinking. Don't be alarmed. Lemme explain:

How does it happen?

Quick chemistry lesson: Lime juice contains a chemical called furocoumarin, a photosensitizing ingredient, which reacts poorly to UV light exposure, explains dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD. “When you go into the sun with lime juice on your skin—or lips—the spot it touches can become inflamed and irritated,” says Dr. Nazarian. It can show up differently on the skin, though, depending on how your skin was exposed. For example, if you were squeezing limes on the beach for your margs, it might show up between your thumb and index finger. In my case (sipping straight from a glass), I noticed it around my lips.

It’s almost always lime juice that triggers phytophotodermatitis, but, according to Dr. Geddes-Bruce, there have been a few cases reported of celery or parsnips causing a toxic reaction. Older perfumes formulated with a blend of plant oils can also be photosensitizing, adds Dr. Nazarian.

What should I do if I’ve been burned?

First, take a deep breath. If you’re at the scene of the crime—aka you just spilled lime juice on yourself and you’re out in the sun—Dr. Geddes-Bruce recommends washing it off ASAP. “You might also want to try to get some over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream and rub it on the area right after the exposure as well.”

Unfortunately, the phototoxic reaction is pretty tramautizing to the skin itself. “Once the reaction has already happened, it really just takes some time for it to fade,” says Dr. Nazarian. (Mine lasted for MONTHS, btw.) “If you can get in quick enough with a dermatologist, you might benefit from a topical steroid to calm the inflammation and minimize the damage that’s happening underneath the tissue," she says.

You can also chat with your derm about creams that help reduce hyperpigmentation. “I like to bring in topicals that help minimize the release of melanin from the skin,” adds Dr. Nazarian. She prefers a prescription-strength mix of active ingredients including kojic acid, licorice root extract, niacinamide, and tranexamic acid. Dw, you can find products formulated with these actives OTC at lesser concentrations.

Also, you should be super diligent with your sun protection. “Even in the inflammatory stage, the skin is still really sensitive,” says Dr. Nazarian. “It’s almost like having a sunburn—your skin is more fragile to the radiation that hits it, so sun avoidance and sunscreen is extra important," she explains.

Dr. Geddes-Bruce prefers sun-protective clothing. “I tell my patients that nobody puts on enough sunscreen to get the effect of the SPF on the bottle,” she says. “So a protective shirt or a sun hat makes it so much easier to protect yourself from the sun, especially if you’re going to be spending time outdoors.”

When I was dealing with phytophotodermatitis, lip sunscreen was the MVP in my daily routine. My go-to was Ultra Violette’s Sheen Screen SPF 50 Hydrating Lip Balm. It doesn't taste disgusting, like some other lip SPFs, and adds a subtle hint of color to my lips. Because my burn looked so intense, I’d layer the lip SPF with a lipstick or a lip pencil to make me feel a lil more confident.

Final thoughts:

TBH, unless you’re super diligent with your sun exposure, if you have lime juice sitting on your skin, there’s nothing you can really do to stop the reaction from happening, so just be extra careful if you’re sipping on margs this summer. But if you do happen to get burned, there are steps you can take to minimize the damage. Go see your derm, apply (and reapply) your sunscreen, and soon enough, phytophotodermatitis will be a thing of the past.

Meet the experts:

• Rachel Nazarian, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist who practices at Schweiger Dermatology Group in NYC.
• Elizabeth Geddes-Bruce, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist who practices at Westlake Dermatology in Austin, Texas.

Why trust Cosmopolitan?

Ama Kwarteng is a contributing beauty writer at Cosmopolitan with more than 6 years of experience researching and writing beauty stories like testing Black Girl Sunscreen and reviewing neck-firming creams. She tests and analyzes hundreds (if not thousands!) of beauty products every year, and regularly works with key leaders in the beauty industry, from brand founders to leading makeup artists and hairstylists.