If you are a bartender who is scheduled for skin cancer surgery to remove a melanoma, you may have skin cancer due to your exposure to citrus. Bartenders are prone to what is called margarita burn in the industry, or phytophotodermatitis in the medical community. Here's what you need to know as you move forward.
Citrus + Sunlight = Phytophotodermatitis
Psoralen is a compound that is found in many of the citrus fruits that you handle while bartending, particularly limes and lemons. When this compound is on the skin and the skin is in sunlight, it causes phytophotodermatitis to occur. Essentially, psoralens make the skin extremely susceptible to UV rays, to the point that the rays can be amplified by as much as ten times. This phenomenon causes the skin to severely burn.
The most important thing to understand about this reaction in the skin is that it stays active for at least a full day. Washing the skin will not work once the reaction has already started occurring. The only way to stop this from happening is to remove the psoralen before the reaction occurs. Therefore, wash your hands and any areas where there may be citrus juice on your skin within 10-30 minutes after exposure.
Severe Burns = Higher Risk of Skin Cancer
The reason this information is crucial for you to know is that severe burns, such as from phytophotodermatitis, can lead to a higher risk of the development of skin cancer. This means that, since you have likely experienced the reaction several times over the course of your bartending career, it is crucial for you to be regularly checked for skin cancer, particularly since you are already scheduled for skin cancer removal surgery.
Of course, while you are recovering from the removal of the skin cancer, you'll need to be extra careful not to expose the same area to psoralen again before the area has had a chance to completely heal. Depending on the area of concern, you may need to wear gloves while you work, if possible. If not, you should consider taking time off from work while your skin recovers. The reason for this is because you may not be able to wash the psoralen from your skin thoroughly. Alternatively, completely avoid exposure to sunlight.
Speak with your dermatologist for more information on how to take care of the affected area and for helpful ideas on how to avoid phytophotodermatitis and skin cancer in the future.
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