Mom warns of skin disease after son suffers burns while handling lime juice

BRYAN, Tex. (KBTX)- What was supposed to be a fun day of selling limeades turned into a medical emergency for Katherine Thompson's 7-year-old son, Bently.

The next day, he woke up with completely red hands.

Thompson, a Bryan resident, says at first they thought her son’s hands were just sunburned.

"Then he had a blister on one of his knuckles, so we knew it was something more than that,” says Thompson.

The family took Bently to three doctors until they found out he had Phytophotodermatitis, a skin reaction to a chemical in lime juice that can cause blisters and burns when exposed to the sun.

"They told us he had second-degree burns on his hands and they wrapped each of his fingers up individually,” says Thompson.

She describes the experience as shocking, but also very traumatic for their son.

"They told us that if he didn't continue to use his hands and if we hadn't gone to the hospital and had them wrap it up and fix everything there could have been some really bad scarring that could've limited his finger movements and his hand movements,” Thompson says.

Now, Bently’s hands are completely wrapped in gauze, allowing limited movement and making everyday tasks more difficult.

Thompson says her son will make a full recovery, but warns others to be aware, so they don’t fall victim to the same kind of situation.

"We just want to educate people because we would hate to see other kids who do Lemonade Day have something like this happen to them,” says Thompson.

Doctors say there are no real warning signs if you have this skin condition, but people with more fair skin are at a higher risk.