(WSVN) - Parents, be mindful of a new challenge some kids are participating in: the Deodorant Challenge, which doctors say can cause permanent burn scarring.
According to WTSP, the new trend has begun among some kids where those who participate see how long they can tolerate aerosol deodorant being sprayed in the same spot on their body. The deodorant is sprayed about an inch or two from their skin.
A mother, Jamie Prescott, took to Facebook to share her story of how this challenge has severely hurt her daughter.
“The pictures below are that of my Year 10 daughter’s arm THREE WEEKS ON which may still as yet require a skin graft,” Prescott wrote.
The University of Utah’s Dr. David Smart told WTSP that this challenge has sparked a campus-wide warning: ‘Don’t Do It: The Deodorant Challenge.’
“It’s essentially frostbite,” Smart told WTSP. “It causes scarring no matter how deep — the more prominent the blistering the more permanent the scarring.”
According to the report, compressed gas needs heat to expand and, without heat, the gas turns cold.
Health officials said this freezing effect isn’t only for aerosol deodorant. These side effects can result from any spray using aerosol.
If parents believe their child has suffered an aerosol burn, Dr. Taryn Travis with the Burn Center at MedStar Washington Hospital Center provided some solutions to WTSP:
- Remove the offending agent to stop the burning
- Decontamination and re-warming are imperative. Luckily, these can be done at the same time with running warm, not hot, water. Do not rub the area
- When cold injury occurs, small ice crystals form within the tissues, and rubbing these sorts of injuries can cause further trauma. Re-warm for at least 20 minutes
- Cover the area in something clean and dry
- Seek care from a burn professional within 24 hours to avoid long-term disfigurement and disability
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