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Mango allergy


redkow97

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I'm posting this mainly so no one else has to deal with the amount of worrying I've done over the last week.

 

My lips were on fire, and I started developing herpes-like sores in the corners of my mouth.  Dermatologist says "it's either a staph infection, or herpes."  Culture for the staph infection came back negative.  Great...

 

Then I notice my junk is itching more than normal, and see a rash starting to develop.  What. The. Fuck?

 

Long story short, after spending about 3 days thinking I caught the herp somewhere, and just haven't known it for a decade, I have just been made aware that the skin of mangoes contains an oil similar to the stuff that makes poison ivy react with our skin.  While mango allergies are relatively rare, I had peeled and eaten one the night before my symptoms began, and it's something I eat VERY rarely.  Because it's an oil-based liquid, dish soap should wash it off, but hand soap (or a quick rinse of water) may not.  Use the bathroom 20 minutes after mango-peeling, and there's the junk issue...

 

Anyway, be warned.

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You're not the only one man.

I love Mangos and have been eating them for years but always pre-prepared. A few years ago I bought some and ate it, kinda like an orange where I quartered it and ate the flesh up to the skin. Later I got blisters all around my lips. It didn't hurt or itch but it was just annoying. I wasn't 100% sure at the time if it was due to the mangos or not but after trying again, I confirmed it. I googled it and found as you did that the skin does contain similar oils to poison ivy.

 

When my son was in Afghanistan, one of the natives showed him how to drink a mango. Basically, you lightly squeeze and roll in your hands over and over until the inside becomes liquified. Then take a knife, cut the top off and drink. I won't be doing that.

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