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Deodorant challenge: Teens burning themselves with aerosol

It can lead to scarring and infection.

Parents beware--a dangerous teen challenge is once again sending kids to the emergency room. Many of you have heard about the Tide Pod challenge or the eraser challenge. This time, it's the deodorant challenge.

“It’s kind of a disturbing trend because it can cause harm to anybody,” said Maricopa Integrated Health System Dr. Dan Quan.

The deodorant challenge involves a can of aerosol spray and a lot of pain. The participant sprays the freezing aerosol on their skin for as long as they can. The challenge often results in serious injury and in some extreme cases 2nd and 3rd degree burns.

“It certainly can cause scaring and may break the skin depending how powerful the aerosol is,” said Quan.

If the skin is broken it is more susceptible to an infection from the chemicals along with the burn.

One teenager who tried it and ended up with a litany of marks on her forearms explained why she did it.

“My friends started doing it,” said Kaitlyn. “You spray it and then it goes white and it looks really cool, so I tried it.”

Quan is baffled on how this is popular with teens and young adults given the risk of serious injury.

“It is disturbing and I would encourage teens not to do it,” said Quan.

If you or someone you know does try this and is injured, the best thing to do is wash the area with lukewarm water and then contact a doctor.

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