'Deodorant Challenge:' Mom warns parents about potential for severe burns

HOUSTON – A mother’s post about burns her child sustained while taking part in the so-called "Deodorant Challenge" has gone viral.

Mom Jamie Prescott explains in a Facebook post that the second-degree burns on her daughter's arm were caused by someone spraying deodorant on it for as long as possible.

The post, showing her daughter’s burned arm weeks after the incident happened on April 17, has been shared more than 4,300 times. Prescott said she shared the post to raise awareness.

“I would like this post spread wide and far,” she wrote. “For any parents who have children, please, please sit them down and show them these pictures. These are the damaging results of something known as 'The Deodorant Challenge' which is currently doing the rounds in Yate and literally involves spraying deodorant on to someone else for as long as possible. It's that simple and results in severe secondary burns. The pictures below are that of my Year 10 daughter's arm THREE WEEKS ON which may still as yet require a skin graft.”

I seldom rarely do this, but on this occasion, I would like this post spread wide and far.....For any parents who have...

Posted by Jamie Prescott on Friday, May 4, 2018

In the post, at least two others shared photos of their scars from doing the same thing.

“I did this exact thing over 10 years ago when I was at school,” Chris Clark wrote. “It is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done. You can see the scar I still have after all this time.”

Another user, Jade Walker, wrote: “I had stupidly done this about four years ago now and I regret it so much I am left with this huge scar. I was going to the hospital every two days for about three months to get the bandages changed and I was still going to hospital after six months of doing it. I didn't know it would do this to me or I wouldn't (have) done it. I was a stupid 12-year-old girl and want people to learn from it.”

Prescott told a local news outlet that her daughter was injured after going to a park with friends and that she had no idea what would happen, as she hadn't heard of the "Deodorant Challenge" before. Prescott said she saw the blistering burns a day after her daughter visited the park.  

Have you heard of children doing this kind of thing? Let us know in the comments.