The summer when I was pregnant with Will, I took my nephew Scotty to my dad’s farm for the weekend. We had an awesome time and he basically spent the entire day in the pool as most kids do. I truly thought that I had liberally applied all kinds of sunscreen to him throughout the day. Apparently I hadn’t. That night in the tub, I noticed he was sunburnt! This led to a full on hormonal meltdown of course. ‘Wahhh. How can I possibly look after my own baby if I can’t stop Scotty from getting a sunburn. I’m the worst aunt ever.’ My father just looked at me and in no uncertain words told me to get a grip.
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I believe many of us can agree that preventive healthcare saves cash in lasting medical care costs, but section of the problem is the expense of maintenance itself!n fact, an large turn of income is spent by the “health” tending business on preventing prevention.
My worst sunburn happened 10 years ago when my husband and I traveled with our friends to Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. At that time, I didn`t think that I could burn and didn`t worry much about applying sunscreen. After a day of sun, I burnt the top of my head. My head ached for the rest of the trip and it felt like I was hit hard by something. By the end of the trip, it flaked quite badly — it looked like I had a bad case of dandruff.
The worst burn was on my chest. I put sunscreen everywhere else. I had a red v down my chest and now I have wrinkles in my cleavage that i blame on that bad burn
As I worked for a laser clinic and have skincare background, I understand the seriousness of a sunburn (and sun damage). Before going out with suncreen in my moisterizer (all year round) and carrying sunscreen in my purse, I was bad with the sunscreen and burned easily. I’ve had laser treatments to get rid of sun damage and will always do my best to prevent such damage again. I feel for the young who will spend their afternoons tanning and tanning “hard” for they don’t realize what they’re doing to their skin. Not just the aging prematurely, but the risk of cancer too.
We had gone on a family vacation to Hawaii, with our first week to be spent on Maui. The pool was oceanfront, the sky blue and the warm sun was radiant. There was quite aa breeze coming off the ocean so it did not feel too hot. I spent the entire day tanning my back while reading a gripping mystery novel. That evening, we went to a Luau and I could feel the heat from my back and my legs radiating through me, feeling like I was melting into the chair. The next day, I could not sit or have any clothing touch my extremely red skin. I not only had a whopper of a sunburn but I had sun stroke as well and had to spend the rest of the week in bed drinking lemonade and taking Tylenol. At the end of the week, we flew to Oahu and I had to sit partly raised from the seat as the burn on the back of my legs was still so painful and starting to peel. I suffered through what should have been the best vacation ever and swore that I would never, ever spend that much time in the sun and would always and forever coat myself in sunscreen.
Falling asleep on the beach in Mexico in my early 20’s!! Okay, passed out is more like it! LOL But nevertheless, wicked burn! I swelled up and it hurt even to walk…that happened once, and will NEVER happen again! 😀
On my honeymoon we went to FLA for 3 weeks. I love the sun and ocean, but I am white as a ghost. Friends have nicknamed me “Casper”. I burn a beat red and then simply peel off the tan.
The first day of arrival, I was in such a rush to go down to the beach and just lay in the sun, unlike my new husband who can simply sit in the shade and get a dark tan! We both checked into our room, put on our suits and made it to the ocean front. Laid down our towels and splashed into the ocean. This was at 10 in the morning! We stayed at the beach until the end of the afternoon. I had felt my back a bit sore but just chucked it up to the sun and stiffness.
We went for a long dinner at a close by restaurant and did the “wine & dine” scenario. We walked back to the hotel to our room and by now, my back was in horrible pain. I asked my husband to take a look at to his amazement, I had water blisters all over my bad, huge ones. Quickly going down to the front desk we asked for the closest medical clinic and we drove to the place.
Doctor took one look and said “oh my gosh! you have close to second degree burns. No sun for at least 1 week, stay indoors and apply this cream”
What a wonderful first week of honeymoon :). The pain eventually subsided and I was able to enjoy the next two weeks in the sun, WITH sunscreen and not too long. Lesson learned!!!
Our family of 5 rarely has sunburns with one exception. My middle child we adopted from Russia and has blonde hair, blue eyes and very fair skin. I call her my SPF 60 girl. Hats, sunglasses and sunscreen are a must for her even if we are only in the backyard for 10 minutes as my backyard faces South she has had a couple of burns that resulted in her nose pealing. I love the spray on sunscreen for the kids and my daycare kids as it is easy to line up all 8 of them and spray them down. 🙂
The absolute WORST sunburn I ever had didn’t come from the sun! When I was 16, my boyfriend’s family had a stand-alone sunlamp. Brainiac that I am, I decided I would get an instant suntan with it. I sat about 5″ in front of the bulb for about an hour before deciding I’d had enough. When I awoke the next morning my eyes felt as though they were full of gritty sand – it didn’t matter whether they were closed or not, it felt the same! When I fumbled my way to the bathroom and pried my eyes open long enough to have a look I was shocked at my face! It was so red it was almost purple, and covered with literally hundreds of awful-looking water-blisters! I was in the worst physical and emotional agony I’d ever felt – and yet, my Dad had no sympathy whatsoever for me – he even made me get dressed and go to school. It was my first year in the big-city high school, having moved from small-town P.E.I. to northern Ontario not long before. I was mortified when the blisters started popping from my nose out towards my ears and the skin underneath was pure white while the rest of my face was still beet red! Other kids were looking, pointing and snickering behind their hands and I was sure I would die. The only good thing that came out of this experience was that a girl in my art class took pity on me and befriended me that day – and we’re still best friends to this day, many years later! I do watch for odd spots and moles on my face very closely because of this ‘episode’ – and am already developing brown spots on my cheeks. My doctor tells me they’re not dangerous so far. I use a high SPF sunscreen faithfully now, on myself and my kids.
OH! The utter STUPIDITY of youth!! 🙁
Leave me a comment below telling me about your worst sunburn
When I was in Mexico last year — my face was beet red. From now on I use stronger SPF sunscreen on my face. Thanks for the chance to win.
Okay so this one time i was in Dominican and i thought hey ill just lay here get a tan, and i was laying there with my aviator glasses on and fell asleep. Well when i got up, i was so burnt i had blisters everywhere. I mean the only white parts on my body were where the glasses were, i was crayola red. Well i started to walk back to my room, and everyone was laughing me. it was so embarassing
The worst burn I had is when I was about 8 and was visiting my grandparents in Florida at Christmas time. I just remember my back was so tender that it even hurt to wear light PJ’s to bed. I remember my grandma using a cold cloth with ice cold milk to try and sooth it! OUCH!! I don’t ever want my kids to get that burnt!
I took my younger sisters to Old Orchard Beach one summer where we rented a cottage for a few days and being blonde and very fair skinned, I got a horrid sunburn – so bad that my eyes were almost swollen closed. I donned my sunglasses and drove through the US border to bring them home. BY the time we arrived I had two small slits where my eyes should be and I was looking more like the Michelin Man on fire than the great older sister taking my sisters on a vacation trip.
i just got one vacationing out here on the east coast.fell asleep reading a book! just popped in to find out i can still enter!
i got sunburnt nipples (yes…nipples) on my first topless beach in the spanish riviera when i was 19. felt weird applying sunscreen there so i thought i could just wing it! 🙂
Our honeymoon in the dominican..hubby and I both ruined for ourselfs with a bad sunburn on our second day
I remember my very first sunburn like it was yesterday. It was when I went to a local water park for my best friend’s birthday party. I remember feeling like my chest and shoulders were on fire that night. Now, I definitely remember to cover up and use sunscreen whenever I’m in the pool.
The worst sunburn I have had was at the beginning of this summer. I decided to take my boyfriends son to the park, it was such a beautiful day and one of the first of the summer. I applied SPF 15 to him but neglected myself thinking that we wouldn’t be out long enough/ it wasn’t too hot outside so I didn’t have to worry about it. Four hours later we got back in the house, I had a shower and I instantly turned into a cherry tomatoe, as well, my boyfriend’s son got burnt to even though he had mild sunscreen on! From that day on I decided that I wouldn’t take any more chances with mr.sun and it is part of both of our regular rutines. I do have to mention that I only strictly use Banana Boat products because of the convienence and long lasting lotions! It is the best product I have found on the market, not only for a 6 year old but for me as well! If you want good UV and sun exposer coverage, use Banana Boat!
The worst sunburn I ever got was actually just last week. I took the kids to the park, slathered the sunscreen on both of them and then left the house. I normally wear T-shirts, but that day I decided to wear a tank top because it was so hot. We played at the park for about an hour and when we got home I was red like a lobster. It’s been a week and I still have very distinct ‘burn lines’. I would say tan lines, but I’m still red!!!!
My worst sunburn was in Australia. We had flown there after a long winter in Canada and went to the beach on the first. I know we would be prone to sunburn so everyone put lots of sunscreen on. I had not realized that the sunscreen was not waterproof. After we went into the ocean, the sunscreen had unevenly worn off. I ended up with strips ans splotches on severe sunburn. Not only was I sore, I was a sight to look at.
Next time I will make sure the sunscreen is waterproof
Many years ago, I was on vacation in the Sousa area of the Dominican Republic and stayed out in the sun too long. My shoulders were badly burned. We were having drinks in a local restaurant run be a couple from Canada. The owner noticed my burn and went outside and cut several pieces from an Aloe Vera plant. He slit one of the pieces open and told me rub the juicy flesh on my shoulders and he put the rest in a plastic bag to take back to the hotel. At the time, I had never heard of Aloe Vera, but as a result of the miracle plant, my skin didn’t even peel. I am much more careful now about staying out in the sun for very long.
My worst sunburn was when I was in a junior high track meet. My shoulders burned so badly that I got blisters. My maternal grandma was visiting. She suggested that I use buttermilk to cool my skin.
The worst sunburn happened when I was around 12. My sister and I, both fair-skinned with white hair, had spent the whole day at a pool under the supervision of a friend’s mother, both of whom had Mediterranean skin which was highly tolerant of the sun.
My sister and I spent weeks in bed ill and in great pain. The skin peeled off in sheets, still one of the most vivid visuals in my memories.
This was the last time we went anywhere with our friend’s mother and the last time I went out in the sun for any length of time. Anytime I do venture out for any period of time, I wear sunscreen.
My worst sunburn was when I was living in Toronto and spent the day at the beach. I suffered sun stroke and since that day have always used Banana Boat products to protect me and my family.
My worst sunburn ever was definitely on the trip I took to Mexico with my sister. We took sunscreen but it was a low spf and we were burnt so badly by the end of our first day that it was impossible to sleep and made for an uncomfortable and blistery holiday. I even ended up with sunstroke by day 3!!
Sunscreen. It’s smelly. It’s expensive. It gets in your eyes. It clogs your pores. And for white-ass people like myself, it’s a lifestyle. I put it on my face every morning, apply another coat before day-time runs and pretty much drain the bottle if I’m going swimming or attending an outdoor event.
Yeah, I’m that guy: holding everybody up so I can run into Walgreens and raid the Coppertone section; huddling under a hat, a blanket and an umbrella during a perfect day at the beach; sweating bullets in long sleeves during the scorching desert summers.
And don’t even talk to me about tubing on the Salt River. Sorry. Stuck in a tube in the sun for four hours just doesn’t work for me. You go ahead though.
But despite my photo-paper-esque skin and affinity for the shade, I do love the sunshine and can’t get enough of the practically year-round blue skies we get here in Phoneix. And that’s why I’ve been single-handedly keeping sunblock industry execs wealthy for the past two decades. Because if I don’t wear sunblock, I will get burned. Badly. It’s that simple.
But I wasn’t always this conscious of my whiteness and how vulnerable I am to the sun’s destructive rays. Like most things in life, you need to get burned before you learn your lesson. Fortunately for me, I saw the light early with a little help from family.
My brother, sister, mom and I were on summer vacation, visiting my aunt Leslie and uncle Jerry in California. I must have been eight or nine years old and those summer trips to Arizona and California were the highlight of my year. (We spent most of my childhood living overseas.)
I got to go to baseball games, watch movies in theaters, buy new basketball gear and hang out with my older cousins: the coolest people on the planet. Life was good.
And on this trip it was even better because we got to spend days on the beach with relatively limited supervision. On this particular day, our mom left us under the not-so-strict watch of Leslie, her younger sister.
When it was time to put on sun screen, she wasn’t very effective in wrangling three hyper kids together and getting us to sit still for very long. I vividly remember my siblings scampering off to the water while Leslie tried to put sun screen on my chest. She accidentally got some sand in her hand and when she rubbed it on me, it scraped against my skin, giving me even more motivation to escape her grasp.
Leslie was never one to stop anybody from having a good time and it didn’t take long for me to get away and join my brother and sister happily in the water. We had a blast that day and sunscreen was the furthest thing from our minds. My brother and sister, god bless them, got the tan skin, dark hair, dark eye genes. So the omission of sunscreen didn’t affect them all that much.
But for “Powder” over here, yours truly didn’t get off so easily.
The next day I was burned to a crisp. Immobile. My red skin crackled and stung under my clothing. The next few days for me were a river of aloe vera gel, cold compression and tears. It was the worst sunburn I can remember.
When my mom removed my shirt to discover her son had turned into a lobster, she couldn’t help but notice that a distinct area on my chest was surprisingly untouched by the sun damage.
A clear white imprint of a hand: the only place Leslie managed to apply sunblock that day.
I imagine that my mom was not very pleased with her sister, and I don’t remember feeling anything but painful skin and jealousy of my brother and sister’s olive complexions.
Of course I’ve gotten burned a few times since that trip to the beach, but as I’ve gotten older, I get a taste of that burn every time I fleetingly consider to skip the sunscreen, and I always stop to put it on.
Until a few weeks ago, that story and lesson were pretty much all about skin care.
I remember the worst sunburn I ever had…it was a hot summer day and I had just come home from work. I picked up my book and went outside to relax and get some sun before my kids came home from camp…it was not very long but I fell asleep waiting for them and ended up looking like a lobster when I awoke 🙁 I had blisters and serious burns, that took over a week to heal properly. Needless to say I never did that again and have made sure we all use sunscreen repeatedly throughout the day to avoid any burns from happening ever again! My kids now ask for it, if by some chance I forget before we go out!
My worst sunburn was at Sandy Hook near Gimili in Manitoba. I didn’t realize that I was getting burned while I was in the lake swimming. I ended up with blisters on my shoulders, and I actually fainted from heat stroke that same day. I was only 12 and it was not a fun time at the lake that night when I was so sick from the sunburn. My kids now wear sunscreen all the time and so do I. Thanks
My worst sunburn was a long time ago, in the early 70’s. I was in my 20’s and with a group of friends at Sauble Beach. I went on my own and found a nice spot to sunbathe, I fell asleep for a couple hours, thank goodness friends found me. I was burnt, and not only that, I fainted twice. My burn was terrible, and I learned from this experience!
The worst sun burn must have been when I was 18. I was inner tubing down the Bow River in Calgary. My boyfriend (now husbland) and some friends decided to spend the day relaxing and enjoying one of the the few hot days. Well by the end of the day I was as red as could be. I had chills all that night. Sun Screen What’s that (to a 18 year old in the ’80s). I can’t even imagine now being without a great sunscreen like Banana Boat. My kids automatically go for the sunscreen. Times have changed.
By far my worst sunburn was in Mexico. In my teens we went on vacation and used the small hotel bottle of sunblock to tan. We thought we were so lucky that all the chairs were available in early afternoon but didn’t realize it was siesta time and the sun was broiling our skin. It was awful and ruined the rest of our trip.
In my teens I used to lay outside slathered with baby oil. Oh my gosh, I cringe whenI think of some of the many sunburns I had. A particularily bad one left my skin from my butt to my heals blistered. I’ll never use baby oil for that again nor will I try to tan.
When I was about 11 I went to myrtle beach, south carolina with my aunt, her friend and my cousin. The first full day we were there my cousin and I spent the whole day playing on the beach and in the ocean. I am a blonde with very fair skin and she is a redhead with the same fair skin. We ended up so burnt and in pain we spent the next few days unable to move much and inside with the air conditioning. We were in so much pain and so red. It was a terrible start to our vacation. I know now to protect myself and more importantly to protect my children everytime we go out into the sun.
I thought black people didnt need sunscreen until I got my 1st sunburn few years ago while on a beach in Cuba. Boy, was I wrong when I couldnt sit down on my bum for the rest of the trip. I had a sunburn along the back of my body because I fell asleep on the beach.
Me and 2 of my friends were camping and we decided to lay in the shade on a hot day. Well we both fell asleep and I burned the entire back of my body! My friend was burnt, but not near as much as me, so we decide to go home. We had to wait a couple hours for my friend’s mom to come pick us up, so we decided to swim in the river. Well, I got tired of swimming and laid down on the beach (which was painful), thinking that my friends would be done soon..I fell asleep..AGAIN..lol I woke up, and I was beet red. I also fell asleep with my hand on my tummy, so I had a white handprint. I got home and was in sooo much pain, I could only sit on my bum. Sleep was not happening!! it was the most horrible burn I ever had! ended up with huge blisters. Now I wear sunblock all the time and I am a paranoid mom when it comes to my children in the sun. My son was 1.5 before I would let him play in the sun(with sunblack and a hat of course) my daughter is almost 3 months and is covered from head to toe in a hat and long 100% cotton, so it is cool and it covers her incase the sun should reach her (and to help guard against mosquitoes as well)
When I was about 20 years old I went away on a vacation to St Thomas, Virgin islands to vist my Mom. I had worked a lot lot long hours to save enough money leading up to this trip so by the time I was away I was tired and REALLY excited to have real live Pina Colodas.
I also wanted a deep dark tropical tan. So I lathered on the coconut smelling oil and promptly fell asleep on the beach. I woke up sore and bright red. My chest ended up looking like burnt bacon after a few days and started to fall off in chunks and everyone thought it was food stuck to my chest that I had not wiped away. It was a disgusting lesson in the importance of SUNSCREEN, of which I now wear 50-60 if I plan to enjoy the sun. I also wear 15 year round on my face. Sun smart is where it is at!
We were on a cruise in the Caribbean + we are all fair skinned. We lathered ourselves well with the sunscreen and did not expect that we would all end up with bad burns. We had to visit the ship doctor who gave us an ointment to place on our burns + unfortunately it spoiled our cruise for we were unable to spend any additional time in the sun. Unfortunately when you in the sun on a cruise ship you don’t realize how strong the sun rays can be + you must take care that you are not too greatly exposed to the sun at any one given time. This will be a great lesson for our family on our future holidays.
After my fair skin had not seen the sun all winter, I was enjoying a day at the outdoor pool with the kids. I burnt so badly that I couldn’t move. For days I suffered and then I peeled; 3 weeks, peeling and flaking. It was horrible.
Fishing with my boyfriend out on the lake all afternoon in shorts and a tank. Woke up the next morning with nausea and could barely walk up the stairs due to the pain. Stupid behavior! And the boyfriend was a jerk, besides.
Well I was young and dumb to start with. I went to the Grand Beach in Manitoba with some friends, I was about 17 at the time. It was about 32 degrees Celsius, with next to no wind. We played in the sand all day, swam for about 4 hours and buried each other in the sand. After about 9 hours we left for home. A friend and I noticed we were (what we thought) a little bit burnt, but by the time we got home it was bad. We both ended up with 2nd-3rd degree burns on our backs and chests because of course we had not worn sunscreen THE WHOLE TIME! I couldn’t wear a shirt for a week and a half and a bra for 3 weeks because it hurt so bad. I barely left my house for a month. The only thing that could be considered good about the experience was that I learned my lesson. I wear sunscreen all the time now and am religious about reapplying as well as making sure my kids are screened.
When i was 18, thinking i was unburnable, and trying to show off to the cute guy next door in my little bikini with no sunscreen i would tan in my parents front yard, well one day i had fallen asleep while tanning i had to be in the direct sun for about 2 hours lying on my stomach, as i woke up and started to get up the cute guy next door told me i look a little red, being as cool as i though i was i told him that i meant to get a little bit red because that way it would turn into a nice tan (totally lying). when i got in the house and looked at my back in the mirror, i was totaly shocked when i wasn’t just a little red, i was bright red except for the lines of my bikini, a little while later i started to feel the heat of the burn it became absolutely excrutiating. the next day i has huge blisters all over my back and the backs of my legs. i went outside to get something out of my car and could only wear a light tank top and very loose shorts exposing my lobster red skin and blisters because the touch of anything against my skin almost brought me to tears, and of course the cute neighbour was outside again, one look at me he laughed and said “let me guess, you meant to do that right” totally humiliated i went in the house and didn’t show my face outside for about 2 weeks, and had the horrible lines from my swimsuit all summer, never again do i go outside in the sun for any reason without a thick layer of sunscreen.
My worst sunburn happened in high school. It was close to exam time in June & it was just too nice to stay in and study so my friend and I ducked out of study hall and went far out behind the football field to yak and have a good time. Of course we took the books along incase we got caught so we could say we preffered studying outdoors. Well the sun was quite hot & there were no trees in that area & for some reason we fell asleep. I slept on my side so that only the top side of my body was burnt bright red. When we finally returned to class a teacher asked where we had been & we said study hall. The poor guy couldn’t help but burst out laughing . Until then I hadn’t realized I was burnt on 1/2 my body. Now I am careful about sunscreen & covering up whenever possible & trying to stay in the shade.
I remember getting a bad sunburn when I was a kid. My skin turned red from tanning in the sun, and a few hours later it felt so hot and itchy that I tried to scratch off my tan. I would slap cold towels over my skin and try to cool it down. It lasted for about a week before I felt alright.
My worst was probably my first vacation to the Caribbean…my now hubby and I went on a vacation to Aruba after dating for a few months. Normally I don’t burn (in Ontario) and thought I would be fine. With the trade winds there you don’t really know how hot the sun is…a few hours later though I was a lobster! OUCH!!!!
Now it doesn’t matter what time of the year, I put sunscreen on my face after my shower and sunscreen for any exposed skin if I’m going to be spending any time outside!
The worst sunburn I ever had was when I lived in Ontario. It was a hot sunny day and I decided to tan with tanning oil, and I fell asleep for at least a couple of hours. I was bright red for several days.
Last summer I decided to take a nap on our front lawn! No sun screen and light clothing. I was only asleep for about an hour and I must have rolled over at some point as when I woke up I was as red as a lobster all over, I could barely move! It was so painful I actually cried lol my shirt would get stuck to my back and it was excruciating,
worst pain I have ever been in. I now never leave the house in the summer without putting sun screen on 🙂
My most severe sunburn was a result of lying in the sun with baby oil on at the age of 13 and thinking I as cool! We were on summer vacation and my aunt tried to tell me I needed more but I wouldn’t listen. So I ended up getting so burnt I had blisters all over my back and shoulders and couldn’t sleep for 4 days. Now I have lots of freckles on my shoulders and my back from the sun damage. I now make sure I go out with at least 45 to 60 proof and keep reapplying. I also make sure my kids are aware of the dangers of not wearing sunscreen and make sure they have it on whenever they are out and about.
I am very fair and thought it would be a good idea to “get a tan” one May when I was 17 — just in time for my high school graduation. And what did I put on my skin you ask? Baby oil! Yes, that’s right, baby oil. Needless to say, after about six hours in the sun, even on a slightly overcast afternoon, I was burnt, badly.
Five sleepless nights from the pain, peeling and blisters, and sun-damaged skin left me with no more than a few freckles to boast! My red graduation dress was perfectly matched to my red face, arms, and legs. I was the perfect lobster…and the picture perfect example for why you should protect your skin…even when it doesn’t seem like you need to.
After this I learned to accept my god-given fair skin and apply sun-protection products. And now, at least my graduation photos — and my good example — can serve as a lesson to my children when they grow up about the importance of diligent skin in sun care.
My worst sunburn was when we spent the summer at the lake while my husband was building a cabin for someone. I spent most of my time with our two young daughters at the beach, hoping they would become brave enough with the water to learn to swim. One day, they just couldn’t get enough water time, and I didn’t want to pull them out when they were finally comfortable. So while they splashed and played, I floated around them on an inflatable crocodile, on my stomach with my feet dangling in the water. Later that day I realized I should have at least flipped over, because where my swimsuit bottoms ‘rode-up’, I had the most painful burn! It hurt to sit, it hurt to walk, and the hot leather seats in our truck were unbearable! My husband was little comfort, since the laugh factor of his wife burning her rear was higher than the sympathy factor! I have always paid more attention to getting the sunscreen on my kids, now I’ve learned not ignore my own skin!
I was volunteering at a go-kart race one summer. When I left the house, it was very cloudy, in fact I think rain was in the forecast, so I didn’t bother putting on any sunscreen. Well sure enough, the sun did end up coming out that day and it turned out to be one of the hottest days of the summer. I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, not even a hat on my head. I was out there for the whole day. I knew that I was burning, but I couldn’t leave. I ended up with such a bad sunburn that I developed blisters on my arms and face.
I always apply sunscreen before I go out now, especially in the summer, and I always make sure my kids never spend a moment outside without wearing sunscreen. They’re both fair-skinned, but I don’t know if they burn easily or not – I will never test it out. If I ever feel lazy about sunscreen, I just think back to that day at the races.
Went hiking up a mountain with my hubby on weekend afternoon. Didn’t think about needing sunscreen because we had hiked the lower trails of the same mountain the weekend before and the trails were all tree covered. This time we ended up with no cover and snow to reflect the sun. It was a beautiful day and I didn’t even realize how burnt I was until we got home. My shoulders were so burnt that I could barely move my arms, and I ended up having to call in sick to work the next two days. I never forget sunscreen now because I am afraid of how easily my damaged skin will burn, and my kids are ALWAYS covered up by clothing and sunscreen. I don’t want them to ever have that experience.
I don’t usually burn but my twins are very fair and burn easy. I felt horrible over the Canada day weekend…. I had braided my twins hair so it would be out of the way at the beach etc…however I didn’t spray sunblock there head and hadn’t enforced them to wear their hats…so of course they both got a sun burn on their scalps. =( I felt like such a horrible mom.
I do have to say as a mom of three children under the age 7 and with doing home daycare I use a LOT of sunblock. Banana Boat is one of my favorite products to use. It smells so good and goes on smoothly. I hate the think sunblock that takes forever to rub in. Banana Boat has never let me down…so thank you for providing us with a user friendly, reliable and great product.
I was 15 and went to Cuba with my mom for vacation. I was clueless about the harmful effects of getting too much sun and not using sunscreen. I spent hours in the sun and ended up getting a terrible sunburn with peeling skin and soreness. I am older and much wiser now and always protect myself with sunscreen and shade. I also make sure my 5 month old baby isn’t out during the day when the sun is the hottest and protect him with a small amount of sunscreen on his legs, cheeks, arms.
On a relative’s boat. I never felt how hot the sun was as there was a wind blowing. But with the glare from the water, the hot sun and the wind, I turn red like a lobster with blisters on my face and exposed arms. Never again!
The worst sunburn i got was just recently, i had my sister’s two boys for the weekend and my two kids, so it was a little crazy around my house. So that weekend our summer decided to show up that weekend. So i had the kids outside all weekend. So i made sure the kids were covered in sunscreen and had hats on. I remember to reapplied the sunscreen through out the day on the kids. By the second day i was looking a little red. By the afternoon i was starting to blister and was in a great deal of pain. My mother had to watch all four kids for me. Inwhich i spent the rest of the day lying in bed with cool clothes on me and covering myself in aloe vera. I have learned that sunscreen should and will be my best friend from now!
Spent a day in the sun in Australia and burned the top of my head where my hair was parted. Very Painful. Bought a hat and some hairspray with sunscreen after that.
The last time I had a bad sunburn was many years ago. I was about 18 at the time and back then sunscreen was not something that was used, instead it was baby oil and iodine!!! I was working in construction as a flag person and I was wearing my shorts, tank top and steel toe boots, something that is also unheard of nowadays. 😀 I was on a very long shift about 14 hours of standing in the HOT sun. I had no shelter protection anywhere. I noticed throughout the day that my skin was feeling quite hot, so to relieve this I would pour my cold water from my water bottle on my skin, something that I now know would only encourage my skin to burn. Anyways by the end of my shift I had not only the worst sunburn of my entire life but a horrible case of heat stroke. Not only did I burn all my skin that was exposed, incuding my lips. I hurt everywhere!!! The worst part was that I still had to go back to work the next day and endure the horrible heat. Needless to say I wore clothing to cover up that day! So at 18 I learned that I wasn’t invincible and I also learned how horribly uncomfortable and unattractive it is to have your lips burn, as I put up with weeks of them peeling. Not much fun at all. It was a great learning experience, one that I took with me throughout my life. My children have been slathered with sunscreen and taught to wear hats from the beginning, I am also diligent with myself. To this day, 23 years later, I still have to put sunscreen lip balm on my lips daily. A painful lesson, but one I definitely learned from. 🙂
My 1st sunburn happened on the last day of our trip to Mexico. My skin started feeling prickly, I looked down and I saw bubbles forming on my chest and my legs were looking pink. By the time I got home my face, chest, legs and shoulders were peeling like I had never seen before. So terrible and no I had no sunscreen on that last day, a lesson I will never forget!
Suntan lotion is so important these days. Great giveaway
My worst sun burn was at Victoria Park kids wading pool when I was about 6 because we either didn’t have any sunscreen or it was just not commonly used yet I was rubbed down with baby oil through out the day. My skin blistered and peeled from my head to my toes since then I cover up outside and use protection always.
My first and only sunburn was in my early 20’s. I went to a lake with a friend one weekend in July. And while socializing, we totally forgot to put on sunblock after a few hours and totally fried. It was terrible and the worse part is, we where in cosmetology school and everytime we passed each other we would poke each other in the back because we knew it would make each other jump. Show’d us not to do that again didn’t it?Bright red and peeling and icky..I am overly careful with my children. I have had people at the end of the summer say I should take my kids out more because the are so pale. I tell them that I put on stronge sunblock and re apply ALOT and also avoid the sun or direct sunlight between 10am-3 pm during summer months( a tough thing to do. they want out). It does the trick and we all have healthy skin. No sun burns EVER!!
When I was about 20, my girlfriend and I were suntanning. We both fell asleep and one side of my face got badly burnt. I had a huge blister on my cheek. I went to the doctor and he said to put aloe, and hope I wouldn’t get a scar!! I bought myself an aloe vera plant, and used it twice a day. No scar today.
My VERy worst Sunburn was when I was a bit younger (in my teens) and I stayed out in the sun all day, not thinking sunscreen was important…BOY was I wrong! My face burned SO badly and actually left a hard layer on the skin of my nose. I had to spend the next two weeks wearing a huge brimmed hat to cover my face and BRING ON THE ALOE! I couldn’t even move my lips without my whole face moving from that hard layer…It was the most terrible week EVER. I will never skimp out on sunscreen again!!
I burnt so bad at the cottage when I was 14 I got blisters on my nose & shoulders & I threw up all night.
I went to a water park and didn’t care for anything, just sat on a tire floater in the lazy river for hours. Well, I didn’t have a good sleep that night. My skinned burned like it was on fire and pained like it was beaten with a bat. There won’t be a next time, for sure I’ll be putting on Ultra Defense SPF 60 Lotion.
The worst sunburn I ever got was about 10 years ago. I was in the Phillipines on a stunning beach. I had applied sunscreen but it apparently washed off in the water. I burnt my face so badly that the next day it was so swollen that the locals were afraid of me and my friends were calling me “Mask”. It looked totally hideous. I will never let that happen again not only to avoid the embarassment but also the sun damage on my face.
I’ve got a pretty bad one right now… while I applied sunscreen (SPF 60 spray on) I didn’t reapply for 6-8 hours and spent 12 hours outside working on a shed in direct sunlight.
My worst would have been 5 or 6 years ago when I was up in the cottage. I was out playing at the beach with my then boyfriend and his brother-in-law and sister. I was red from head to toe. Of course we were younger and I had also consumed a few alcoholic beverages. In an attempt to “cool myself down” I hopped in the shower and apparently sang loudly while they laughed there a$$es off (quite possibly the Rock Lobster song, but know one knows for sure). I am forever known as lobster girl.
My worst sunburn happened when I was a teenager. My youth group planned a picnic and day of activities. One event was a soccer game in the middle of the afternoon and we all participated. When my sister and I got home, we realized that the pain we were feeling was not actually from playing, but from being totally sunburnt. We had blisters on our faces and chests- apart from being as red as lobsters everywhere else. For almost a week we didn’t sleep because of the pain- even our sheets hurt on our skin- and we ended up peeling in patches.
Since then, we have always been cautious and used sunscreen and UV protective glasses and clothing.
It only takes one good burn to teach you a lesson about sun protection 🙂
my worst sunburn was when i was in grade 8. It was track and field day and i could feel my skin burning – since then i always wear sunscreen, or avoid the sun.
I was about 10 and my mom, myself and my 7 year old brother were camping in our station wagon on a beach. I got so sunburnt that I can remember the sun being relentless and there was no getting away from the pain. Sleep was not fun either. Now I am a overprotective mom with sun hats and sunscreen and even t-shirts until my sons were old enough to push the shirt issue. Sunscreen still dominates though.
My worst sunburn was when I was down in Florida, spending the day at the beach which I don’t do much. Well this Irish skin didn’t take well to it, and I got heat stroke, and could barely move the next day. Now I make sure I’m covered in Banana boat so it doesn’t happen again.
The worst sunburn I ever got, was in my early twenties I went to an outdoor concert and didn’t use sunscreen. I was covered in blisters on my legs, so I went to the first aid where they just iced it. It didn’t look pretty after that for a long time!
My worst sunburn was when I was at canada’s wonderland. I fell asleep at the water park without putting sunscreen on. I was SO burnt, very painful. I always put sunscreen on now and haven’t got that burnt again!
I get really bad burns from even being out for a short period of time on my shoulders and nose and it last for day not even aloe will work. and its the worst when you have to dress the pain you feel just lifting your arms…
My worst sunburn happened one week before my senior prom in highschool. The town I used to live in had a heritage days, and it was a BEAUTIFUL day. We were outside from 7am on Saturday until 2Am on Sunday, it never really occured to me that I should have put sunscreen on I was having a blast!! Well Sunday morning, I woke up in PAIN. I rolled over, and half of my back(skin) was on my mattress. My forehead, chest, ears, lips, and shoulders were covered in blisters. I had to ffigure out how to make this go away, my prom was friday afternoon. We went to dermatologist, and they sloughed off the blisters, and put some special cream on, I still have scars to this day, and In my grad photos, you could see a piece of skin peeling offf my nose, and my forehead. Lesson learned SPF 70 for me and my kiddes everytime we are outside.
My worst sunburn was on a canoe trip when I was 17. I was a Junior forest Ranger at the time, and I but on baby oil ( I know….STUPID) I got so burnt, I couldn’t wear shoes for a week and everyone was calling me a skinned weiner for the rest of the summer. Lesson learned – never again did I use baby oil.
I have always had very fair skin so I have had quite a few burns even though I put on sunscreen. The worst one was when I was vacationing in Florida with my family and I was probably only 7. It was so bad that my parents had to take me to the hospital. I don’t remember much only how painful it was. I ALWAYS have my kids slathered in sunscreen so they don’t have to feel the burn.
I am fair skinned and went snorkelling in the caribbean on vacaton. I forgot to put sunscreen on the back of my legs and got the worst sunburn ever! I could barely walk the next day.
My worst sunburn was on the tops of my feet in Florida! I was lying under an umbrella at a pool and didnt realize me feet were exposed to the sun!
I am very pale and I sunburn easily. I don’t go outdoors anymore without sunscreen on. My face has gotten burned pretty badly when I was younger, my cheeks peeled and my nose and just everywhere, and I thought I looked so funny I didn’t want to be seen until it got better. After that I became more conscious of sunscreen lotion….
One summer i went on the water – in our traditional canoes and did not wear protection from the sun and my sunburn was all over my sholders, upperback and face =( it hurt really bad and now I always make sure to wear sunscreen to prevent that from happeing again.
my worst sunburn was in florida. i was pretty young and my eyelids got burnt. sooo painful. now, i always wear sunscreen and i’m sure to put it on my eyelids!
I’ve never really have a severe burn exactly but because of a medical condition I get painful rashes after being out in the sun for even a short while. It varies in degree from year to year. Our family would benefit from these products for sure – we try to be quite careful.
When I was in my 20’s I fell asleep in the sun and got severely burnt. Now I always have lots of sunscreen on plus I never just lay in the sun
Got a serious burn one summer & decided to go rollerblading some time after. Well that wasn’t a great idea ‘cos all the sweat was captured under my skin & I ended up looking like some hideous being with large water welts all over my arms. Couldn’t burst them all or that would lead to infection, so all I could do was cool off & wait for them to evaporate. Ended up with the weirdest skin that summer as it started to peel away .. reapplying spf is always in my future now!!
When i went to Vegas in the summer. I didn’t use enough sunscreen or ancipate how hot the sun down there really is. I ended up quite burnt in some areas and it hurt so much! Now i will bring at least spf 45 with me when i go.
My very worst sunburn was when we went to PEI and stayed at a cottage. One day it was overcast and cool so I rapped myself up in a blanket and layed out on the lounge chair. Well, where the blanket didn’t cover (on my chest and neck) I burnt so badly I was having sharp pains for days. I guess overcast doesn’t mean no burn. I sure learned a valuable lesson that day and paid a high price for it.
we went to mexico, and although i had put sunscreen on i had only applied it to my front as i figured i would be laying with my back on the chaise lounger….but of course you can only lay there so long before you are up and about and doing other things. needless to say i ended up with a nasty burn on my back and it was a lesson to be learned that when you are sun blocking up be sure do be thorough with the coverage and do your whole self as it is pretty much a guarantee that you won’t be staying in just the one spot for too long!! lesson learned!!
The worst sunburn I had was when I went to the beach as a teenager and stayed out too long with friends. I was beet red and extremely sore. It was the beginning of summer and I was white before sunning on the beach. I would never do this again. It was horrible. I would introduce my sun exposure slowly and gradually and use a sunscreen before going outside.
I was volunteering for the Heart and Stroke foundation by helping to direct people who were running to make sure they were going the right way. I had a visor on but forgot to put sunscreen on. I was out there for hours and when I finally finished and went back to the volunteer area and removed my visor I found I had burnt the top of my forehead (where the visor didn’t cover haha), it hurt so bad and I looked so silly with this bright red strip across the top of my face.
I was on the boat all day; I put sunscreen on before I left, but did not continue to apply. In the end, I was red like a tomato everywhere!! I definitely will be over applying rather than under applying!!
Worse sunburn was at the cottage and extended family came to visit for a week. I was so caught up in making sure the kids had sunscreen on, and that they reapplied regularly, that i forgot to heed my own advice. I didnt apply near enough on a regular basis and ended up getting burnt. I know know to slip, slop and slap often, and have never let it happen again.
I went to Mexico and got a massage on the beach, they used baby oil…instead of taking a shower I thought it will wash off in the pool. What a big mistake I got so burnt that I couldn’t go back in the sun the next day. I will always remember to take a shower after getting a massage.
My worst burn happened over 5 years ago and now I am so aware of using sunscreen protection at all times, so I know it will never happen to me again I was so sore and blistered
I was at the beach and floating on an air mattress. The water was so cool and there was a nice breeze. Because of that I really forgot how hot the sun was and stayed out there way too long. I was so burned so badly that I blistered by that evening all over my back and legs. I was a teen then and have since learned a few things about the sun and how to protect myself. thankfully.. I dont ever want to experience that again!
Arriving in San Andres island off the coast of Columbia, I couldn’t wait to get out to the water. I put on slaps of sunscreen haphazardly and headed out for the beach. The next four days were spent nursing horrible sunburns on every un-lathered spot especially the edges of the bathing suit and the thigh area. OOOOOOOO it hurt!
I don’t burn much cause I use Sunscreen. but I have forgotton to put sunscreen where my hair parts. Painful Painful burn in such a small area
My worst sunburn was when I was on a trip to Mexico to rest and relax. I was so relaxed I fell asleep by the pool, and woke up to the worst sunburn I have ever had! I suffered for the rest of my trip. I will never let that happen again, as I will be using Banana Boat products on my next trip!
We were on vacation in Hawaii – it was only our second day there and we decided to go for a bit of a walk down to some cliffs along the ocean…we were enjoying the scenery so much that when we turned back to find the car we couldn’t see it – we were lost!
I was proactive and put on sunblock – everywhere EXCEPT the tops of my feet!! I was so badly burned I had to spend the next day inside.
I was wearing flip flops at the time and have very noticable tanlines left behind. I now call them my TANDLES 🙂
I was snorkelling in the Virgin Islands, and the salt water removed all my sun screen. My back was exposed for 2 hours under the blaring sun as I struggled out ot the reef and than back to shore. I was burned lobster red for the night of the captain;s dinner on ship. My back has been grossly freckled since then, and I regret the experience!
Being Asian, I rarely burn. However, my fair haired, fair skinned hubby burns in a blink of an eye. He is also the epitome of the absent minded professor. One summer, he managed to get sunblock on most of his body, except for one patch on his chest. You guessed it. Lobster red spot. After reminding him of that experience, what does he do this summer? He forgets his ENTIRE chest! Fluorescent pink chest! Now I do the sunblock sniff test to make sure he’s totally covered.
The worst sunburn I have ever gotten was on my back. My boyfriend got so sunburnt he had blisters that scarred. 🙁 I make him wear sunscreen all the time now.
I think I was about 6 and my family and I were at the beach. My mom put sun screen on me, but she forgot one arm… I remember having one red arm and one white one. I don’t think the skin colour on my arms matched until the following year!
I was 8 years old at a friends birthday party at a local pool. I was having a great time and must have tired myself out because I ended up falling asleep by the pool. When I woke up I realized I had been asleep for 2 hours and had a full body sunburn. It hurt so bad I cried with almost every movement I made and my mother had to come pick me up. I ended up lathering aloe on myself every half hour and slept in the cool basement on top of the sheets every night for a week. Anything touching my skin hurt like nothing else. Now I swear by sunscreen and lather up myself and my 4 year old daughter every time we go out in the sun.
Of course, I NEVER burn…except that one special time in Hawaii when my eyelids got burned. Pink and puffy. Very sexy. Really dumb-even for the ’80s.
my worst sunburn was on a Greek Island cruise, I wasn’t wearing a hat on the main deck one afternoon, and didn’t even realize until later that night that my scalp was burnt! It was so sore, I couldn’t even brush my hair without cringing. The solution? Wear a Hat! I have never been without one since.
When I was in my late teens, I had a boyfriend who played baseball. One beautiful day, I went to the park to watch the tournament and with the slight breeze and floating clouds didn’t realize how badly I would be burnt. Under my raccoon-like look from wearing sunglasses my nose was crispy fried as was the rest of the front of my body but my knees swelled so bad I could hardly walk. And to top it off, I had a bunch of mosquito bites from the day before…I was a mess. I definitely learned that even with a breeze and light cloud cover, its not wise to go out without sunscreen.
The worst sunburn happened to my daughter 2 yrs ago when we were in Puerto Vallarta. She was 14 yrs old, and despite my nagging to slather herself with sunblock, spent some time without any protection in the mid day sun. Her burn was so bad, she could hardly get her clothes off at night. One of the staff suggested we dab her skin with milk during the evening, and it seemed to help. Now at 16 yrs old she stays out of the sun, and never tans any more!!!!!
We went to cuba on our honeymoon and it was the first time i had been away somewhere so hot and close to the sun. well i didn’t think i needed sunscreen and by day 2 i was completely fried. my skin was burnt and peeling and i was in pain! we rented some little mopeds and went to the fist “drugstore” we could find so that i could get some funky named suncreeen. i learned my lesson and always apply sunscreen when i’m gonna be out in the sun for a long time!
I am waiting for my husband to find a paying job.
We had a BBQ on a beautiful day. Everyone went inside and left me sleeping for 4 hours in the sun I was lobster red and in agony. I have never and will never fall asleep in the sun again
One of the worst burns I can remember was actually from a day up in the mountains – and it was super cloudy! It was the end of August & I hadn’t bothered to put sunscreen on at all because it looked like it was going to rain. When we got back to the hotel, I changed out of my halter top into my bathing suit for a quick dip in the pool & felt like I couldn’t even lift my arms above my head because my shoulders were so red & sore 🙁
Lesson learned – ALWAYS use sun protection & cover up! Even on the cloudiest of days!!
My worst burn was when I was Punta Cana with my husband last year, we were in the water so long without reapplying any sun protection lotion, he burnt all over his chest, and I was peeling on my shoulders! We learned our lesson! Stay in the shade and reapply lotion!
I remember as a kid we would be shipped off to my grandmothers house for about a week or so during the summer. That was the best time ever since my Grandma was or I should say IS the coolest! We would sneak the fresh veggies and fruit in her garden and go swimming at the local lake everyday! I remember when my brother would have been about 9 or 10 and we went to the lake and paddled around for a few hours on some floaties. When it was time to go home his legs were crispy! He had to lay in the sun room where it was cooler and have cold cloths on his leg for the next two days. When your a kid that is one of the worst things to have happen during the summer.. not being able to move! I only got some funky tan lines that summer from my bathing suit. Now that i have my own children I always make sure they are covered with sun suits and sunscreen when we go to the lake. I know how much it can hurt and would hate to see my babies in that much pain!
Funny you should ask! My sister was visiting and she told my son how I burnt my face so badly with a sunlamp, right before a big date, that it was beet red and swollen.
When I was a kid I was a competitive swimmer. My shoulder where burned all summer, every summer. I am a blue-eyed blond and I never tan. Now I stay out of the sun as much as possible and when I’m out I wear sun block.
My worse sunburn was after an afternoon on our boat on Lake Talon.
My worst sunburn was at Miami Beach and I went to swim without any sunblock. I just went swimming thinking the water was so cooling, but when I got back, I noticed that my skin was black and it was peeling off, leaving white and brown blotches . . it was so scary and so uncomfortable. Now I always carry a small bottle of SPF 30+ sunblock with me.
I was 14 and at the lake, I went to sleep and got a major burn, blisters,vomiting.
My decision was never again, I have worn sunscreen ever since. For years I even wore it as a night cream. (Who know’s what the moon will do)
Now it’s hat, long sleeves and lots of sunscreen, my children were raised the same
I was in high school and went to a friends cottage. We spent most of our days laying on the deck tanning. While I fell asleep on last day and burnt my back. It was an extremely painful 4 hours drive home the next day
My worst sunburn was when my boyfriend and I went camping in our teens in Ontario. I decided to get some sun on sandy beach all afternoon. Well that is when the worst sunburn moment of my holiday took place because I was Red like a Lobster my whole body. Of course I could not sleep as I was in pain, then later back at home my skin peeled like snowflakes. I learned with my experience that too long in the sun is dangerous for the skin, and using suncreen protection is worth purchasing. Whoa!
My worst sunburn happened while watching a horse show. I was outside all day with my sunglasses on but no hat. The next day I looked like a raccoon…in reverse. Everyone, and I mean everyone, mentioned it. On top of all that, it was my first day of University so I needed to have my photo taken for my student ID card. Worst photo ID picture ever.
Worst sunburn ever was when I was a kid. Got 2nd degree sunburn and actually ended up in the hospital. Had blisters all over and I cried and cried. Have since learned that I am allergic to the sun and have never got that burnt again. Here’s to hoping the mistakes of our youth don’t come back to haunt us 🙂
I used to be allergic to the sun when I was a little girl. I spent my early summers weariing long shirts, floppy hats and loads of paba tan (supposedly good sunscreen…hmmmm) and still ended up with blisters and burns. My skin improved as I got older, but I’ve always had to be very careful when spending time in the sun. Sunscreen is a priority for me….so any prize that includes sunscreen is a welcome thing!
my worst was my first day vacationing in Jamaica- I didnt know how string the sun was in the carribean and I lay out on the beach for only 30 mins…. well my face, neck and arms were on fire for 2 days then the peeling started- I will never go anywhere in the sun without applying some sunscreen- no matter how long Im outside.
Can’t exactly remember how old I was but my worst sunburn happened when my family went on vacation with family friends to Wasaga Beach. I don’t believe sunscreen use was a common thing then because we certainly didn’t use any. But I do remember having Nozema applied to my sunburn afterwards and it felt really good. Now I use sunscreen all the time.
The worst sunburn I have ever had was when I was around 16 and me and my three girlfriends went to the beach. We all wanted a nice tan so we decided to use the spray that makes you tan faster, and we stayed outside for 3 hours and never even thought it would work. Well I tan easily in the first place, i just have that natural tan looking skin. So we were all ok until we got back to my friends place and started feeling burning and we literally spent the night rubbing Aloe Vera on each others back. We got no sleep because it was so painful. This will never happen again because I no longer touch that stuff.
We visited the Dominican a few
Years back an went othe beach our first day. Me being
Pale thought that I wanted to get some color so I didn’t put on sunscreen. While my hubbie went swimming I stayed On the beach to catch some rays. What I didn’t plan on was falling asleep!!! I woke up red as a lobster and my legs were so burned I could barely walk the rest of the trip. You could just feel the heat off of me and ended up peeling bad. It was not fun to say the least and all our photos of the trip have me red as can be. I will never make that mistake again!!!!
omg!! I spent the day at the beach in my 20’s (only a few short years ago!) with no sunscreen. The next day I fainted in the kitchen and again at work. The worst sun stroke ever! The skin where I was burnt was never the same. I think it is so sad to see babies without hats or sunscreen/protection.
I burnt my face in Hawaii….it was brutal!! I always sunscreen my face and body now.
I was working outside one summer and it was a cloudy day so I didn’t put on sunscreen right away. Around 10ish at break I applied some sunscreen and went on working. I went home and could tell I was super burned. I went to the doctor as it turned out I has 2nd degree burns with blisters the size of toonies all over my back! Never ever again did I go out without sunscreen!
I was learning to surf when I was younger and I didn’t count on the length of time I would be out in the hot sun or the sun’s rays through the water. I was badly burned on my back and neck. I now insist that everyone in my family be extra careful to remember to use sunscreen. No one leaves the house without sunscreen and hats in the summer and we all use sunscreen regularly through spring and fall.
My worst burn was when I first starting working in road construction…I wasn’t prepared to be in the sun all day and that day we worked from sun up to sun down.
I think the only reason I didn’t pass out from heat stroke was because I didn’t take even a minute to focus on myself that day, it was just about getting the job done.
The next day I called in sick, and I still have scars on my chest from my burns.
My husband and I went to Cancun on vacation and went on a day excursion to explore the Mayan ruins. The sun was very hot and we had not brought sunscreen or hats. The tourist trap booths there were very overpriced so I stubbornly refused to buy any sunscreen or hats. Within the hour, we were all beet red and sunburned. My husband’s forehead was actually swollen from the burns!
We were in agony for the rest of the week, and my husband never lets me forget how my cheapness caused us to suffer for our entire vacation!
My worst burn was last spring when I was in Mexico. I didn’t get the sunblock applied evenly so I had burnt areas and white areas on my legs. They looked ridiculous and the tops of my feet were burnt so every step I walked sent me zinging pain, Ouch!
I got my worst sunburn about 40 years ago. We had gone to the beach and I couldn’t find any shade. We had taken the train there and had to wait until evening to get back. My chest and back were severely burned, I still have the scars to prove it.
The worse sunburn that I ever had was when I was in grade 12. I went in my closet and found the smallest bikini that I owned. Put that on and grabbed my white/very light colored blanket. Walked outside put the blanket down on our yard. I had no hat, no sun glass and no form or sunscreen/sunblock on.
So laid down on the blanket. The sun was so hot that day and the heat felt so good on my back. No one else was home either. I felt so relaxed so peaceful. The next thing I new I was drifting off to sleep. I woke up several hours later to the sound of my mom coming home.
My skin was very red. Later on I developed what looked like white liquid blisters all over my body. I felt cold and felt very sick 🙁 very weak. Under my one breast it was almost burnt raw 🙁
Technically I should have been taken to the doctors. 🙁
My friends were so mean at school. They knew I was burnt and some would slap me on my back being high school kids. You know how mean they are and thinking that they are funny!
Till this day I still have some faint scars from where some of the blisters were. Its not to visible but there 🙁
That sure was a lesson learned 🙁 Never ever again have I ever had a burn that bad 🙁
The worst sunburn I got was when I visited Florida. I attempted to walk on the sandy beach and ended up burning the bottom of both my feet from the very hot sand. To make matters worse, I didn’t use proper sunscreen and burned my shoulders really bad. Over the years I haven’t used the proper sunscreen and as a result, I had skin cancer on my nose. Now I wouldn’t think of going outside without using sunscreen!
My worst sunburn was when I sat in the shade on a beach near the ocean.
grade 5 track meet. I just remember being so ill from heat stroke and the sunburn on my arm and back was horrible. I now have dark spots all over where that sunburn was.
the worst sunburn I ever had was when I was in high school and i peeled for so long, it really hurt
When I was in high school I went on a March Break vacation with my parents. Although I was told to use sun screen, I omitted it on my feet and the backs of my legs. I was miserable for several days with a very bad burn. I will never forget to slather sunscreen on all my exposed parts and insist 0n my family using it.
I am horrible about sunscreen. I am great about applying to my kids, however, when it comes to myself, I find I get burnt alot! I get burnt and peel at least twice a month.
My worst sunburn was as a teen. That’s when I diiscovered I have super sensitive skin, I don’t tan much and I blister. Losing enormous amounts of skin and spending 24 hours vomiting has made me a fan of sunscreens, long shirts and hats. My children complain that they were never allowed out the door without those three things but I find my grandchildren are much more accomadating which may mean they like I hate discomfort or perhaps advertissing is beginning to be effective.
When I was in grade 12 I went to Florida with some friends for March break. The first day we were there we laid out by the pool. I had used a 4 sunscreen, like at home, but the sun is much stronger there, of course. By the end of the day, I looked like a lobster. I remember laying in bed that night afraid to move because it hurt so much. I have been super careful ever since with myself and my kids so that they don’t ever have to go through that kind of pain.
Vancouver is still waiting for summer to start but I want to be prepared.
My worst sunburn and it won’t happen again, is when i went to Mexico the first day even though i put like 65 on and only sitting out for a couple hours, I was so red and blistering for days after, it was aweful, i should of covered up no matter what, yes i learned my lesson
My husband got the worst sunburn ever on our honeymoon in Hawaii. We went to an afternoon beach barbeque and even though he put on sunscreen, he was in and out of the water and didn’t re-apply every time. The most painful area was the back of his knees and the rest of him was not a pretty site for the rest of our stay.
My worst sunburn was at Blizard Beach waterpark in Disney, it is all white and little shade and while I put on sunblock numerious times during the day standing in line for hours my shoulders where lobster red and blistered. My most amusing sunburn however was when I put sunblock on quickly and just swiped the back of my leg and I ended up with what looked like a hand print grabbing my leg.
Well, I don’t have too many memories of sunburn as a kid….I just tended to turn as brown as a nut. But in my twenties either the hole in the ozone got bigger and the sun got more intense, or my skin changed – I did get burned a couple of times. The worst memory for me is one time when I was about 21. It was May and I was living in Calgary at the time. It had been quite a brutally cold spring up to that point, but here was a nice sunny May day. I sat out on the patio all afternoon in a tank top – soaking in the sun, reading a magazine. Well, at the end of the afternoon I was burnt! Worse than that, I was a bridesmaid in my cousin’s wedding the next week. I looked ridiculous with my “tan lines” and flakey skin. I tried every sort of makeup to blend my two shades of skin together, but there was no makeup on earth that could hide that burn! Lesson learned: always wear sunscreen!
Early this month I got a bad sun burn. I had sat outside, knitting, waiting for my girls school bus. I was only out there a little while so never thought to put on sun block. I got burned and suffered for days.
my worst burn was when i went golfing a couple of years ago in hot/sunny weather. needless to say it was painful.
The worst sunburn i had when i was in my teen years. I lived in a building with a pool in the back. I enjoyed the sun and well we had a cute lifeguard or i thought he was. 🙂
Anyways i would go down to that pool quite a bit to get some sun and swim and see the lifeguard.
I received burn over burn and i ended up with mild sunstroke.
It was terrible.
To this day i protect my kids with lotion more than i do with myself but i have gotten better.
I used to spent every summer with a peeling nose from repeated sunburns. We had no idea it could be harmful. Now that I know better, I do better
I remember being about 18 or so and going to the beach with friends. We were all in search of that dark tan… so we didn’t take the care we should have. Lets just say we ALL learned our lesson that day, because we definitely got colour, just not what we wanted, and the pain that came with that? Definitely not worth it.
Years ago I fell asleep on the beach with my hands under my head. not only was the front of my body burned to a crisp but so were my armpits and the soles of my feet. The pain was so bad I went to the emergency room and had to take pain killers for several days. I blistered, I peeled and whenI sweated I cried-A lot! the only thing that soothed it temporarily was laying in a cold tub of water. Since then I stay upright and awake on the beach and use tons of sunscreen everywhere.
My worst sunburn was 3 years ago when I decided to lay out in the sun with no sunblock or sunscreen. I’m already fairly tanned so for me to have blisters was serious!
I was about 7 years old and we were out east with my parents camping. And after a day of building sandcastles on the beach my burn was so bad that I had to wear calmine lotion to ease the pain! And my skin was red and peeling for quite a while
Worst sunburn? I will NEVER forget that day!
I was 16 years old.
My Father had a 1/2 ton truck. I took my blanket and music and laid in the back of the truck. My parents were gone for the afternoon.
I laid on my back for a bit, listening to music.
I then laid on my tummy and promptly fell asleep. It was around 1 PM and I did not wake up until after 3 PM.
As soon as I sat up, the pain started. I was burned so bad that I had blisters.
My parents got home at suppertime and, after supper, they took me to the hospital.
The doctor said it was one of the worst burns he had ever seen. I felt so dumb.
I spent the next week in absolute misery. My Mum was great. She applied cold towels to my back and legs while I laid on my stomach (the only position I could lay in). She applied lotion numerous times throughout the day.
When the sunburn started to peel, the skin came off in big pieces.
Since then, I have always watched my time in the sun and have never gotten another burn. I am glad I learned!
~Pauline (dod@rogers.com).
The worst sunburn ever was when I was a kid, swimming & swimming all day at the cottage. I didn’t take time for sunscreen, and was red like a lobster. I was in pain for days, and the feel of my clothes against my skin was ever so painfull!
Two summers ago I went swimming with the family. I didnt have anything to swim in so I rolled up my jeans and jumped in. After we were done, we decided to work on our tans (I was in jeans and a tee lol). It was a VERY hot day, sun shining bright. So after about two hours we decided to go home. I was at home and within a couple hours my legs were beat red, super itchy and very sore. So I decided to put cold towels on them while I sat and relaxed, watching tv. After a little bit I looked down and seen my feet were HUGE, bigger then when I had “pregnant swelling”. So I went to lay down with my feet up to get rid of some of the swelling. It worked but the next day my legs felt like they were stiff leather and hurt so bad. Once they started peeling, they were peeling multiple layers off and blistered so bad. It was the worst burn I had ever had and needless to say, now I layer up on the sunscreen and stay pasty white LOL
I was about 13 and went skiing in spring break, it was overcast so I figured no big deal. I burned my face and had blisters to show for it.
I thought i would get a quick jump on my tan. I have olive skin and do not usually burn. One day i was out in the sun,laying on my stomach,top unhooked. I fell asleep and when i woke up everything seemed ok. However, after i went inside i started to feel the heat radiating off my back. Later that evening the burn had shown itself.It was so bad that I could not sleep,could not wear my bra,it even hurt to wear clothes. I will never do that again.Now I always wear sunscreen.
We were on vacation in Hawaii last spring break. I did a pretty good job of making sure my daughter was covered and put some sunscreen on myself but missed a few key areas! I went for a snorkel and obviously missed the whole backside of my body. I pretty much burnt my butt just above and below my bathing suit bottom making for a few uncomfortable days to say the least! Lesson learned!
My worst sunburn happened when I was a teenager. I was too “cool” to put on sunscreen when I went for a hike with friends. The next morning, I woke up with the worst ‘farmer’s tan’…and the sad thing was that I had a beautiful strapless dress to wear to a dance a few days later. I learned my lesson!
My worst sunburn was when I was around 13. I got so badly burned on my shoulders that I had blisters the size of egg yolks. Sunscreen wasn’t promoted like it is now. Noxema was the cure all for sunburn. Boy have times changed. Love the Banana Boat Products.
I have always had problems with sunburns it only takes about 20 minutes to half an hour and Im burned already so I always Use sun screen One summer while I was still in High school My friends and I went to the beach for the day and of course I brought my sun screen but as I was appying gobs of it all over my bare skin my friends ( who all get beautiful golden skin and rarley burn) were all laughing and joking about how I wouldnt wanna burn, I asked them if one of them would put some on my back for me… Of course being such great friends they did, they also put a little extra in some words that I wasn’t aware of. Well Of course because we were there all day and not thinking of reapplying I BURNED ANYWAYS, A few days Later after the blisters and Severe Redness subsided Everyone started noticing the words on my back, I think I was the only one that didnt think it was to funny specially during the winter Prom later that year when I got alittle flushed from dancing and the words apeared again.
I definatley learned to never leave home with out it and to also remember to reapply
I have VERY fair skin and always forget to put sunscreen on! I was on a river gondola tour and surprise surprise I forgot sunscreen!! I didn’t even notice that I had burnt until I got home and the people I was living with at the time looked at me horrified. I was like what is wrong!!!! I went to the bathroom to see what I looked like and if there was a color redder than a lobster that would have been what color I was. Except it was only on one arm and half my face!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was SO embarrassing and painful to walk around for the next week and a half like that!!
Ever since that episode I always make sure I have sunscreen if I am out in the sun for longer than a few mins! I even tend to burn in the shade!
When I was about 4- 4 1/2 months pregnant with my now 8 year old son, I went to Florida for a vacation. One late morning I figured I’d go down to the pool and get a little sun before it go too hot and no, I was not wearing sunscreen. I was laying on my back and after about twenty minutes I felt my son move for one of the first times (he must have been getting warm). I didn’t think I had gotten very much sun but moved to the shade anyways to ensure my baby was safe. I went upstairs later that afternoon and was starting to get itchy. I then looked in the mirror and was shocked at how burnt I was, I didn’t feel like I was burning when I was outside. I was as red as a lobster and had 1st degree burns on my cheeks, forhead and chest. Since then, I wear a ridiculously large hat when I’m in the sun, and I apply sunscreen generously. Needless to say, I load the sunscreen on my son as well to keep him covered.
I’ve never had a bad sunburn but I do wear a wide brim hat now.
I went on vacation in cuba, but they had an orientation outside that lasted an hour, and my sunscreen was in my suitcase in the Lobby. Now I carry my spray on sunscreen in my belt pouch with me every where for top ups.
When I was 16 I fell asleep out on the back desk in my bikini top. I had a sunburn on my chest that was so bad it turned yellow, and has pus coming from it. I’ve actually worried about that burn for all of these years and I have never gone without sunscreen again.
My oldest has dark skin so she almost NEVER burns.. but when i had my youngest i was soo used to not having to worry about putting sunscreen on every 2 hours that i totally forgot and she got a burn around her bathing suit.. used aloe and lots of coolish baths to cool her off with popsicles.. now i make sure shes got LOTS of 50spf sunscreen and buy sun suits for her with hats.. went from a darker skinned dark hairchild to a fair child with blonde curly wispy hair.. thanks for the chance I hope the summer weather will cooperate with us soon…
Never ever had a sunburn but from what I’ve seen….owwwieee!
The worst Sunburn I ever had was when I was 10 I spent the whole day with my Friend at her Grams house we swam all day actually at this point I had just learned to swim and I was having the greatest time diving into the deep end and just plain cooling off well I did not realize I was burning as I was never out of the water and it kept me from feeling it I the next morning i could hardly move I had 3 blisters on my shoulder that were no word of a lie about 3 cm high when I touched one it busted and soaked a big spot on my shirt at 10 yrs old this scared me being fair skinned I will always have a reminder of it as I have 3 big Freckles on my shoulder I am so Thankful all 3 of my kids have their fathers darker complexion and tend to tan but due to my experience i always make sure I have SPF 50 or higher on hand and ready
My worst sunburn was while berrypicking. I had no sunblock. But the berries were so plentiful, I couldn’t resist staying until my cotaainer was filled. The next day my face broke out in blisters.I suffered for days and needed medical treatment.
We were all sitting around the yard it was a very hazy day – so i never even thought twice about putting anything on our skin to protect from the sun when it wasn’t even visible – 4 hours later i was spraying everyone down with solar caine and it was an awful sleepless night for us all no one could get comfortable – learned my lesson.
We went to Maui to get married and decided to sit on the beach and get our hair braided, after awhile I told my new husband my skin stings and he said there is nothing there, so that evening we wnt to a luau and I was feeling tired and dizzy, on the bus home I was falling asleep and mt ankles ached, when we got off the bus my ankles were swollen 3 to 4x the size of their usual size, when we got to our room I was so red and broken out in blisters it looked like chicken pox, it was so bad I stuck to the pillow cases and sheets! No lotion not even aloe would soak into my skin, it was so painful because my skin was so burnt it was tight across my back! We tried every cream nothing worked until we found a Hawaiian shop with a cream they make there and you put it on first and then the aloe, about 1 hour later it was a big relief! Did I mention I was already tanned and in Hawaii for 2 weeks!! @ days later we had to fly home which I would not have been able to do without the cream.
I lived in New Zealand for a year and I had been told that I would get a sunburn if I was not carefull, and that it would be BAD – well that was the understatement of the century. I burned to a crisp, blisters the whole lot like you would here, but because they have no O-Zone I felt like I was burned right down to my bones, it hurt for weeks!!! Crazy, learned a huge lesson that day! I have never burned since.
We went with our family to Florida and it was so hot that my Mom and I fell asleep. We woke up feeling awful and went back to the hotel room. Our skin was hot to the touch and red. We both took cool baths and my Aunt gave us each a tube of vitamin E ointment which took away the burning and the redness. Two days later we were brown and feeling better. The vitamin E ointment saved the day!
I would love to win this contest!
I was about 5 years old and after a day at the beach with my family, my skin was a crispy, angry red. Being slathered with Noxema did nothing to soothe the pain and there was certainly no sleep for me that night. After a few days, my back and shoulders were covered in water blisters.
My parents did not really know about sunscreen then. I think all they sold was suntan lotion. I remember my sisters putting baby oil on before they baked themselves in the sun.
The worst thing about the sunburn was climbing into the inferno (the old Pontiac Parisenne) which had vinyl seats that seered my skin even more.
I was probably about 19 and it was cloudy yet warm out so my friend and I spent the day lying by the pool without sunscreen and the backs of my legs were fried! It was hard to sleep on my back with my legs rubbing on the bed.
I make sure now my kids and I are lathered even on cloudy muggy days in the summer!
It was actually quite recently I burned myself badly. I was really good and lathered up the kids and then did my arms and shoulders BUT I forgot about my back and I was wearing a tank top. As I worked in the garden I was completely exposed! It was SO sore I could hardly touch it.
Note to self: don’t forget the sunscreen on the back!
My worst summer burn??
I was 15, and had been warned by some ‘college boys’ at Sherkston Beach that I had better get out of the sun.
I was in competition with my older sister so of course I tried to remain ‘cool’
Whiter than a frog’s belly, i had no business even trying to sun tan, let alone for an entire day at the beach. It was the 80’s so sunscreen hadn’t been in vogue yet.
That night I went to bed early, the very next morning I was vomiting like crazy and missed my morning classes
Until I looked in the mirror I had no idea what was wrong with me.
I was RED! head to toe, couldn’t wear a bra, could barely walk, a mess. The blisters on my chest burst a week later and wrecked my sister’s rayon dress I had borrowed.
NEVER did I go out to do that EVER again!. I have scarring on my shoulders now, strange moles and at 38 I am still smooth skinned, but that is due to shunning the sun as much as possible and when I can’t – Sun Screen is a must!! ( and my 3 kids were blessed with my porcelain white skin, so we double up every trip outside)
my worst sunburn was when i was about 15, i forgot to put on sunscreen and i fell asleep well on a floaty on the lake. it was so bad i couldnt lay down for 2 weeks. from then on i always wear sunscreen.
My worse sun burn was when I was 16 years old and I fell asleep sunbathing and I had the worst sun burn all over the front of my body. I never felt such pain before in my life. From then on I was always carefull about not burning and tried to protect my skin as much as I could.
my worst sunburn was in my teens, we were out at the lake and i didn’t realise just HOW bad it was until the following day when i was redder then a lobster, i spent the next few days unable to wear anything other then the tank top i got my sunburn in due to fabric painfully touching, nasty blisters which ended up leaving scars on my shoulders.. to this day i fear the sun and the damage it can do and now that i’m a mom i’m overly paranoid about keeping my little girl protected from the sun in any way possible
The worst sun burn I remember (because there have been a few) was on vacation in mexico a few years ago. I literally was solid red, and looked and felt ridiculous. No matter how much lotion, makeup, nice clothing you put on me I still looked like a lobster. I have been much more careful since and would not ruin a vacation with carelessness again. Unfortunately being as fare as I am even when you’re careful you can get a burn, so I’ve instilled in my daughter the importance of being vigilant.
I lived in NOrthwestern Ontario right on a lake where the fishing was amazing.
We were out every time we could be. One day my husband and I left home about 6am planning to be out for the day. It ws a hot sunny day and I had on a spaghetti strap top. We stayed out fishing until about 9pm and not once did I cover my shouders up. The next day I woke up with the a terible sunburn. I have never had a bad sunburn in my life and it will never happen again if I can help it. The skin bubbled and blistered and the pain was severe. Eventually, I healed but my shoulders have never been the same again. They are a mess compared to how they used to be. I have never been a great user of sunscreen but now that has certainly changed. I learned my lesson.
my worst sun burn ever was at a cub scout event in Point Roberts, I had no idea I was even burning and by that night my shoulders were scarlet and I still have scars from it…big ouch!!!
My worst sunburn was when I went to the Abbotsford Airshow in high school. I am fair skin and my freckles are darker than my darkest ever tan! I was diligent at putting on sunscreen but I forgot somehow to do my chest, I was out in the sun for at least 8 hours if not more. It was a great day for watching the aircraft fly over head, not a cloud in the sky. I had a 11 hour bus ride on the way home and I was in pain, nothing available to soothe my over burnt skin. I still remember the pain to this day. My children (2 & 4) if they want to go outside they know they need sunscreen. Even if I go out to take out the trash and they are helping, they are asking for ‘sunskeen’.
My worst sunburn happened on a day where there wasn’t much sun out. I was at a track meet when I was younger and it was a semi cloudy day. After hours of exposure I looked like I had a really bad burn. By the time I got home I was a lobster and was experiencing awful headaches and dizziness. Ever since then even on days when the weather seems overcast I always put on sunscreen. It is part of my getting on my makeup ritual. I always keep an extra container in my car and another one in my summer bag that I carry with my crossword puzzles.
I’ve never been one to put on sunscreen, but hopefully that will change!
I learned my lesson during a summer trip to the beach a couple of years ago. I hated the feeling of sunscreen so I told myself it would get washed off by the water anyway, and didn’t put any on. Needless to say, I was frying by the time we went home!
My worst (and first) sunburn was at the lake about 8 years ago. I am extremely pale and my mom had made it her life’s mission to protect me from the sun but she couldn’t protect me for being young and dumb. We were spending the day with a bunch of friends, in and out of the water and on the dock. I had applied my sunblock well (or so I thought) and made sure I covered my new tattoo because it was oh so important. I started to feel like I was getting too much sun so I wrapped my towel around my shoulders but it was too late. I guess the reflection off the water just made it worse. When I got home I saw that my shoulders (except for the square around my tattoo, lol), chest, back and a little bit of my face was burnt. It was so painful and creams barely helped. I learned my lesson for sure…I still had tan lines from that two years later!
My worst sunburn happened when I was lying on the beach on a windy June day. My back burned so badly, I could hardly sit in a chair to write an exam the next day. Since then I am very careful to always use sunscreen and there is a container next to the front door as a reminder to put some on if I forget.
My worst sunburn happened at Stampede. (I’m sure I’m not alone…) I was in high school, and was down at the grounds with some girlfriends… sans sunscreen. BAD mistake. It was a fantastic day for Stampeding – blistering heat, beautiful blue skies, and lots of mini donuts to go around. But when I got home and changed out of my tank top and shorts to get into the shower… Well, it wasn’t a pretty sight. 🙁 I have been a bit of a sunscreen-addict, ever since.
My worst sunburn ever happened at 17 back at the age when you think you both know it all and are unstoppable. It involved a boy (who later became my husband and father to my children) as most stories do for a 17yr old girls lol. I had just met this guy who I REALLY liked. He invited me to the local basketball park to watch him and his friends play. It was only May and a girlfriend of mine came with me. She burned easily and offered me to use some of her sunblock. Being “too cool” to want to apply sunblock in front of this boy I came to see I declined. We were only going to be there a few hours anyway and it was slightly overcast and the month of May! I sat like a lady all afternoon one leg crossed over the other on the bench which exposed the underside of my leg to the sun all afternoon. When I went home I noticed I had in fact gotten a burn on that sensitive skin but hey it was worth it to spend time with this boy! The next day when I woke up my leg throbbed. As the days passed my leg varied through different degrees of purple colouring. It was extremely painful and this made me unable to see this boy I desired for well over a week since he lived downtown and I lived in the suburbs. Alls well that ends well however because my avoidance of him made him even more interested in me so things progressed quite nicely after that. The pain however of that burn was not worth it lol especially since this boy is now my x-husband and I have used sunblock ever since :)!
Sadly my worst still continues to happen. My sensitivity to the sun is so extreme that even with sunscreen my skin decides to break out into a rash from the heat alone even. Then the slightest bit of warmth over the summer months revives the rash over and over again. Did I mention that it’s extremely itchy too?!?! It’s the gift that keeps on giving. I do look rather uncomfortable in the sun, as I am generally covered from head to toe in clothing and sun hats but it works. I suppose the one silver lining, I won’t look as wrinkly as my sun worshiping friends as we get older!
I am fair skinned and the worst burn I ever had was during a summer vacation camping with my family when I was 16.
I was laying on the sand at the beach by the lake and had applied sunscreen earlier in the day. I mentioned to my Mom my face felt hot and that maybe I should put my towel over my face. She proceeded to tell me my face was fine, so therefore I did not put the towel on my face.
That evening my face was very red, I put on some aloe and went to bed. When I awoke in the morning there were water blisters all over my face, I immediately burst into tears. It was hard being a 16 year old girl and being all blistery. My mother felt horrible but did reiterate at the time my face looked fine and not red at all.
I had learned my lesson, first don’t listen to your mother and second apply sunscreen diligently.
I would be rich if I had a penny every time I got sunburnt. Being a fair redhead, it doesn’t matter the clothes I have on, or how much sunscreen I use, I still burn! The worst was when I was flagging in the Yukon and my sunscreen failed since I had to layer on alot of bug spray. If you’ve never heard about the Yukon mosquitos and flies, let me tell you that they come in hordes. So picture me, standing on a gravel road with no shade, with itchy bug bites all over my face, neck and hands and the sun scortching every part of exposed skin. Then to top it off, the bug bites on my sunburned skin got infected due to the bugspray being sprayed into them. If you have ever tried to “scratch” a sunburn well you could imagine the pain I was going through. Every motorist that came by that week felt sorry for me and would share their aloe vera lotion, calomine lotions and one guy even handed me a 6-pack of beer to drown the pain!
20 years ago I had the worst sunburn of my life. I was in Florida for 2wks with my friend and her family. Every morning we were up early, grabbing the best spot beside the pool for tanning, and we literally spent the whole day either on those chairs or in the pool.
As a very fair skinned blonde I should have known better, but at 19, one is still firmly positioned in the invincible camp.
The first couple of days I burnt so bad that the skin on my face blistered and peeled. It wasn’t enough to stop me though, and I covered my face with a wet towel and continued to burn/tan my body.
I’m sure that I did all sorts of irreparable damage to my skin that trip. But I did have the best (and the last) tan I’ve ever had in my life
My worst sunburn was as a teen living in the Kootenays with my Grandfather. I was off school for a week due to illness which required antibiotics. It was a beautiful May morning, I went out to read in the garden. I had a lounger with an umbrella. After reading a little while, I fell asleep while the sun shifted. I woke up to discover the front of my legs were burnt! My Grandfather spent hours wrapping my legs with cold, wet towels to bring the heat down. Thankfully, my Grandfather’s wisdom continues with me how to treat burns.
We went salmon fishing and since I saw it was a foggy windy and dreery day, I never thought to wear a hat. Once we got out through the fog bank, it was amazingly sunny and hot! Without that hat, my scalp and forehead got burnt pretty bad, even though I tried to stay under the canopy of the boat! I’ll never forget to bring a sunhat on the boat again
My worst sunburn was when I was in my early 20s. It was in the days when no one used sunscreen and everyone wanted a tan. I had heard that using baby oil was just as good as using sun tan lotion and I wanted to save a few bucks so that’s what I used. Big mistake. I looked like a lobster and ended up having to go to the hospital for medical treatment. I have often wondered if this burn was a contributing factor in the skin cancer I developed at age 38.
I went to a Indian Summer solstice with my daughter. I had put sunscreen on her and
since I am pale and looking to get some color I didn’t apply any to myself
thinking it wasn’t to humid out. Later on I was red as a stop sign and very
sore. I can now say I have learned my lesson.
I tan easily but have never experienced sunburn. My husband recently travelled on work to Peru.. he was out in the open and without sun block/screen he tanned and got sun burnt.. his skin was white and peeling .. He’s never going to forget this and next time for sure when he is outdoors for longer periods he will make sure to use sun screen/sun block to protect his skin.
I’ve never had a really bad burn. I tend to tan but my son has the worst sunburn right niw. He went on a field trip to a water park the other day. I sent sunscreen as the school requested but he only put it on his front and forgot his back completely. Now he is white as a ghost on his chest and red as a cooked lobster on his back. Just wearing a shirt hurts him so bad that his teacher let him sit in class shirtless yesterday!
My worst sunburn was when I was 18 in Hawaii. It was so bad I had to wear my bathing suit for days so my bra straps wouldn’t overlap the sunburn on my back. My back and shoulders bubbled and peeled and ached for ages.
Thanks for the giveaway…
I went with my family to Jamaica a number of years ago and it’s very blazing hot there. I put on some sun cream and was in the sun all day, when we can back into the rooms, I looked at the mirror and I looked like a lobster. The next few days, I was in pain and had didn’t go out into the sun. I have never got another sunburn as I know better now. Thanks
When I was around 7 years old I was at the beach with my family and I burnt my back so badly that I couldn’t wear a shirt for almost a week, thank goodness it was summer and I didn’t have to go to school. With my own children and now that we know all the bad things that the sun does they wear sunscreen whenever we go outside and are mostly covered up when they are in direct sunlight. And they are always wearing hats.
The worst sunburn happened when I was a teenager…I decided to walk home from high school…I was having a bad day at school and needed to leave asap. Anyhow, it was a much longer walk than anticipated – it was also one of the hottest days of the year. When I finally got my foot in the front door of the house, I immediately drank a gallon of water and almost fainted when I looked in the mirror and saw how red my face was. I looked like a lobster! Being blonde and fair skin, it was silliest thing to do to walk home from school but when you’re young you tend to be impulsive and not think of the consequences of your actions. My burnt skin lasted for weeks, and blisters formed on my forehead, nose and mouth. Needless to say, I stayed indoors for quite some time (and out of the sun!) Definitely a memory I will never forget!
I used to be an Usher for the Toronto Blue Jays. I remember one very hot Summer Day in August in 1989 I was working in a section on the 500 level of the Skydome (Rogers Centre now). It was an afternoon game and the Dome was open. I didn’t wear my windbreaker (a part of the uniform of the time) because it was so hot, and I was in the sun all day. When I got home I realized that I had burned both of my arms, my face and even the part in my hair. The part in my hair was the worst part! It hurt like crazy for over a week every time I brushed my hair! After that I always wore my windbreaker at every game, and I made a case for us all to be allowed to wear a ball cap as a part of our uniform (we weren’t allowed to at that point). I was a bit of a snicker for the other ushers because of my windbreaker after that, but I never got another sunburn while working there for 12 seasons!
We have plenty of sunscreen around the house year round, and both my kids are very good about putting it on. Ever since my “big burn”, I am too.
I remember about 15years ago my best friend and I went to the Bahamas and we were tanning well that night I was as red as a lobster and sick to my stomach with sun stroke but my friend was worse she was so burnt that she had blisters everywhere!! It was grosse! We were miserable because we couldn’t do anything for days because of her blisters that were oozing. It is amuzing now to look back at how stupid we were for not putting lotion on. I now have 4 kids and she has one and we are always worrying about the sun. I still burn easy but I try to put lotion on myself when I put it on the kids. but like most moms we usually are rushing when putting ourown lotion on. I tell my kids there is no outside unless they are lathered I would not want to see that kind of burn my friend had EVER again I think if we had of been in Canada she would have been hospitalized. It was bad
My worst sunburn was on my face. All across my nose and cheeks and it hurt so bad. I looked like a clown! I use sunscreen during peek hours of the day and try to minimize time in the direct sun. I have been studying up on sunscreens as well to determin the safest choices for my family.
Unfortunately, even with sunscreen, I tend to burn easily. But one particularly bad one happened when I was in grade 4 and we had a baseball tournament. It was a cloud-covered day so I wasn’t even thinking about sunburn but I did wear a hat, just in case. Unfortunately the hat didn’t protect the back of my legs which, after hours of standing in the ball field, burned to a crisp. I remember the worst part of it being when I had to take a shower after the tournament. It felt like the shower had needles coming out of it rather than water! OUCH!! Now I ALWAYS remember to sunblock the back of my legs, LOL!
I don’t usually get sunburn but my son had the worst sunburn ever when he was 2 years old. It was a gorgeous summer day with lots of sun so we decided to take him to the beach. We layered on the sunscreen throughout the day but we forgot the spot behind his neck and he got so burnt it was lobster red when we got home! It stung every time we put aloe vera gel on him and we had to put him through it numerous times for an entire week. Needless to say this will never ever happen again.
Honeymoon in Mexico, I didn’t use a high enough SPF and boy did we pay for it. Not the best way to spend your honeymoon but we definitely learned out lesson and always use a high SPF everywhere now!!
Absolute worst sunburn ever I got was at Big Velley Jamboree in the summer of 1998 when I was 20. I had forgotten my sunscreen at home but wasn’t too concerned since it was cloudy. I had fallen asleep face down on the grass a few feet away from the front of my vehicle in the campground. Lo & behold, while I was snoozing the sub decided to come out with a vengeance & when I finally awoke my while back was the same cherry red as my truck! I ended up having to leave the concert & go home where for the next 3 weeks my back blistered & peeled, only allowing me to wear a tank top as anything else was too painful to bear. Definitely learned a valuable lesson that day & now I ensure that I wear sunscreen whenever I know I’ll be exposed as I never, ever want to feel that kind of pain again!! Plus having 2 children, one of which is a true redhead I never leave home without the SPF60. We go through an insane amount each year but it’s worth it 🙂
Omg my worst was one day at the beach I was laying with my sunglasses on and when I left I had a tan line on my face from them! I looked like a racoon & it stayed that way for soo many days lol
My worst sunburn (and how this will never happen again) happened when I was about 14 yr’s old – I actually had 2 areas that got hit badly – I had fine, blonde hair and didn’t wear hats ;P ~ I didn’t realize until later when I showered and tried to comb my hair that my scalp was burnt! I looked in the mirror and my head was brilliant red – my blonde hair made it stand out so much!!! Secondly, my fav. swimsuit that summer was a 1 pce., BLACK – across the top suit ~ OK, Black attracts the sun = I didn’t use alot of sunscreen either, therefore I ended up with severe burns on the front of my body as I was sunbathing in the front yard on a blanket – initially it was warm, red and stingy ~ what came later was worse and scary. The area directly along the top edge of where my suit sat on my chest started to blister as the day went along – – they didn’t get any bigger than a seamstress’ pin top but the amount of blisters kept multiplying!!! It did leave an area of scars that looked like polkadots – and I did worry about skin cancer after my doctor had checked it out and reminded me to protect my skin next time! The scars have pretty much faded. I do protect myself now and my girls. I’m fair skinned and the sun can trigger a cold sore on me as well – can’t win – – LOL ~ It’s simple, be smart and stay protected it’s not worth it to bake in the sun : )
Thank~You =D
I was 18 and had a hard time getting a tan. No matter what I did I couldn’t tan. A neighbour who is a nurse said to use baby oil. Not knowing any better and her not telling me what to do, I slathered on the oil and went to the beach. I started burning and not thinking right put more oil on thinking somehow this would stop the burning. After a full day at the beach I was burnt so bad my back was purple and swollen. It took me weeks to heal and when I told my neighbour she informed me I was supposed to only go out for a few minutes the first time and work my way up daily to more time in the sun. Lesson learned. I will never use baby oil again. I now use sunblock whenever I go out in the sun.
I had always been the “tanning type” and had never needed sunscreen.
That is until Sports Day at school when I was 15 years-old. I spent the entire day in shorts and a tank top. At the end of the day, my skin was in pain and I realized I had gotten the first sunburn in my life. To top it off, I had to walk home for another 30 minutes in the sun.
It was difficult to admit to my family and friends that I had gotten burned because for years I had always bragged “I don’t burn, I tan!”
Now, as an adult, enough though my daughter is the “tanning type”, she always gets sunscreen 😉
My worst sunburn was when my husband and I first started dating. We headed to Ward Island for a romantic stroll. It was a bit over cast, not much sun at all. We were at the beach and it was May so no one was swimming. We found a cosy spot to relax and both of us fell asleep. Not sure how much time past but I woke up to the sun beating down on me. I woke up my husband (boyfriend at the time) and we were both sweating. Not feeling very well we headed home. Turned out I had sun stroke and it was not fun. Now I make sure I apply sunscreen even when it is not sunny out. I learnt my lesson the hard way.
My worst sunburn I had was happened when I was 10. I went to a beach in HK with my family but my mom forgot to bring any sunscreen. We arrived the beach in the morning and it’s not a super duper sunny day so we stayed there for a couple of hours anyways. Everything seems okay until I got home and saw my skin was so red and some peeled off. I was sooooo scared.
I definitely learned a lesson from that experience. In summertime I have a SPF 30 with me in the purse all the time. When I am going to the beach / on vacation I always double check I have at least one bottle of sunscreen with me.
I am a red head and I can remember numerous times I got burnt really bad but especially 2 yrs ago at the Canada Day Celebrations on Parliment Hill, it got so bad that I had to sit in Chapters and buy some over priced sunscreen. I would love this to help me and my family from never having that situation ever again!
My worst sunburn was when I was about 12-13, I went with some friends to the waterslides. A friend and myself were really, really burnt. Red and blistering all over our backs, it was the worst burn ever. I couldn’t sleep, walk, sit or weat clothes. I always try to remember to put sunscreen on me and all my kids now!
When I was 13 years old my cousin and I had this not so bright Idea to use cooking oil to suntan with, so we coated ourselves with oil and needless to say we were crispy just like a piece of fried food. It was the most miserable burn I have ever experienced. My grandma had to cut holes in a shirt so that I could wear it to bed. I had huge blisters all over. I swore I would never tan or rather bake myself again. I avoid direct sunlight and if I am going to be in the sun I make sure I have a sunblock with a very high spf. That goes for my kids too. I will remember that burn for the rest of my life.
My worst sunburn was when I was learning how to windsurf down south. The combination of time on and in the water, sun reflecting off the water, and a more intense UV exposure really got me. I so burnt that my ankles and knees swelled up! You really would think I would know better as a red head though 🙂 I am much more conscientious about re-applying and re-applying my sunscreen now.
I was about 10 and we went to the beach. I got so sunburnt that even air conditioning hurt. I had trouble sleeping, walking, sitting and wearing clothes. I had to sleep with just my underwear for quite a few nights and a fan in the window but a sheet over me because I would get the chills.
NOW, I use sunscreen and stay in the shade a lot.
When I was 12, I went on my first trip to Florida with a friend and her family. I had no idea how strong the sun was down there (in July!), and spent the whole first day in the ocean with little or no sunscreen on. Needless to say, I received 2nd & 3rd degree burns all over my body. My friend’s parents had to call a doctor in. My chest was one huge blister, my forehead swelled up to twice it’s size so my eyes looked like they were way far apart. I didn’t even recognize myself when I looked in the mirror. My back was so burnt the skin was peeling off in sheets, and I spent the next 7 nights scratching incessantly. And of course I still had to go to Disney and continue the rest of the vacation in agony. Naturally, I am religious about sunscreen now, especially with my boys! Oh, and when I got home from the vacation I found out that my parents had bought a new house in a different city and we were moving in two weeks. Good times.
to be honest, i don’t think i’ve ever really had a really bad sunburn. i remember my little sister’s shoulders bubbling up and she would always burn. may sound gross but i used to like peeling the skin off her back!
When on a family vacation in Bermuda my scalp was badly burnt. It was horrible. It was so painful and chunks of skin would peel off along with a massive amount of hair. Now I make sure both my son and daughter wear a hat outside and I reapply sunscreen every 2 hours.
In the days of no sunscreen but using baby oil, our parents took us to New River Beach, cold salt water, and that is another factor in getting burned, and boy did I. head to toe, even my scalp was red. So when I had my children, sunscreen was applied every time they went outside. I do not want them to have damaged skin, like us.
When I was a teenager, I was on a medication that, unbeknownst to me, promoted sun-sensitivity! Already being blond and fair-skinned, I was very prone to burning in record amount of time, 10 minutes in direct sun would have been enough to turn me into a tomato, without being on medication.
Feeling unwell, on a hot summer day, after days of being house bound due to illness, I grabbed a book, a tall glass of iced tea and sat under the largest tree in the back yard. After an hour in total shade, I started to feel really uncomfortable. I slowly noticed that my legs were a shade of red I didn’t think was humanly possible!
From the bottom of my shorts to the bottom of my feet I was red and swollen. I ended up in the emergency department being told I had 2nd degree burns. The blisters that started to form were unbelievable, having to apply prescription cream to my legs was absolute torture as the last thing I wanted to do was to touch them.
A tough lesson to learn, now one of my first questions to the pharmacist when receiving a new med is…….will this make me photo-sensitive?
I now have a blond, fair skinned child, who I slather in sunscreen, minimum 50 SPF, even in the shade!
I think I was only 14 or 15 at the time. I was at the beach all day with my friends hanging out and yes I did not have sunblock on. About a half hour after arriving back home the back of my shirt felt like someone had sprinkled water on my back. When I went to take my cover up off I felt the most unbearable pain. My back had blistered badly and was already starting to pop. Needless to say this left me very uncomfortable for the next week and a half while it started to heal. It is a lesson that I have never forgotten and I chase my children down to be sure they have applied theirs liberally. We also avoid being outside in the worst UV times.
The worst sunburn I had is when I was about 11. Sunblock didn’t really exist back in the 70’s so I never had any on in the summer. I went to play outside, one Saturday, and it was sunny and hot for the entire day! By the end of the day, my face was completely puffy and I could barely see, my arms, legs and face were red like a lobster. There also wasn’t much product available to apply to ease the burn, so I suffered for a couple of days. I will never forget how uncomfortable that was and painful!! This will never happen to me or my kids – thankfully there is a huge market for sunblock and I apply sunblock on them and me everyday! I would never want them to know how uncomfortable and painful that feeling was for me that day. Now I know better and I even use sunblock in the winter!
It was on a family trip in Jamaica. The sun was really strong that day but I figured eh I never burn I’m careful, and I was. I kept reapplying the sunscreen after a swim but I wanted a tan so I stayed out basking in the sun longer. Well when it came time to get ready for dinner my shoulders started to swell. Then the pain got worse I couldnt lift my arms the heat was intense and then the blisters started to grow. I cried it hurt so bad and I actually scared myself. lol. Sure it healed up with a lot of aloe and staying in the shade. When I got back my Dr. told me I had second degree burns and I was lucky I healed well. Now I have permanent brown blotches on my shoulders from sun damage and I was told I cant burn them again as it would be a lot worse. I still do enjoy the sun and tan but I am especially careful about my shoulders and cover up more.
I would say my worst sunburn would be when I was a teenager and would go lie down on the bridge in the blaring sun and coat myself with baby oil to try to get a good tan! How horrible was that! I will never do that again!
My worst sunburn was when my husband, 3 kids, sister and her family and friends and their 2 kids stood in line outside a Mandarin Chinese Buffet in Oshawa Ontario for free food on Canada Day. It was very hot, the grass was freshly laid, so our feet were covered in mud, and I didn’t realize how much sun I was getting until the next day when I could hardly move and my shoulders were blistered and red. Was it worth it though? You bet! A fun day and great food!
I was probably about 15 and a friend and I laid on our towels on a tiny beach. It was actually very chilling and not sunny. I fell asleep laying on my stomach. My back was so badly burned I could barely walk. My skin was such a deep red/purple. I am fair skinned and thus burn fast. I am very aware of sun now, that scared me. I always wear sun block and hats and seek the shade of a tree. When my friend and I went to Hawaii, I’d only lay under a tree and she would lay in the sun. When I returned home after 3 weeks in Hawaii, people were astounded that it looked like I didn’t go anywhere, barely any sun tan to be seen! That’s the way I like it! I now have 2year old twin girls and ensure they wear their sunblock on every outing and hats too. A small amount of sun is healthy, but I NEVER lay out with the purpose of suntanning!
We went to Jamaica and sunbathed I fell asleep . . . And when iwoke up my skin was peeling
ugh – Venezuela in August. I had applied sunscreen to EVERY part except for the one on my head! Ended up with blisters on my scalp, sunstroke and heat stroke! Was so sick for 2 days. It was the worst.
Lesson learned tho – will ALWAYS wear a hat. Besides, who needs all that sun these days anyway? no use helping bring out the wrinkles and sunspots – let them come out on their own with grace!
My worst sunburn was when I was about 6 or 7. We had been at the swimming pool and at this time I did not wear a tshirt while swimming (that changed after this incident). It was a cloudless day and the sun was hot! I ended up blistering badly! It was a good thing that I slept on my stomach, because it could not have anything on or near my back for 2 weeks!
My worst sunburn was when I was a 12 years old kid. We went at the beach in Maine, and, well it was not in the mentality of the time to put sunsreen. So, I was so burnt, I lost half of my skin! At night, I was crying for just touching the zipper of my sleeping bag!! I got scared of the sun for a while. Now I never go out without a good protection for me and my family, I would feel horrible if something like that happen to my kid!!
I was power washing driveway and cleaning outside and my back got burnt. I had a couple blisters and when they popped boy did they hurt.
You know what, I have been pretty lucky. Of course, I am not much of a sun baby, so I limit my exposure to the sun. I am happy to say I have not had a memorable sunburn. I faithfully wear SPF and limit my exposure.
I was probably 8 years old when I was burnt so bad that I needed to go to the hospital. I was on a summer camping trip with my Dad and brothers, of course Dad never put sunscreen on me! We spent 3 weeks at the lake swimming fishing in the boat, having a great time. The very last day of our camping trip we spent the whole day fishing out on the lake, I got so sunburnt that my face, and arms were blistered, cracked and bleeding. It was a 12 hour drive back home to my Mom’s house, this was VERY painful. When I got back home, Mom took one look at me and freaked out, she took me straight into the hospital. I can’t remember a whole lot that happened in the hospital, all I can remember is being given lots of pain medication, then having to be wrapped up in gauze the whole time I was there. I was in the hospital for 9 days before I was allowed to go home. I will never ever go into the sun without sunscreen on now. I make sure that we have suncreen stashed everywhere (vehicles, campers, purse, diaper bag) I have a 1 year old boy and make darn sure that he is always wearing sunscreen before we ever go outside.
Worst sunburn ever was in Maui last year. I was really careful about applying sunscreen to everyone but myself. A quick rub on and off we went. I got a sunburn on my shoulders – both sides. Not the worst part though. Not learning from my mistake – the next afternoon I was out on a boat for a few hours – did not apply any sunscreen as it seemed overcasted. The burn was so bad to my left shoulder that it swelled and blistered. The plane ride home (17 hours of travel) was unbelievable – the pain unbearable. It took several weeks to heal and it scared. I now have a white patch on my shoulder when I start to tan. I use sunscreen faithfully now and never forget to apply it to me first and then worry about the kids – lol
Worst sunburn ever was on a trip to Mexico (Nova Scotia sun is a tad cooler!!) I spent a luxurious day lounging by the pool, enjoying cool slushy drinks. After a full day, I noticed that the tops of my feet were feeling a tad itchy. As the night wore on I realized that I had neglected to put sunscreen on the tops of my feet. The burn was incredible, it was red, and it was only REALLY painful when I wore shoes. Flipflops were the most painful thing I could do. I ended up spending the next 4 days in bare feet, could not go to any restaurants or formal spots, missed excursions, …did I mention I was attending a wedding?? Yes, barefoot and limping at my friends beautiful tropical wedding.
Never again!!!! Feet are now the first to be slathered =O)
My worst sunburn was when I went to a beach near Atlantic City one summer and spending too much time in the sun with no suncreen …. my nose was all red and peeling and so were my cheeks …. now I always wear sunscreen!
We took my dad to Mexico. He was adamant that he never burns and doesnt need sunscreen…yeah, he never burns in Alberta… Needless to say, after a full day hanging out in the pool, his (slightly thinning) head was absolutely burnt. The next day, he started peeling and looked like he had some sort of skin disorder. He started wearing sunscreen that day.
My worst sunburn was from attending an air show as a child. Out all day with no hat and no sunscreen was not a good thing. I peeled and blistered pretty bad the following days. As an adult I now make sure my family is fully prepared with hats and sunscreen when going outside…regardless of clouds.
we were in the Dominican Republic (my only trip out of the country!) and were having a great time in what i thought was the perfect day. the sun was out, but not beating down, and i put sunscreen on! i didn’t reapply often enough, especially since i was in the water, and it was the first time i have ever experienced a burn on the tops of my hands and feet. WORST PLACES TO BURN EVER. i remember lathering myself in aloe and laying under our ceiling fan in agony.
lesson learned: reapply, reapply, reapply! and always go for the highest SPF available!
On my honeymoon in Mexico, we went ocean fishing. We were only supposed to be out on the water for 2 hours, so I put sunscreen on before leaving, but did not bring it with me. We didn’t have much luck fishing so my husband asked our guide if we could stay out longer. We ended up staying on the water for over 6 hours…. with my pale skin, and the sun reflecting off the water, I came back sooooo burnt. For the next 24 hours, I could barely move – just the heat of the air around us was almost too much….. Now, I ALWAYS have sunscreen with me and keep an extra one in my van, so that I am always ready when our adventures run longer than planned!
Worst sunburn…easy…Spring Break 1990. My Senior year in high school. Went to the beach every day for one week. Most days I forgot to put the sunscreen on as my mind was too distracted by boys, beach, and friends. I am way better now, and thankfully my skin in naturally dark so I don’t burn much, but back then I seemed to burn easier (I also lived in Texas at the time) so the sun was for sure more intense.
The worst sunburn I had was on a canoe trip a number of years ago. I had put sunscreen on, but forgot to cover my ears… They burnt so bad, they bubbled. Spending the rest of the summer with very sore ears reminded me to never forget my ears again. I’m even more diligent when it comes to my son. Forgetting to put it on myself is one thing, but I could not forgive myself if I ever let my son burn like that…
just last year…. i went on a trip to calypso waterpark and it was a scorching day. i didnt think anything of it so i walked around the park without sunscreen and without shoes. bad mistake. i was outside for around 3-4 hours like that and next thing i know.. my feet start hurting. i was like ok its form walking so i just kept doing what i was doing. the next day, i couldnt move. i was in my bed and i was as red as a tomato. my feet were on fire and my whole body. i couldnt move at all! then i remembered that in 2 days i had graduation. i wouldve face-palmed myself but it wouldve hurt me. so my graduation came up and i was still hurting. i show up and everyone just stares at me. i had to wear heels so i couldnt walk properly and i looked really stiff. never again will i go somewhere without wearing sunscreen!
Years ago I went to Florida on a fam trip with a group of 30 women who had just graduated from a travel course. One of my roommates had a bikini which she wore every chance she got. One day she fell asleep in the sun while lying on her stomach. She got burnst so badly on her bum that she could barely sit for almost a week.
My worst sunburn was the summer I was 15…
I was helping my father on a youth group mission trip to build houses in Belleville, ON
We were doing the foundation of the building, so down in a pit, open to the sun, hot as anything and of course as a teen, I was invincible! (or so I thought…)
Spent the days in tank tops with the sun beating down on metal girders, and my shoulders, and one evening I noticed a searing pain in my shoulders… I had blistered so bad I couldn’t even wear a shirt… being far from home, my dad took me to a walk in clinic, where I got a swift berating from an elderly doctor, sent home with gauze bandaged shoulders and silver (Flamazine) cream. That started a few days of intense pain, whimpering, and looks of “I Told You So” from my dad…. but that wasn’t the worst… I still had to tell my mom!
NEVER AGAIN!
My worst sunburn was when I was in my early teens. We were visiting Vancouver and I fell asleep on my stomach on the beach for HOURS! I tan pretty easily so I didn’t burn very often, but that one was so bad that it peeled!
About 20 years ago I was on vacation in Acapulco, Mexico. I’m quite fair skinned so I brought lots of sunscreen. But one day I foolishly decided that I needed a little colour so I went out without any sunscreen whatsoever. Big Mistake. We spent all day at an outdoor water park, having a great time, I might add. At the end of the day I was as red as a lobster. You could feel the heat radiating off of my skin. I looked and felt awful. Then there was all that peeling skin…gross. Never again.
I was 14 on a school trip to Arizona. It was probably close to 40 C. In those days you didn’t use sunscreen but slathered on the baby oil. To make matters worse I had forgotten my sunglasses that day. I ended up blistering my shoulders and by the end of the day my eyelids were swollen and the whites of my eyes had turned yellow! Who knew you could burn your eyeballs?
My worst sunburn was probably the worst one. I am usually more of an olive toned skin due to my Spanish background but something must be wrong with the Ozone cause I had never gotten a sun burn until I was in my 20s. I am a stingy guy and dont believe in going and paying at those tanning places and figured since I dont burn I can just do it the free old fashioned way. Not putting on sunscreen was the worst mistake I have made with tanning! My parents own a pool so I always would go over jump in swim around awhile to get some excerside then lay down on the patio to tan in the sun. I happened to fall asleep for a few hours because I was the only one there, my parents came home and woke me up because I was red like a lobster on my whole backside. Luckily since I was laying on my stomach when I fell asleep it only got half of me. But for 2 days it was some of the worst pain I had ever felt, I was pouring the aloe on my backside. I got a little Boston terrier that was jumping on me everytime I sat down, and while I love my little Chloe she caused me so much pain in those few days!! All I can say is any of you who think your safe because of being tanned skinned already, use the sun block!!!! I only get burned when I dont use it now… this year ive already gotten burnt arms from driving for a few hours on a day that wasnt even that hot!
Last year I went to Mexico and had the worst sunburn of my life. The entire week there the weather had been cloudy with rain. On our last day was beautiful sunshine! I spent the day in the sun and did not realize the damage I did! Needless to say, I had no sleep that night (or many nights to follow) and had the most uncomfortable flight home. My back and my chest were blistered. I haven’t been in the sun since … never again!
I used to work on the farm and as a teen I was picking strawberries – no sunblock used in those days. Bright red back and shoulders. Ouch!
spynaert@hotmail.com
Ohh wow – boy do I remember my worst burn. I was 24, and in mexico with my then boyfriend (now husband). It was hot hot hot! We taken the city bus from Porto Vallarta to a small town called Punta de Mita. The bus was super hot. We then went snorkelling in a deserted area, in the middle of no where. It followed with lunch and drinks on beach. It was hot, but cloudy, so I did not put on sunscreen.
We then went back to the hotel by bus, and had to walk 20 min in the heat back to the hotel.
That night, I was not feeling well. I was dehydrated, and started to vomit. Then, a few hours later, the sun burn started to appear. I was burnt to a crisp. I could not even walk. We had to cover me with aloe vera. I stayed inside for 2 days after that.
I learned my lesson – cloudy = you could still get burned.
I have had so many bad sunburns when I was young so I can’t pick just one. I am a red head and very very fair. I always wear a hat and look for shade when out in the sun. Also very vigilant with the sunscreen and sunshirts and hats with my kids. I can relate to your freak out about your nephew getting burned.
My worst sunburn was as a young mom when we went camping. I was sure to make sure the kids were protected, but forgot myself. My back was so burned from us swimming in the lake and playing on the beach. I slept in a tee shirt with the back wet – that helped.
Myself when i was young, i remember one time that i was outside gor exactly 15 mins..in the pool and out..and was burnt immediatly….so fast..it hurt for a liitle more than a week..
After that i put anything and everything on….Now i am older i dont burn as bad…
Lets just say I was not aware of how harsh the sun was in Myrtle beach….ruined my entire holiday..my skin peeled like a snake for weeks and my shoulder was once free of freckles is now covered in them….I will never ever let that happen again!!!
The worst sunburn I ever had was about 8 years ago….my boyfriend and I had taken a day trip out to a popular lake about 1 1/2 hours drive from the city. It was crazy busy so it took us a long time to find parking about a half hour walk from the beach. We played in the water for a while then went to relax in the sun. We hadn’t meant to fall asleep, and I don’t even recall how long we were out, but when we woke up we were in pain. People walking past us were staring at us we were so incredibly red already! Our backs were hardly coloured, but on the front we both had the worst sunglasses lines I’ve ever seen, my lips were burned, even the palm of one of my hands was burned. My boyfriend had fallen asleep with one hand across his chest, so he had a perfect snow white arm and hand print. It was a painful walk back to the car, with absolutely every person turning to look at us on the way. We stopped at a nearby store to get some aloe vera lotion that we caked on and drove home with the windows wide open for the breeze, and this just barely took the edge off. We were told not to put water on it as it would cause blistering, but having to sit in the sun all the way home for such a long drive was completely unbearable, we poured water over our bodies just to try to cool the burn a bit…I have never been so terribly burned in all my life will never let this happen again! Not only am I sure to lotion up, but I am certain not to fall asleep in the sun! The blistering was terrible and looked just as bad, and for a few years after I was nauseous just stepping into the sun!
My worst sunburn was when i was younger and i covered myself with baby oil and layed out all day.Got sunblisters all over my face
I was reading a book while lying on my stomach. It was a cloudy day so I never realized how crispy I was becoming. I couldn’t move for four days afterwards.
When I was 15, I visited the US for the first time. We were in Florida and went to a waterpark, where I believed my factor 8 suncream would be adequate. After playing on the slides all morning, I lay down and fell asleep in the sun for about an hour. I woke to find myself burnt to a crisp and dehydrated. It hurt so much – even just moving was painful, since it felt my skin was stretched so tight. I couldn’t sleep as every part of my body was sore…the next 3 days were just miserable and I would never, ever use anything less than factor 25 now!
The worst sunburn i ever had was when my son was about a 1 1/2 years old. We went camping for 4 days and i was diligent about lathering sunscreen on him repeatedly but tottally neglected myself because i had never really been sunburned before. After an entire day of swimming in the lake with him and playing around i knew i was pink but wasn’t in pain or anything so i really didn’t think anything of it. On our last day we were packing up and i was starting to hurt. By the time we got home from a 4 hour drive i had blisters on my shoulders the size of quarters. I had to go to the doctor and get cream to put on them I had gotten sun poisoning! needless to say my son had no burn at all just a golden tan! for the next two weeks i was in pain! Now i wear sunscreen everytime i go out in the sun for an extended period of time!
Ha ha, I went to south america in March and I was not prepared for the intensity of the sun. So sadly spent the majority of my vacation feeling ill and sore. I never want to go through that again and I especially don’t want my kids to get burned like that!
First year that we bought our boat we took a 2 week family boating trip in northern ontario. Not being used to how the sun reflects of the water I did not use a high enough lotion and got a terrible burn, could hardly move and it ruined the trip for me as the pain was terrible. Since then I am using a SPF of 50 whenever I am boating
I was on a cruise in the Caribbean, with my husband and daughter, and I was also 4 months pregnant. First day at sea, it was very windy and didn’t feel too hot, so hubby and I decided to lay out on the deck and relax. Well, an hour or two later, I felt a little burn on my shoulders. The next morning though, I was a lobster! My shoulders were so red and painful, I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t have any aloe to put on it, and I couldn’t take any Ibuprofen because I was pregnant… so I had to suffer! And I spent the rest of the cruise in a long sleeved shirt, sweating like mad because it was soooo hot! Well, I sure learned my lesson… I NEVER go out without sunscreen, and I rarely sit out in the sun!
The worst I ever had was when we were in Florida when I was 14. It was a colder day and my knees were exposed and since it was cold I never noticed and burned the crap out of the back of my knees — I couldn’t walk for days
I am a bit of a stickler for sunscreen so I haven’t had any REALLY bad burns. I make sure to keep covered up and slathered up because I am out in the sun alot with sports and activities. But the worse one I saw was a man standing in line at the grocery store. All across his back was a red blistery mass of blisters. Ouch!
My worst sun burn occurred when I was a passenger in my husbands’ Jeep (with the doors off). We went for a long ride on a hot day. When I got out of the vehicle, my entire right leg was lobster-red! I looked so ridiculous! I got to walk around the town with one leg that was bright white (I don’t tan) and one that was bright red! I won’t make that mistake again!
My hsband and I were on a Caribbean cruise and I decided it would be nice to lie out on the deck in the bright sunshine . I had never worried about getting a sunburn because I always have tanned so easily. What I didn’t realize was the Caribbean sun was so strong, and that I would be lulled into a nap by the ocean’s waves. When i woke up an hour or so later, I was as red as a lobster and very sore to boot. Sleeping for the next few nights was very painful. I learned that sun screen is a necessity, Caribbean sun rays are stronger, and that I should never ever stay out in the noon day sun again.
My worst burn was when I was in my teens. My boyfriend and I fill asleep sun tanning in a provincial park. The back and legs were pretty raw.
My son likes to get tan to look nice but hes face always get sunburn. But he still doesn’t like to use sunblock.
My worst sunburn ever was about 20 years ago, from driving through Washington State in a souped-up convertible car with a halter top on and no sunscreen. To this day I can still feel the resulting blisters on my back and shoulders. What was I thinking? I ended up with a real sensitivity to sun and heat. I warn everyone I know of the dangers of too much sun and not enough sunscreen. Banana Boat protection is always a must.
My worst sunburn ever was falling asleep by the pool while lying on my belly. Water reflection is bad for extra rays and you have to always watch. Everything on the back of me was red and sore, I couldn’t bend or lay on my back, so was left to suffer and recover while still staying mostly on my belly. The bottom of my feet were too soar to stand for any length of time. Ouch! everything Ouch!
SPF when I was younger was wearing a hat and t-shirt, staying out of the direct sun on sunny days. Any time you didn’t, you got sunburned. There were suntan lotions but not til my teen years did sunscreen for UVA or UVB become widely available…
I account my thousands of freckles to these younger years.
My mother and father-in-law have both had bouts of skin cancer from lack of protection when they were young. My hope for my 3 fair haired, fair skinned, freckle-free children is that they continue the good habits of sun protection we have taught them.
I will never forget my first and only (hopefully) sunburn. I was in my late teens when my boyfriend and I went to the local airshow. I forgot my sunscreen but thought I would be fine. After a few hours we went back to my parents house. About an hour or so later I could feel the sunburn. My shoulders and back began to blister. I was in so much pain. My parents weren’t home so i called my Aunt who lives a couple doors down. She came over and put TIGER BALM on my sunburn! I nearly jumped out of my skin!
An hour later my Mom got home and took me to emerg. They gave me some pain pills and cream to help the blistering.
I am not sure what was worse the sunburn or my Aunt putting tiger balm on my sunburn!
I now know if you have a sun burn to apply vinegar repeatedly to it.
Hopefully that never happens again!
My worst sunburn was on my honeymoon in the Bahamas. I wasn’t used to the sun’s rays being so strong so far south so I used the normal amount of sunscreen and I wasn’t very careful about reapplying it. My nose was so sunburned that it peeled for a couple of weeks afterwards. With family members who’ve had skin cancer (including an aunt who died of melanoma), I’ve been very careful with myself and my family’s skin ever since.
well the worse sunburn i have had would of been about a little over a week ago. A friend and I took my little guy to the beach for a few hours. Well I was sure to make sure that I covered my little guy in sunscreen really well. he wasn’t getting bunt no way.( my older son got burnt when he was little and that wasn’t going to happen again.) so we where there about 3-4 hours. little guy had a blast… we all had a blast. til that night when my arms and shoulders started stinging and getting very red. I couldn’t believe that I forgot to put sunscreen on myself. I burn easy. so for the next few days I felt like I was in he??. My shoulders got the worse. My son ( only 2 years old) kept grabbing my shirt and scratching my sunburn. A good many times when he scratched me it would bring tears. never again. I put lotions and everything on it and it didn’t help. only thing that helped was a cold wet face cloth. its a lot beeter right now but the skin is still tender.
Pain with a capital Oh my God it was painful!!! I was 15, and I was living on Vancouver Island. I was staying at a place called Sproat Loak, in Port Alberni, for the weekend, and I had it in my mind that baby oil would give me a lovely tan. So I slathered it on and laid out in the sun for a couple of hours. Needless to say I was burnt to an absolute crisp, and my back was covered in blisters. I actually ended up having to wear my bathing suit as a bra replacement for a few days after that because it fit nicely in the burn lines, and I couldn’t bear the agony of wearing a bra on my blistered back. Stupid? Yes! Did I learn my lesson?? Honestly, no, because I was a silly teenager, but I did retire the baby oil!!
I was at a summer camp that had a one night sleep over portion to it. We were at the beach all day and I didn’t use any sunscreen. That night, I was lying there, saying please don’t touch me. They couldn’t even administer tylenol for the pain.
Ouch to say the least. Since then I’m always putting sunscreen on myself (since I burn so easily) and my son. He doesn’t want it on, but I don’t give him a choice.
I have been burnt many, many, times and now that I have 2 boys who are very fair skin, like me I want to make sure that they do not get burnt. The worst was 1 year at my brothers race car weekend. It was so hot that the people infront of us were spraying their heads with water. But the water was also getting on my legs and feet. At the end of the day, I had 2nd degree burns to my feet and legs!!!. I will never forget the pain and that is why I am very protective of my 2 boys!
A few years ago, I used some out of date sunscreen, went to the beach (it wasn’t even that terribly hot) and was out for a few hours. We were camping and as the day progressed, I starting realizing that I had quite a bad sunburn. I started feeling ill, I began to run a fever and felt horrible. The next morning, I realized how bad my burn was and couldn’t stand anything against my skin. I wound up at the hospital, they put me on IV, I was blistering badly. They applied some type of silver oxide cream and of course lectured me about sun safety. I was in pain for over a week. Ugh!!
Oh my gosh…let me tell you…we recently went on our first real vacation together (my husband and I ) with a group for a wedding in the Dominican Republic….one day at the beach and even with sunscreen my legs burnt so bad I actually felt major pain inside them and they swelled up super big!! Not cute and ouch! This was half way through the vacation, I ended up in a foreign hospital the pain was so bad…ended up being an allergic reaction to the sun..but I can’t help question…if I applied often enough?? Would the result have been different…it was a terrifying experience!
I was four months pregnant and went tanning at the flats… I fell asleep on a dark rock and completly cooked. One half of my body was blistered and I was sore for almost a week ! My baby uses Banana Boat SPF 60, at all times when exposed to UV rays, I absolutely love this product and will continue to use it and recommend it to other moms ! 🙂
My worst sunburn was when I went to watch a Blue Jays baseball game way up on the open top deck on a bright sunny day where the dome was open, and I didn’t have any sun protection on at all. I roasted like a lobster, and I was in pain the next day. It hurt more so when I showered as the sting of the spray was like a million pins poking on my burnt pink skin. It was the worst sunburn I have ever had!
My worst sun burn was when I was a kid and for some reason back than we did not buy sunscreen in my Family I guess times are different now and I make sure my family is well protected from the sun.
has to be when we went on our honeymoon in Brazil. The one day the sun decided to pop out, we went to the beach and spent an hour or two there. By the time we got back, my back was all burned but that wasn’t that bad. My feet were the worst. They turned to the size of the state puff marshmellow man and I could not walk! Sneakers were out of the question and flip flops just rubbed against my feet causing more pain. The worst thing about it was that this happened on our 2nd day of a 10 day vacation:(
I went on a vacation to Mexico and didn’t realize just how strong the sun is there! I put sunscreen on but forgot to reapply after time. I ended up with a burn so bad I had swollen feet and legs and when I returned home I blistered badly and had to get cortazone cream! I will never do that again and now I am very careful to sunscreen myself, my husband and my 3 kids repeatedly throughout the day! 🙂
When I was in Australia more than 20 years ago I decided to go topless on the beach like most of the other women. Kind of hard to apply sunblock to your boobs gracefully in a public place. I thought I had done ok until some random guy walking by says to my friend, ” tell your friend she’s getting sunburnt”! I could barely wear a bra for a week!
I was in Puerto Vallarta with my family, I was 11 years old. After spending the first day by the pool I had such HORRIBLE 2nd degree burns on my arms and chest that I had to spend the next 2 days inside because being IN the sun hurt so much!
vacation ruined~
About 10 years ago I was at my nephews baseball tourney with no sunscreen (stupid move) and it was extremelt hot and sunny. I was burned beyond a crisp I could not move the next day and ended up in the ER from stroke and dehydration and was told I had 2nd degree burns. Will never try to get a tan again. It was my shoulders that got it the worst til now I have sun marks on them looking like freckles.
Now for some reason after having my own kids and the hormone changes in my body I am now allergic to the sun. I cannot sit in the sun for more than 10 minutes without coming in to extremely red skin and itchy and it begins to swell up. I need to load up on sunscreen and super sensitive areas need to stay completely covered. I still think it’s related to how badly I burned it years ago 🙁
Now my children don’t even think about going outside without covering head to toe in protection
Well I must say, the worst sunburn I have ever had was about 4 weeks ago. I have just had a baby 2months ago and was put on some meds and told “do not go in the sun even for a minute with out sunscreen”. of course I did not do what I was told, I had to run down to the store about 20minutes down and thought “oh I wont be gone long enough so I dont need it” WELL boy was I wrong by the time I got back my skin hurt to touch and it iched and burned for days after while healing. I sure learned my leason fast. I rean out to get some sunblock that day and was happy to see that the dollar store we have carries Banana Boat Ultra Defense SPF 60 Lotion for 2 bucks a tube so I grabed a bunch. I will now be ready no matter what.
My worst sunburn was when I was vacationing in Cuba. I forgot that I had just finished antibiotics and even though I was putting on sunscreen, I burnt to a crisp. My husband offered to sleep in the other bed, because every time he moved, I whimpered. I went snorkeling the next day in yoga pants and a t-shirt. I couldn’t bare the thought of getting anymore sun on my skin. Now I’m super conscious of putting on my sunscreen and staying in the shade when possible.
My worst sunburn was when I was in high school and my friend and I decided to walk home, about 5 kilometres, from a swim meet. It was an extremely hot and sunny day and the sun was behind us. The back of my legs were extremely burnt and I needed to visit the doctor. i had difficulty walking for many days. I now remember to apply sunblock on all exposed skin.
I was 17 and in Hawaii with my family and naively assumed the sun was the same as at home where I rarely burnt. Not only did I think about our proximity to the equator I also neglected to consider my winter-white skin being ultra sensitive. It was not pretty. It will happen again because I never want that kind of pain again!
My sunburn was pure stupidity. I bought a sun lamp at a 2nd hand store. Yep you can see where this is going!! It said use for 3-5 minutes on face. Well I wanted a really good tan so I used for about 13 minutes!!
Well I woke up in the morning with no eyelashes, no eyebrows, scorched skin and no vision!
What a lesson to learn!
I was a complete mess who now protects herself in any type of sun be it real or fake!
I once spent several hours on a raft with no sunscreen on, I had the worst sunburn I have ever seen, I was in absolute agony the skin on my shoulders cracked open and it took weeks for them to heal. I had scars on my shoulders for years after, now I never go out for long without having my shoulders covered and make sure I put tons of sunscreen on!
4 years ago my aunt and I went to the Dominican. I slathered sunscreen all over as I am one that tends to turn. Well I forgot to re-apply it on my feet as we walked along the beach and ended up with the tops of my feet burnt so badly that I had blisters all over. I was unable to go to work for another week when I returned as I wasn’t able to wear shoes or anything on my feet. I make sure that my feet now are also covered as much as the rest of my body.
I was 15 years old and staying with my older sister while my parents were on holiday. We went for the day to a bay and did some swimming. That night I was almost delirious and ended up with a burn that peeled in sheets. NEVER AGAIN!!!
My worst sunburn was on my face. I was spring skiing at Whistler and never even thought about the reflection of the sun on the snow. That combined with the wind, gave me the worst sunburn I have ever had. My face was bright red and all puffed up, even my nose was so swollen that my glasses didn’t sit properly. I always use sun screen now.
When I was about 10 we were fishing in a boat on the lake for hours. When I got back to the cabin I had a sunburn on my arms and legs and shoulders.. Very painful. In those days Noxema was put on. It cooled the area. But the pain lingered for a few days.
I was in Las Vegas in June two years ago and the temps hit 105F. Well I was site seeing with hubby and friends. We had a great time wandering in and out of the massive hotels but I did not realize how much time we actually spent in the sun with no hat on, on sun screen and drinking but not water. I ended up with a bad burn but a really bad case of heat stroke. That evening I was very ill, between the burnt nose, shoulders, legs and arms I suffered alot. Never again, I learned my leason.
I remember one time when I was in my 20’s we had gone swimming and I didn’t think I was in the sun that long. Well, the next day I couldn’t hardly move, I was as red as a beet and I could not wear any clothes. I had to stay home from work for 2 days and even when I went back to work I couldn’t wear a bra (I’m large breasted…picture it). I vowed this would never happen again and it hasn’t…I make sure I am fully protected now.
I was vacationing when I was 16 in Hawaii. We had a later night and the following day I decided to have a rest on a floating air mattress on the ocean. I feel asleep and got so sun burned! I will never fall asleep for one, or forget to put on sun screen! I was redder than the lobster my Dad ate for dinner that evening!
One of my worst sunburns after I became an adult and was therefore responsible for myself, happened at Mariposa folk festible back when they were held on Toronto Island. I had forgotten to wear a hat and got my scalp burned along the part. Now I don’t go anywhere in the summer without my Tilley.
My worse sunburn happened at a ball game when I was watching my son play. I had put sunscreen on my upper body and face but neglected my legs. By the end of the game my legs were bright red and I could barely bend my knees! To the next game I wore jeans and whenever I wore shorts later on, I slathered on the sunscreen EVERYWHERE!
The last time I got a wicked sunburn was in Edmonton. I was out all day and didn’t realize how low cut the back of my shirt was. I literally looked like someone had dumped boiling water on it! It peeled and hurt and I couldn’t sleep because of it. It was horrible 🙁
rarely burned as I always wore sunscreen and hats
I’m very fair so burns were an every-summer thing when I was young. So I’m much more careful now with myself and with my two little children.
Years ago I fell asleep outside, on my side, ended up one side red and one side pale, face included. I was still in school and it was so embarrassing.
I’ve actually never been sunburned but I grew up with a red-haired dad and sister and I saw some really red faces and shoulders on them.
Well here I was working, well volunteering down at a kids camp for one week, and as it happens it was a beautiful, warm, sunny manitoba summer week.
This is perfect for a kids camp, as during the free time, no inclement weather to prevent the children from enjoying the water. But as most of us know the sun can burn worse when in the water. So as a good nurse I was constantly tell the children to put on sunscreen, keep reapplying it when in the water for long periods of time, as they would not feel the sun burning them because the water keeps them cool. I went down to the beach and made sure the kids got sunscreen on.
But the kids got the last laugh at me, because after a long day at the beach on wonderful hot sunny weather, I got burned on my back. I had forgotten to have someone put lotion on my back. The rest of my body was fine, but my back was beet red and I was sore and in pain, and the worse was suffering the comments of the kids about not taking my own advice.
sharon m
wpg,mb
I have had a hand print on my back for a whole summer(2 summers in a row) when I have gone out in the sun without another adult to help me apply sunscreen. My hand reaches only so far and the stuff around burns. It went purple last year-ugh!
I have no idea how old I was – probably between 7 and 10 years old. I remember my shoulders and back being so scorched I couldn’t move my arms and had to lie on my stomach for 2 days with no shirt on. My mum would spray Solarcaine all over me and she also had a tub of Noxema in the fridge that she would slather all over the burn. I’ll never forget how excruciating it was.
My worst sunburn ever was my first trip to Mexico. I was in denial that the sun would burn my olive complexion so I packed on the oil and wished for a dark tan. Well after falling asleep on my chair, I woke up 2 hours later as crisp as a lobster! I had to go see a doctor because of all the blisters that were coming up. Needless to say the rest of my vacation was ruined!
I know this will never happen to me because now I carry sunscreen with me every where I go. I have kids so I make sure they are always plastered in sunscreen!
This one is rather embarrassing but here goes! I’ve had a number of bad sunburns over the years but the time I decided to wear a thong bikini on my trip to Cuba was the worst idea of all. I was sure that I had applied suntan protection to my buttocks but I was obviously wrong. I was so engrossed in the novel I was reading, I forgot to turn over and ended up “baking my buns” to the point of no return. Let’s just say that I was unable to sit down on the plane the entire way back home. After a visit to my doctor and a week’s worth of burn treatment, I swore to never go without protection again to avoid the “baboon bum”!!!
My worst sunburn was a result of spending a day on a boat. The winds were so strong that I didn’t notice or feel the burn until it was too late. Now I wear sunscreen all year long.
When I had to weed my moms garden & had blisters on my head.
Well having fair-to-brown skin already you’d think I’d be safe, but low and behold a trip to Jamaica, a day out in the sun and instant sunburn – my skin was peeling, it was ouchy and sea water doesn’t help with the pain. From then on I knew that I have to put on sunscreen no matter what, and I make sure my kids do as well. Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, light coloured clothes are an absolute must on our outings and vacations!
My worst burn was in the Dominican – it was our first day there and I spent the entire day in the pool – I had applied sunscreen but I apparently didn’t apply enough as by the end of the night I was burnt to a crisp from the chest up!! It was horrible and ruined most of the vacation as I was uncomfortable in my clothes and couldn’t even think of letting the sun touch it…Now I always apply tons of sunscreen and reapply often!
I went with my mom and my sisters to Jamaica when I was about 4 years old, and it was blazingly hot there.
I’m pretty sure we had sunscreen on, but it wasn’t nearly strong enough and we got burned badly.
How badly? Well, my arms had blisters that covered them completely, like huge pus-filled bubbles. My sister did too, and while we stayed inside (since we were likely to burst into flames outside), we started playing tag and wrestling. This was a really, really bad idea as it caused our blisters to burst, huge puddles on the ground. It was just awful.
Now that I have kids, I realize just how important it is to keep them protected from the sun. I’ve got a little boy and a girl, and that prize pack would be perfect!
When I was 13 we took a trip to California to visit my Grandparents. While there we went to a neighborhood pool. The whole day I layed on the deck “tanning” Well being a red head w/fair skin, we dont exactly tan. Of course I did not use sunscreen. My mom was a tanning freak and always had her tanning oil handy. Sunscreen wasnt such a big deal then (Late 80’s) The next 2 days were the worst ever! I literally could not walk because the burns on the back of my legs were so bad. I couldnt even bend my knees & I had to be carried. It was horrible. I will NEVER in my life forget those 2 days…….That time in my life has become a HUGE life lesson.
I am now a mom of 4. Ages ranging from 4-17. Using sunscreen is just part of their everyday life. We have sunscreen everywhere…backpacks, in the car, all over the house. We do not go outside without sunscreen & hats!!
I would never want my children to experience what I went thru from a sunburn, nor would I ever want to go thru that again!
The worst sunburn I have ever had was when I was young around 8 years or so! My mom had put SPF 4 on me and that was amazing because nobody ever wore sunscreen! My family had a back yard pool and we spent the whole day in it as the weather was close to 40 degrees! I still remember the burning, prickling sensation especially when I tried to sleep! My mom tried everything to sooth it and I think eventually the only thing that helpsed was childrens asprin , noxema and popsicles! I never want my kids to have that feeling ever!
I wasn’t the one actually burnt…it was my husband. We were out on Sea-Doos for a while, having a great time. When we were finished and all walking back to the truck, he started to complain that the tops of his feet were really itchy.
Once we returned to the cottage we were staying at, he was practically ready to rip his skin off…we took a look at his feet and they were BLAZING fire engine red!! We fixed the stinging and itch my slathering his poor feet with yogurt. Worked like charm!