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50 Times People Posted Their Embarrassing Sunbathing Fails So You Can Learn From Their Mistakes
The whiff of blossoming trees, sunshine on your skin, the cool refreshing water as you jump into a lake, and an increase in vitamin D levels—all of these things and many more are what makes summertime – a happy time. (Especially for those living in places with distinct four seasons and loooong dark winters.)
But one of the things that make summer the best time of the year for many, can also make it the worst; for a day or two, at least. I’m talking about said sunshine on your skin, which can get pretty harsh.
It’s safe to assume that most people have been sunburnt at least once or twice; chances are, you have been, too, so you might know just how painful and inconvenient it can be. But for some people, in addition to all that, it’s also embarrassing—or funny, depending on how you look at it—because of the tan they are left with.
Well, to make you feel better about your own tan, if you’ve already experienced a tanning session gone wrong, or to simply remind you to properly apply sunscreen, we’re coming to you today with some of the worst sunburns the internet has ever seen. Our team has combed the online world and found quite a few unfortunate cases, so scroll down to find them, and use this chance to learn from fellow netizens’ mistakes.
On the list below, you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with a Professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut, Dr. Sherry Pagoto, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about sunburn and skin damage.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
When I Was A Teenager I Found Some Tanning Foam And Put A Stripe On My Wrist. Liked It So Much I Did My Arms And Legs. Nobody Was Amused But Me. It Lasted A Couple Months
RELATED:
#2
My Son’s Sunburn Matches The Gradient Of His Shirt
#3
Never Underestimate The Power Of The Sun. Fun Fact: The Sky Was Cloudy Almost The Entire Day. The Reflective Snow Alone Was Enough To Burn My Face Completely
#4
Husband's Summer Tan Looks Like A Stranger's Hand
#5
Took My Boyfriend To The Beach Today, And He Fell Asleep In The Sun. This Is The Result
#6
The Hair On The Pale Part Of My Watch Tan Is Black, But The Hair On The Tan Part Of My Arm Is White
#7
Perks Of Having Red Hair: Free Cancer
#8
My Sock Tan Looks Like I Have Socks On
#9
I Was Working Inside, But Next To A Large Garage Door That I Had Open. I Was In "I'm Inside, Don't Need Sunscreen" Mode, Not Realizing That I Was Still Very Much In Direct Sunlight
#10
My Husband Got Scalp Edema From A Severe Sunburn
Jack Burton 2 years ago
During a trip to Dominican Republic my wife got cornrows for the first time and she is really pale white european. She always put a lot of sunscreen. Her scalp swollen between the cornrows and on the forehead, she looked like an alien or a Buffy vapire slayer vilain for the last days of the trip.
#11
Awful Sunburn. It Hurts
#12
Just A Friendly Public Service Announcement: Make Sure Your Sunblock Is Not Expired And You Actually Use It
Scarlett O'Hara's Ghost 2 years ago
I learned the hard way that sunblock expiration dates are real. At a waterpark. In the summer. In Arizona. Now the leftovers go on the trash and new is bought every year!
#13
Someone Didn’t Want To Ask For Help With Their Sunscreen
#14
The Difference Between My And My Brother's Tan
#15
Well, It's Official, I'm An Idiot, And Summer Has Just Begun
#16
Love My New Slip-On Vans, Hate The Tan Lines
#17
My Cousin's Neat Tan
#18
Day In The Sun + Backwards Cap = Awkward Sunburn. Top Effort Dom
#19
I Forgot To Put Sun Block On My Legs During A Kayak Trip On The Lake
#20
My Sunburn From A Few Days Ago Started To Peel. I Went For A Run Today And All The Sweat Got Caught Underneath The Dead Skin And Formed A Lot Of Sweat Bubbles
#22
I Work Outdoors, This Is The Color Difference Of My Hand And My Foot
#23
I Went Kayaking In Florida Six Days Ago And Got The Worst Sunburn (Yes, I Put Sunscreen On). I Typically Don't Use The Spray Kind, So I Thought I Had Applied It Well, But Apparently Not
#24
New Rule: No Matter How Much The Sunscreen Costs (After You Drunkenly Lose The One You Brought) You Buy It
Susan Reid Smith 2 years ago
The price of sunscreen is a lot less than the price of skin cancer.
#25
My Friend's Crazy Tan Lines
#26
What Do You Think Of My Tan?
#27
After All These Years, Still Trying To Figure Out How Much Sunscreen To Use 🥵😬 Usually I Don’t Get A Lot Of Sun Under My Hair. Well You Can Clearly See That Theory Didn’t Work For Me This Time
#28
My Sunburn Line Perfectly Follows My Vein
Chonky Panda 2 years ago
That's interesting, does anyone who know why? Or was it just that the shirt/cover lined up perfectly?
#30
I've Put Sunscreen On My Face And Wiped My Fingers On My Arm
#31
I Think I Missed Some Spots
#32
Thought I Would Get A Nice Base Tan Helping Out At My Customer's Farm For A Couple Hours
Papa 2 years ago
We had a client where I work years ago who was working outside and took his shirt off around lunchtime one day. Several people told him he should put it back on, but he said "It will be fine. I go outside without a shirt all the time back home in New York." Buddy, you aren't in New York anymore. The next day he was wishing he had listened.
#33
The After Effects Of Spending All Weekend In The Pool Wearing Sunglasses
#34
I Came Across This Picture Of A Sunburn I Got When I Was 17 Years Old At A NASCAR Race
#35
My Tanned And Untanned Skin Tones Are Drastically Different
#36
Missed Sunscreen
Say No to Downvoting 2 years ago
Ooo - I did that exact thing on my honeymoon. Fluorescent burning legs!
#37
Spent Two Days In The Glorious Sunshine Working Outside And Did Not Anticipate Getting A Tan. Guess I’ll Keep The Thumb Splint On A Bit Longer
Upstaged75 2 years ago
She was obviously working in the garden - do you all have perfectly clean hands after that?
#38
Sunburn On Vacation
#39
The Duality Of Pale, Strongest Sunscreen, Most Time On The Shade, Avoiding Strongest Hours And Still This Happened
I am burning so much. I have 2 fans against me, and it's still not enough.
#40
Dude, Look At My Tan Lines
#41
I Recently Went To Hawaii And Got A Gnarly Sunburn As Seen Here. Ended Up Getting A Case Of “Hell’s Itch”, Which Was Genuinely The Worst Pain I’ve Ever Experienced
#42
My Burn From A Few Years Ago. Still Remember The Horrific Pain, Worst Sunburn I've Ever Experienced
#43
Today I Got A Raccoon Sunburn And My Chain Around My Neck Tan Too
#44
Oh, Your Shoulder Is Sore? You Should Get It Taped, They Said. It Will Help With The Pain, They Said. Except No One Mentioned To Maybe Put On More Sunscreen
Spittnimage 2 years ago
So it's their fault because they didn't tell a grown woman to put on sunscreen.
#47
Went To An Amusement Park And Forgot Sunscreen But The Paint They Marked Me With Left A Tan Line
Me Oh My (He/They) 2 years ago
Well, yeah. The paint would block the sunlight, acting as sunscreen.
#48
The Way My Bracelet Created This Tan Line
Bored Birgit 2 years ago
Wolfgang Petry, is that you? (German singer who wore dozens of friendship bracelets)
#49
The Sun Is My Greatest Nemesis
#50
Went To A Music Festival, Got This Gnarly Sunburn
justanotherweirdo 2 years ago
Would’ve thought all the people would shade your legs (still should put on sunscreen, but would’ve thought your legs would get less sun)
#51
Some Of My Worst Tan Fails. Pro Tip: You Don't Get Tan Lines If You Tan Naked
#52
No, My Feet Are Not Dirty, That's My "3 Weeks In Keens" Tan Line
#53
Spent 50 Minutes Outside Earlier
#55
Fifty Shades Of Tan Lines
#57
Never Trust The Mother-In-Law
#58
Thought I'd Share My Recent Burn
#60
When You Leave The UK Winter For An Aussie Summer
#61
Missed A Spot With The Sunscreen
#64
Spent 45 Minutes In The Sun Today Without Sunscreen (Critical Mistake). To Be Fair, I Burn Really Easily Regardless, But Still
#66
Came Back From A Cruise And Noticed My Eyelid Has A Tan Line
#67
I'm Half-Ginger. It Happens A Lot
#68
However, The Weather Did Not Seem So Aggressive That Morning. Luckily Grandma Gave Me A Tube Of Biafine For Christmas
#69
Don't Paint Fences In The Sun And Get Paint On You
Me Oh My (He/They) 2 years ago
Actually, it seems like OP SHOULD get paint on them. They don't seem to be using any other form of sun protection.
#71
Sunburn Stopped By Vein
#72
I Got Sunburn But Not On My Shins Where I Have Calluses
#73
When Your Pool Is Not Open Yet So You Have To Sunbathe On Your Patio In A Regular Chair
Upstaged75 2 years ago
No one "has" to sunbathe. It's a terrible habit. I have an aunt who looks like she's made of leather due to her lifelong obsessions with sunbathing.
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What do you think ?
Little Wonder 2 years ago
The worst burn I ever saw in person was when I was on holiday in Darwin. A tourist was leaving the hotel in an open shirt and the receptionist asked him if he had sunscreen. "I don't need sunscreen, I never burn". Sir, this is Australia. You will burn. Anyway he did, I saw him later that night with a belly so red it was glowing. Protip: Listen to the locals.
Guy-Incognito 2 years ago
Lol so common in Australia with people from warm sunny places overseas thinking they're immune to our sunlight here.
Load More Replies... pep Ito 2 years ago
The problem is not that they look like dorks. The problem is that if they do not protect themselves with cream and are burned like this several times, skin cancer can develop.
Swan 2 years ago
!! I'm worried. you're talking about the sun right? SUN burns only cause cancer?
Load More Replies...
Crescent 3 2 years ago
Seeing this is one of the things that makes me grateful for my highly-melanated skin. While we folks of African descent still need protection from the sun and are not immune to sun damage; in my nearly 60 years of life I have had 3 or 4 sunburns total, and only once was it bad enough for my skin to peel (Thank you Disney World).
Little Wonder 2 years ago
The worst burn I ever saw in person was when I was on holiday in Darwin. A tourist was leaving the hotel in an open shirt and the receptionist asked him if he had sunscreen. "I don't need sunscreen, I never burn". Sir, this is Australia. You will burn. Anyway he did, I saw him later that night with a belly so red it was glowing. Protip: Listen to the locals.
Guy-Incognito 2 years ago
Lol so common in Australia with people from warm sunny places overseas thinking they're immune to our sunlight here.
Load More Replies... pep Ito 2 years ago
The problem is not that they look like dorks. The problem is that if they do not protect themselves with cream and are burned like this several times, skin cancer can develop.
Swan 2 years ago
!! I'm worried. you're talking about the sun right? SUN burns only cause cancer?
Load More Replies... Crescent 3 2 years ago
Seeing this is one of the things that makes me grateful for my highly-melanated skin. While we folks of African descent still need protection from the sun and are not immune to sun damage; in my nearly 60 years of life I have had 3 or 4 sunburns total, and only once was it bad enough for my skin to peel (Thank you Disney World).
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