Whenever you’ll be in the sun, you need sunscreen. Those hot summer days are the worst on your skin if you’re not prepared. All of these people either forgot their sunscreen at home or chose to forego it. Either way, the fun in the sun had some dire consequences.
Pretty Red
In some situations, you should always wear sunscreen. While it’s great to have SPF coverage if you’re spending a day out on a boat.
That’s one lesson this person learned the hard way. The result was that everything their clothes didn’t cover ended up with a painful burn. They mention that they dubbed it the “bib of pain” and we can see why — that doesn’t look like fun!
Improper Application
You have quite a few options when it comes to the type of sunscreen you want. From strength to application style, it’s a lot of choices.
If you’re going to opt for spray-on sunscreen, you’ll want to make sure you actually cover your whole body. Otherwise, you might end up with results like these. It seems like this person forgot to hold the spray bottle far enough away from them or rub it in enough. To be fair, it’s much easier to see what you’ve missed after you have a sunburn.
Asking for Help
Sunscreen only helps completely if it’s applied regularly and thoroughly. Unfortunately, most people can’t reach every part of their body on their own. One area that’s particularly hard to reach is the middle of your back.
That’s a lesson you’ve probably learned when you have an itch you just can’t reach! For this person, they learned the limits of their reach when they had a sunscreen-less patch marked in sunburn the next day.
Facing the Sun
This person was working outside and wearing a mask when they realized they’d forgotten sunscreen. The only downside was that they realized it too late.
The results? The next day they woke up to a sunburnt face save for the area their mask had covered. Since they were standing in the same spot working for most of the day, they only had a sunburn on one side too! We hope they grabbed some sunscreen before their next shift.
That’s Not Enough
Once again, sunscreen only works if you apply it thoroughly. However, we’ve all been guilty of rushing through our morning routine when we’re excited to head out.
As this person learned, you might not want to rush the sunscreen part, at least. If you do, you might end up with a result like the one this person had to contend with. Looking at those handprints, though, it seems like their sunscreen is definitely effective.
Don’t Forget Your Feet
When you apply sunscreen, you have to make sure you get it everywhere your skin is exposed. There are some spots people tend to forget, though.
For one, you might forget to put sunscreen behind your ears, the back of your neck — or, like this person, on your feet. The good news is their shoes protected most of their feet. The bad news is that those sunburnt dots are going to make wearing any shoes a bit uncomfortable.
They Tried to Wear Sunscreen
This blistering red back would probably lead you to believe this person forgot sunscreen altogether. The real story is much more frustrating. They shared that leading up to this image, they were wearing sunscreen.
They even reapplied it frequently — about every half-hour to 45 minutes. It didn’t seem to work, though. They said not only does it look painful, but they also wound up dealing with second-degree burns for their time in the sun.
Is He Okay?
There are some sunburns you see and you just know that they’re painful. In those moments, you can’t help but sympathize with this person. Just from looking at this picture, it’s easy to see they’re not having a good time.
Given the bright red sunburn on their torso, we can’t say it’s hard to see the source of their discomfort. Even worse, they noted that their back was even blistering from the burns.
Those Socks Look Painful
As we’ve already seen, you can’t forget your feet when applying sunscreen. Well, you can forget but the consequences are rather dire. For this person, it resulted in the most painful pair of socks we’ve ever seen.
A sunburn on your feet seems even worse since you have to walk on them as they heal. We don’t even want to imagine throwing on a pair of shoes with a sunburn like this.
At Least They Wore a Hat
A hat can really help you keep the sun off of your head, face, and neck. Some hats do still let the sunlight through, though. This person spent a lot of time in the sun for work.
If it wasn’t already obvious, he also has a favorite hat that he wears every day. The result of so much time in the sun with this uneven protection is a tan line that matches the hat he prefers so much.
The Downfall of Spray Sunscreen
Spray-on sunscreen is such a good idea in theory. The idea of quick, even coverage at the press of a button is really tempting! At this point, we have to wonder if that coverage is really all that total.
At the very least, the way some people are applying it isn’t working out for them. This sunburn seems like it would be frustrating almost as much as it seems painful if you put your faith in some spray-on sunscreen.
Fashion Hazards
When you wear pants, you probably don’t think about wearing sunscreen on your legs. After all, you’re covered there, right? Well, that depends. If you’re wearing full-coverage pants, yes.
On the other hand, if you’re wearing jeans with holes in them like this person, you probably aren’t going to get the full protection from the sun that you’re looking for. The resulting sunburn looks rather uncomfortable to say the least.
Happy Graduation
When you’re going to an outdoor event, you should probably make sure to wear sunscreen. You never know what you’ll seats will be like. You’d think that an outdoor event with come with at least some shade.
This person wasn’t quite so lucky. When they attended their brother’s graduation, they were seated in direct sunlight with nothing to protect their legs from the sun beating down on them. The results were rather painful.
This Is Just Unlucky
Some people have a particularly hard time with the sun. Even when they carefully slather on sunscreen, it seems like it just doesn’t work sometimes. This person did all they could to avoid this result.
In case SPF 50 wasn’t enough, they even followed it up with a layer of SPF 70. To make matters even more unfair, they only spent an hour in the sun before their skin started to take on a bright red hue.
A Painful Pattern
When you choose a bathing suit or top for a day in the great outdoors, you have a lot of options. You can stay cool and stylish.
If you forget to regularly apply your sunscreen, you might even carry that pattern with you for a while. Once this person changed shirts, they realized they had a zig-zagging pattern of protection from the sunburn across their chest.
Change of Shoes
When you wear the same shoes every day, it starts to show. Most people think of the wear that starts to show on the shoes first. If you work outside, though, you might see signs of your work habits in other ways.
Over time, this person’s shorts allowed their legs to tan. However, the shoes they wore every day didn’t allow their feet to tan the same. As a result, they rocked an interesting tan line.
Sharing Something Interesting
At first glance, you might think that this person may have spilled some sunscreen on their arm, leading to an interesting shape in their sunburn. The reality is that this is a natural tan-line of sorts!
The person posting the picture shared this was something that happened their whole life, every time they got a sunburn or tan. This part of their arm wouldn’t have the same reaction.
Missed a Spot
There are some situations in which you should definitely take measures to protect your skin from the sun. Running a marathon definitely qualifies as one of these times.
When you first look at these photos, you might think that this runner forgot their sunscreen altogether. If you look a little closer, though, you’ll notice there’s the smallest smear of protection across their shoulder. We hope they enjoyed the marathon, at least, before their shoulders started to ache a bit.
The Sunglasses Are Effective, at Least
When you apply sunscreen, it’s important to cover your face fully. Otherwise, you can end up with a painful burn on some sensitive skin. This person did just that and forgot to add sunscreen to their face.
On the bright side, they did manage to demonstrate how well their sunglasses blocked the sunlight out. In fact, they did so well that they managed to keep them from getting burns around their eyes.
Matching Sandals
Working outside, especially in the summer, often comes with a lot of sun exposure. This can leave you with sunburns and tan lines where you didn’t expect.
It seems like these coworkers found a pair of sandals they liked and let everyone know or maybe it’s a part of their uniform. Either way, they were all sporting matching tan lines on their feet before too many shifts in the sun.
It’s Sort of Sunscreen
There’s a lot to take in here. When you first look at it, it might seem like these three just put a few handprints of sunscreen on.
Actually, there’s no sunscreen here at all which explains the majority of their backs taking on a painful burn. The handprints were actually body paint and while they aren’t made to protect you from the sun, it did cover their skin well enough to keep them from burning.
An Interesting Sunburn
Plenty of people opt to wear their baseball hats backwards. At the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference. If you wear your hat backwards, though, you won’t be able to take advantage of the shade the bill offers.
Plus, as this person proved, since most hats have a cutout in the back, you might be left with a sunburn on your forehead if you aren’t careful.
That Looks Painful
We’ve seen a few people now who looked pretty uncomfortable thanks to their sunburns. These two might just take the cake on telling a story with an expression. We can’t blame them for their anguished faces either!
For one, that looks like some serious sunburn these two ended up with. Secondly, it seems like they’re pretty covered which would make it hard to get comfortable or even rest your arms at your sides.
Sleeping With Sunglasses
You would think that if you had to fall asleep on the beach, wearing sunglasses would be the way to do it. You want to protect your face, right? Well, that only works if you actually wear the sunglasses.
To be fair, the sunglasses this person was wearing did help protect them from sunburn where they were sitting. They just didn’t happen to be on their face, leaving this person with an imprint on their stomach.
The Croc-sequences
Wearing certain shoes will help protect your feet. Shoes with mesh or with holes in them won’t offer total protection.
This means that if you wear your Crocs to the beach, it’s best not to forget to add some sunscreen to the tops of your feet as well. The only good news here is that this person at least isn’t dealing with a painful burn — just a tan line brought to them by their favorite shoes.
Not a Fun Time
Some sunburns hurt to the touch. If you can find some aloe and a comfortable position, though, you might have luck finding some comfort.
However, the sun can be dangerous if you aren’t careful and too much time in it can make you feel sick as well as hurt your skin. It looks like this person’s hat was the only thing that kept any of them from burning. We hope they managed to get over this one quickly!
Well, it Sort of Worked
It’s almost impossible to try and cover your whole back in sunscreen by yourself. If you have spray sunscreen, it’s even more difficult. It’s not uncommon for spouses to entrust each other to this.
Who would take this person’s safety in the sun more seriously than their wife? Even if she took it incredibly seriously, the results of the lacking coverage became clear as the day wore on.
Trying a New Wardrobe
We’ve already seen how staple clothing items can end up in an interesting tan line. The results of different from those can vary as well. This person was trying to change things up with a new pair of shorts.
The only problem with them being a little shorter than the last pair is that it left part of their leg that wasn’t as used to the sun exposure, leaving behind a sunburn in a band around their knee.
Almost a Feat
The way this person failed with sunscreen is so geometric it almost seems intentional. Still, we’re not sure it’s impressive if a sunburn is the result.
Despite appearances, no one broke out a straightedge to give this person the perfect sunburn. Rather, they tried to apply it themselves and managed to miss almost the entirety of their back. Maybe next time it’s worth it to call a second person in to help.
Sunburns and Watches
If you’re putting on sunscreen, it can help to wear exactly what you’re wearing out when you do it. That way, you know what’s protected and what isn’t.
If you were to put on sunscreen in pants and then change into shorts, you might forget your legs. We can’t blame this person for not thinking too much about taking their watch off while they were out but we’re sure they won’t forget after dealing with this watch-shaped burn.
They Got Your Shoulders!
If you’re going to have someone help you with your sunscreen, you have to choose someone you trust. If you don’t you may find yourself regretting your choice.
This person really trusted their friend to, quite literally, have their back. To be fair, they did get their shoulders rather well. The trouble comes as you start to glance closer to their mid and lower back. Looking there, the coverage isn’t so even.
Having a Little Fun
A t-shirt is a great way to keep your chest and back protected from the sun. When it comes to your arms, it isn’t quite as helpful. It seems like a t-shirt was the culprit behind this sunburn.
Actually, it’s probably more of the fault of the sunscreen or lack of it but the short sleeves didn’t help. At least this person found a way to have fun with their new sunburn line.
The Results of Fishnets
There are a lot of examples of strange tan lines or sunburn marks. Usually, these come from sandals or bathing suits. However, your summer wardrobe doesn’t have to rely on these clothing items.
This person went for something bolder and strutted out into the sunlight with a fishnet accessory. Still, they may have forgotten to add a layer of sunscreen first, leaving them with a painful pattern.
Wearing Gloves
We’ve seen a lot of people who have to work outside and the tan lines it can leave when you wear shorts, a t-shirt, or even a mask. This person was hit with the combination of a t-shirt and a pair of gloves.
This left them with this tan from their elbow to their wrist. While a t-shirt tan line wouldn’t turn any heads, we can see why a glove tanline might seem a little surprising.
That’s Too Bright
Looking down and noticing your skin is getting a little red is a bad sign on a hot day. This shade of red would cause a lot more concern.
Not only does this look painful, apparently it was dangerous as well. The person who shared it said the sunburn came with a case of heatstroke. Even worse, they almost managed to miss getting burned until this final-day mishap.
Thanks for the Help!
Listen, at this point, we have to wonder if we should test our loved one’s sunscreen spray abilities before asking them to have our backs. This person, like many, just wanted their spouse to help them stay safe from the sun.
Technically, they did, they just didn’t quite offer protection for their partner’s whole back. The sunscreen definitely got on some of it, though, that just doesn’t help the pain of the burns that much.
But Not a Mesh Hat
It seems this one is harder to wrap your head around than you might think but hats aren’t always the answer to protecting yourself from the sun.
Sure, they can do a lot of good but you aren’t going to see many results with a thin or mesh hat. Like this person, you’re then just left with protection where the thicker seams of the hat are, leaving the rest of your head exposed.
Just the Tattoo
If you have any tattoos, you know the sun can be brutal on them. To avoid problems like fading, you should always use sunscreen! This person obviously took that seriously.
On the other hand, they didn’t take protecting the rest of their skin quite as seriously, leading to a burn everywhere else on their leg. At least their socks helped protect their ankles while they went about their hike.
It Can Happen Fast
It doesn’t take a set amount of time for a sunburn to happen. As such, if you’re out in the sun at all, you should slather on some sunscreen.
Even if you’re just going for a quick dip in the pool, that leaves a lot of unprotected skin exposed to the sun’s rays. That’s a lesson this person had to learn firsthand when they decided they wouldn’t be out long enough to need sunscreen.
That’s Not Quite Right
This one is a little difficult to wrap your head around. We suppose it comes from the fact that some moles are skin concerns? Either way, you should never just cover certain spots on someone’s back.
While it definitely protected those specific areas, the rest of their back was left completely exposed. he result was a painful sunburn that we hope healed quickly.
Free Ink!
Putting on a temporary tattoo can be fun. It’s a fun way to play with your appearance without the cost, pain, or permanent nature of the real thing.
This temporary tattoo wasn’t quite as temporary as they hoped, though, but it makes for an interesting sunburn. Plus, we suppose there’s a positive to a little bit of skin protection, no matter how small. We just hope he was a fan of the design.
No Shoes But a Painful Problem
We’ve mentioned it time and time again but it’s so important: don’t forget to give your feet some sunscreen too if you’re wearing sandals or no shoes at all. It was a beachside nap that led this person to this painful predicament.
Sunburn on your feet seems even worse since each step seems like it’d be painful. They said that people kept telling them how bad their sunburn was too. It seems like they would know best!
Bon Appétit
Ah, the dangers of enjoying a meal outside on a sunny day. We hope this woman’s breakfast was at least worth it! While the idea of enjoying some cereal out on one’s balcony, or in their backyard, may seem pleasant enough, it doesn’t come without risks.
Thanks to these lovely sunburn lines, we now know what this woman had to eat that morning. Hey, at least it wasn’t a four-course meal that got burned onto her legs!