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 We’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.
#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
#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
Imagine yourself in a sunny spot near a body of water; you’re relaxing as you listen to the quiet fuss of the people around you when you slowly drift asleep. You wake up a couple of hours later to see that your body is a soft shade of red crab.
This scenario has likely happened to many of us, but for some reason, we often fail to learn from our mistakes – come next summer, we’ll likely do it again.
#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
While the unfortunate tans on this list might look amusing, in reality, sunburn is far from funny. Not only does it usually hurt (and becomes itchy when healing later), according to Dr. Sherry Pagoto, it can increase one’s risk for melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer.
“Your risk is even worse if anyone in your family has had melanoma,” she said in an interview with We. “Another thing to think about melanoma is that it is a very recurrent cancer. If you get it once, you are likely to get it again, so even if you beat it, you have to live with the fear of recurrence every day. That’s a worry you really don’t want, just ask someone who’s had melanoma!”
#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
The expert continued to point out that melanoma is the most prevalent form of cancer in the US, however, its risk can be minimized by wearing photoprotection, such as sunscreen, which can also prevent burns and skin damage.
#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
#11 Awful Sunburn. It Hurts
Discussing the damage the sun causes to our skin, Dr. Pagoto emphasized that it doesn’t need to be burnt to be damaged. “When the skin tans, it is a sign it has had too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation and that the skin is attempting to protect itself from further damage. Some people like the tanned look, but tanning negatively impacts the integrity of your skin which leads to premature aging and cancer risk. If you like the tanned look, I highly recommend sunless tanning products because they cause no harm to the skin.”
#12 Just A Friendly Public Service Announcement: Make Sure Your Sunblock Is Not Expired And You Actually Use It
#13 Someone Didn’t Want To Ask For Help With Their Sunscreen
#14 The Difference Between My And My Brother’s Tan
You might think that you’ve heard of other ways, other than sunless tanning products, to achieve a tanned look without having to cook in the sun like a potato in a fire. But chances are, the information you heard is not much more than a myth.
“The most common misconception is that a tan protects you from skin cancer,” Dr. Pagoto told We, discussing popular sun- or tan-based myths. “Prolonged sun exposure damages the skin and can lead to DNA mutations that lead to cancer. We have to remember that the sun is emitting radiation, and radiation exposure is not healthy.”
#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
It’s unclear if being more aware of the damage the sun can cause deters people from sunbathing, but statistics from nearly a decade between 2011 and 2020 show that interest in sunbathing seems to be shrinking.
According to Statista, the number of people in the US who went tanning—be it once, a couple, or more than four times—in the last six months in 2020 was lower than the years before. For instance, while in 2012, close to four million people went sunbathing more than four times within the span of half-a-year, in 2020 the number dropped to roughly two million.
#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
If you’ve enjoyed browsing these pictures of some of the most unfortunate tans there are—or if you’re still not convinced that sunscreen is a good idea—continue to We’s previous edition on tans-gone-wrong for more.
#21 Oh Yeah. Now That’s Different
#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
#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
#29 Husker Day Burns. Ouch
#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
#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
#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
#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
#45 Forgot Sunscreen
#46 Cook Until It Stings
#47 Went To An Amusement Park And Forgot Sunscreen But The Paint They Marked Me With Left A Tan Line
#48 The Way My Bracelet Created This Tan Line
#49 The Sun Is My Greatest Nemesis
#50 Went To A Music Festival, Got This Gnarly Sunburn
#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
#54 Bike Glove Fail During His 10-Hour Ride
#55 Fifty Shades Of Tan Lines
#56 The Weather Was Nice Outside Yesterday
#57 Never Trust The Mother-In-Law
#58 Thought I’d Share My Recent Burn
#59 My Trendy Tan Line
#60 When You Leave The UK Winter For An Aussie Summer
#61 Missed A Spot With The Sunscreen
#62 Birkenstock Tan
#63 It Wouldn’t Be A Good Day If I Didn’t End Up With 27 Different Tan Lines
#64 Spent 45 Minutes In The Sun Today Without Sunscreen (Critical Mistake). To Be Fair, I Burn Really Easily Regardless, But Still
#65 Got The Worst Sunburn Of My Life Immediately After Totaling My Car
#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
#70 Nothing Like A Beautiful Tan Line
#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
#74 Note To Self: Remove Sandals Before Tanning Next Time
