I fell asleep in the sun for two hours – people say I have irreversible skin damage – don't make my mistake
But as we embrace the sunny season, it's more important than ever to prioritise protecting our skin with SPF.
The sun may feel glorious, but it can cause serious damage if we're not careful.
Helen Flanagan, known to her TikTok followers as @ haleigh_flanigan, recently went viral after sharing a video of her painfully sunburnt face.
Just two days after posting, the clip amassed 7.7 million views.
In the video, Helen candidly addresses the camera, her face an unmistakable shade of red. "Say a prayer for this sunburn," she begins.
"Because I fell asleep today in the sun for two hours and the UV was at a solid 10. And at this point, I'm afraid I have sun poisoning."
Wearing suncream is essential for protecting your skin from the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays.
While the sun offers warmth and light, its rays can cause significant damage to your skin if left unprotected.
Wearing suncream is crucial for protecting your skin from the harmful effects of the sun.
It prevents painful sunburn, which can damage skin cells and lead to redness, swelling, peeling, and even sun poisoning, with symptoms such as blistering, fever, and dehydration.
Suncream also reduces the risk of skin cancer, including melanoma - the most dangerous form - by acting as a protective barrier against harmful UV rays.
How to reverse sun-damaged skin
Additionally, it slows premature ageing caused by sun exposure, helping to prevent wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots, while maintaining your skin's youthful appearance.
Helen's relatable experience struck a chord with her TikTok followers, as many rushed to the comments section to share their thoughts.
One wrote: 'You need to go to the hospital.'
A second added: 'As a nurse, please go to the hospital.'
While someone else warned: 'That is a life changing sunburn. Schedule/keep up with regular skin checks.'
And another commented: 'Oh mannnnnnnn the long term effects of this ain't gonna be a good girl.'
We previously revealed how a woman's dream holiday quickly turned into a nightmare after severe sunburn caused her face to swell so much that even her mum didn't recognise her.
Ashlei Bianchi, 23, was enjoying a sunny getaway in the Dominican Republic when disaster struck just two days into her trip.
After spending the afternoon lounging by the pool with her family in Punta Cana, she began to notice unusual swelling on her face and forehead by the evening.
Although she had applied suncream, Ashlei initially brushed it off as a mild reaction to the sun.
The importance of sun cream in your skincare routine
Dermatologist and skincare enthusiast Andrea Suarez - known as Dr Dray - revealed why you should wear suncream.
The one thing you can do that will make the biggest difference - and this matters for all ages - is protecting your skin from the sun, Andrea stressed.
"The vast majority of external aging is due to exposure to ultraviolet radiation," she continued, not because you're "not using some jazzy serum or layering 90 different things on your face everyday".
"If you're not doing in your 20s, get on that now."
But she said the use of sun cream alone doesn't go far enough. Andrea urged that you also wear sun-protective clothing like broad-brimmed hats and long sleeves, on top of not staying out too long in the sun.
Doing this over your lifetime - and all year, not just during the summer or on sunny days - "will reduce the visible signs of photoageing", Andrea said.
Those are wrinkles, muddled pigmentation and sagging skin.
2
Hoping to soothe her skin, the New York native applied aloe vera gel and carried on with her holiday.
However, by the end of the four-day trip, the swelling had worsened dramatically.
Her face became so puffy that her own mum, Michelle Bianchi, 52, didn't recognise her during a FaceTime call.
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