I Went on a Sunburn Spree!

So first off let me just say sunburns are no fun! We all know this of course, but might I just add to all of you who do not wear sunscreen and burn easily, you will have the ride of your life if you do not put that baby on. I thought my face was going to fall off!

Many of you know that as you get older your skin becomes more sensitive. Weellll, in my case, when it comes to the sun I do NOT turn red! So here is a memory that I will never, ever forget about how I went on a sunburn spree (By the way, it was not on purpose).

It was the beginning of my life and by that I mean it was my first weekend spending it as a single mother. I needed to get away from all of the negativity and the thoughts that ran through me every second of every moment at this point in my life. I decided  to take my son on a mini mommy and son day to the lovely Madeira Beach here in FL

Madeira Beach, Fl

I wanted to instantly feel better about how I looked and I wanted to reel in positive thoughts. I thought back to my high school graduation day where I had a very pretty tan and I was completely happy. I took it upon myself not to put sunscreen lotion from the beginning of the trip as I stepped upon that beautiful sand by the clear blue ocean. I figured “Well I’m outside almost everyday and I have yet to get burned by the scorching Florida sun”. Being a city girl, I have yet learned my lesson at that time (Lets just say lesson learned). Being that I had my son with me, I did apply the lotion on him. Little did I realize “Hello?, you are at the beach, are you nuts?!” <Umm no, not at all!>. Within 15 minutes of being there it got extremely hot and I dived into the water with my munchkin. Later on headed home (Still no lotion).  And to be completely honest I was not planning on putting it on at all that day (Mind you, I am there all day).

The next day I return to the beach with my son (Again, no lotion – I know, I know, what is wrong with me). I’m in the water playing with my kid and <this is where I knew I messed up> I was feeling a tingling sensation on my skin. It’s almost 5:30 pm, I’m on the beach towel, I’m flipping sides and I’m getting HOT! So I decide to go back to the water because at tis point I am sweating. My son, playing with the sand, calls me over because he wants to build a sand castle. I remember kneeling down on the sand and I felt like I was being scratched all over my knees and legs. Night falls and we head home.

The Next Day, I return again and this time putting lotion, but smart me brings the wrong lotion. I brought my Australian Gold with SPF 15 (By the way, this product is amazing for getting that perfect tan, just don’t do it while you have a sunburn. Bad idea!). So I decide, hmmm, well it has some SPF, let me at least protect my skin a little. I tried to be smart (And I’m quoting that because it was a dumb move lol). My son is in the water and I’m just sitting there in the shade watching. It’s mid day, at this point I’m sweating and I cannot stand to even look at the sun. My eyes were burning from the heat. The sand keeps touching me, lol and it hurts every time I moved. Just one piece of grain that landed on any part of my body gave me the sensation of someone digging their nails into my skin. This is the first time I saw myself turn into a tomato. It didn’t help the fact that I was in the shade, I still felt the heat and I was burning up fast. So I decided to head home.

I wake up the next morning and my eyes are puffy as if I were crying in my sleep all night. I’m getting up and my body is hot, like fever HOT! I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and my face looked like Mrs. Potato Head (I’m not even exaggerating). I looked like a fat potato with a heat rash bumps everywhere. BOY, did it hurt to be outside, better yet, it hurt to look at the sun. I swore to myself never to go to the beach without sunscreen ever again.

I had to pick Aloe Plants and look up other things to mix it with for this scorching burn I had on my face. It hurt sooo bad that even breathing hurt because my body temperature was high. I ended up in the hospital. Come to find out I had a 1st degree sunburn. That whole month I sat at home. I couldn’t go outside at all.

 

My whole was the right side of this girls face with water blisters everywhere. (Image from google)

 

Besides this wonderful horror story, since warmer weather is around the corner, I want to provide you with some tips I learned to do in the last three years to protect your skin from the sun.

• Wear sunscreen (At least SPF 30) especially in the coastal areas.
• Drinks lots of water and stay hydrated
• Wear the right clothing. I tend to lean toward pastel and bright color as well, as dark colors tends to attract the heat
• You can use Coconut Oil, Vitamin E lotion or Aloe Vera after exposing your skin to the sun to soothe the affected areas. You can also use jojoba oil which acts like a shield and helps in curing sunburnt skin.

I hope that my experience was an educational one (It was not fun) and hopefully some of you will take my advice when it comes to your skin. Not only did it hurt, but it’s also not good for your skin. It expedites your skin’s aging process and the older you get, again, the more sensitive your skin becomes.

Well that’s all for this post, If you liked this post be sure to comment your thoughts below. Subscribe for more tips and tricks, as well as new discoveries that I have found. Thank you for reading and I will talk to you soon!

XoXo – Nena Stylez

P.S. – What are some things you use to avoid sunburns? and what do you use to cure your sunburns?