We asked the BuzzFeed Community to show us pictures of their absolute worst sunburns ever. Here are the jaw-dropping results.
Luckily these people can laugh about it now, but sunburns are no joke! If anything, let this be a lesson that you should always wear sunscreen!
1. This completely unfiltered picture:
It was even cloudy and cold.
2. This Neapolitan ice cream:
We were in Carolina Beach for a weekend, laying and drinking on a dock. Suns out, buns out, right? This was the end result.
3. This inflated head:
So the photo on the top-left is my face, pre-sunburn. The top-right is the second day after the burn. Bottom-left is day three, and bottom-right is day four. The fluid basically just migrated south. So, wear sunscreen so you don’t end up looking like this.
4. This tanning mishap:
5. These multi-colored armpits:
I even reapplied SPF 50 three times! I think my armpits were a crowd favorite when I showed my friends.
6. This peeling face:
I went snowboarding in Oregon and didn't think to wear face protection. Also, putting a bandage on my burn blister was the dumbest thing I've ever done. It literally ripped my skin right off.
7. These cringeworthy legs:
The picture doesn’t completely do it justice, but this happened to my dad a few years ago. His legs were tomato red after a family reunion. He woke up the next day to this and took oatmeal baths for weeks.
8. This Golden Gate Bridge:
9. This tattoo coverup:
This isn’t even the worst one I’ve had, but it for sure still sucked. Remember to use sunscreen, y’all! If not because you’re pasty, do it to preserve your tattoos!!!
10. This layered mistake:
My friend was even wearing SPF 110!
11. This unlucky mark:
I'm Puerto Rican, so I didn’t think I needed sunscreen...?
12. This glistening back:
What started as a cloudy day at the beach later turned into a sunny one. Both my husband and I got excruciating burns, but he got what's apparently called "hell's itch" where the nerve endings are also burned. Needless to say, don't let the clouds fool you. And, yes, my skin matches the bathroom walls.
13. This utter disaster:
My wetsuit line and knees being bent at the right angle made for a weird sunburn.
14. This red tomato:
Had an outdoor swim meet on a cold, cloudy day. How did this happen?!
15. This unhappy camper:
I swear I reapplied sunscreen!
16. This new shade of red:
Me earlier that day: "Nah, I️ don’t need sunblock.”
17. This long pull:
Fell asleep outside at a 1975 concert. Round three of peeling.
18. These unfavorable feet:
I fell asleep on the beach and got burned on my feet so badly that I couldn’t wear shoes for a week. To add to the fun, strangers kept coming up to me to tell me how bad my sunburn was!
19. This disappointed couple:
20. This compelling color:
Thanks to my lace cap sleeve dress.
21. This skin-tight bracelet:
One football game and many regrets later.
22. This work of art:
I insisted I didn’t need help putting on sunscreen before a 50-mile bike ride on a sunny, 90-degree day.
23. This scarlet face:
This was six years ago, and it's still the worst sunburn I've ever had.
24. This sad exposure:
25. This hairy burn:
Two hours of golfing on the first nice weekend of the year.
26. And this "happy" stencil:
Color Run, circa 2014. Not the worst sunburn I’ve had, but by far the most embarrassing. I had to wear chunky necklaces for months before it faded. Don’t forget the sunscreen, kids!