I wanted a nice tan on holiday but got sun poisoning instead…I couldn’t open my eyes and looked like a chipmunk in A&E
A WOMAN has revealed that she expected to go on holiday and get a nice tan, but instead ended up with sun poisoning.
The young woman took a trip to Gran Canaria and explained that she had got sunburnt, but things started to go from bad to worse when her forehead became very swollen.
Shortly after, her whole face was swollen and she could barely open her eyes.
Describing herself as looking like a “chipmunk” the young woman ended up in A&E.
Posting on TikTok about her holiday hell, under the username @llioeriin, the woman shared her video with the caption ‘Watch me get sun poisoning.’
At the start of the clip, she shared a picture of her, posing on the beach, as she said: “Me expecting to get a nice tan on holiday but get sun positioning instead.”
Shortly after, the blonde-haired beauty shared a picture of her, from the side, as she noted: “Realised that my forehead started to swell.”
She then shared a series of videos of her face, with the swelling getting progressively worse.
She added: “Woke up the next morning with a swollen eye.”
Following this, she shared pictures of her with one eye closed, as she confirmed: “Couldn’t open my eye.”
Her face looked very red and she explained that it was “still getting worse.”
Shortly after, the woman shared a picture of her in bed, with her face even redder and increasingly swollen, as she explained: “Went for a nap and woke up to both of my eyes swollen.”
But things quickly got even worse, as we then saw a picture of the woman with both of her eyes barely able to open, as she noted: “Both of my eyes were shut and I couldn’t see anything.”
While she tried to remain positive about the situation, she joked: “Never looked better.”
But she then stressed an important reminder, as she urged people to “remember to wear suncream.”
The following day, the young woman explained that her eyes were able to open, but her cheeks were still badly swollen.
She revealed: “Went to the airport the next day and my face started peeling.
“Went to A&E and looked like a chipmunk.”
The woman later opened up about the terrifying ordeal and noted: “Thought I’d never be able to see again…”
She confirmed that it took “about a week” for the swelling and redness to subside.
The woman shared her clip just one day ago, but it has clearly shocked many, as it quickly went viral and has now amassed a whopping 4.5million views.
It has 469.9k likes, 4,669 comments and 6,511 shares.
Social media users were left in shock at the woman’s ordeal and were quick to express this in the comments.
One person said: “That’s absolutely terrifying omg.”
Another added: “This happened to me on vacation before and it was terrible.”
A third commented: “I’m so sorry this happened to you but all I could think about was how much you looked like Benedict Cumberbatch.”
According to Healthline, sun poisoning refers to a case of severe sunburn. It occurs after you’ve been exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun for an extended period of time.
Also known as polymorphic light eruption, sun poisoning can come in different forms based on your sensitivity to the sun. Unlike a mild sunburn, sun poisoning usually requires medical treatment to prevent complications.
Sun poisoning, on the other hand, is significantly worse than a mild sunburn. In addition to the usual sunburn-like symptoms, you might experience: blistering or peeling skin, severe redness and pain, fever (and sometimes chills), dehydration, confusion, nausea or vomiting, headaches, dizziness and fainting.
The term “sun poisoning” can be a bit misleading, as it presumes you are somehow poisoned because of sun exposure. Sun poisoning actually refers to a severe burn from UV-ray exposure.
This can happen from being out in the sun too long, not wearing sunscreen, or perhaps forgetting to take extra precautions if you’re at an increased risk for sunburn.
According to advice from the NHS, sunburn increases your risk of skin cancer. Sunburn does not just happen on holiday. You can burn in the UK, even when it’s cloudy.
There’s no safe or healthy way to get a tan. A tan does not protect your skin from the sun’s harmful effects.
Aim to strike a balance between protecting yourself from the sun and getting enough vitamin D from sunlight.
Make sure you spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm, never burn, cover up with suitable clothing and sunglasses, take extra care with children and use at least factor 30 sunscreen
Do not rely on sunscreen alone to protect yourself from the sun. Wear suitable clothing and spend time in the shade when the sun’s at its hottest.
When buying sunscreen, the label should have a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 to protect against UVB and at least 4-star UVA protection.
UVA protection can also be indicated by the letters “UVA” in a circle, which indicates that it meets the EU standard.
Make sure the sunscreen is not past its expiry date and do not spend any longer in the sun than you would without sunscreen.