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.
#1 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
Image credits: exploreandremember
#2 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
Image credits: Dr-Not-a-Milkman
#3 Perks Of Having Red Hair: Free Cancer
Image credits: jessesewell
#4 Just A Friendly Public Service Announcement: Make Sure Your Sunblock Is Not Expired And You Actually Use It
Image credits: tammyroe20
#5 Took My Boyfriend To The Beach Today, And He Fell Asleep In The Sun. This Is The Result
Image credits: be.my.serene
#6 My Sock Tan Looks Like I Have Socks On
Image credits: IcyIsosceles
#7 Someone Didn’t Want To Ask For Help With Their Sunscreen
Image credits: thedeparted85
#8 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
Image credits: rabbidplatypus21
#9 Husband's Summer Tan Looks Like A Stranger's Hand
Image credits: IrisHopp
#10 What Do You Think Of My Tan?
Image credits: travelling__tales
#11 Missed Sunscreen
Image credits: KarmaDeliveryMan
#12 Well, It's Official, I'm An Idiot, And Summer Has Just Begun
Image credits: rkyrocrat
#13 I Forgot To Put Sun Block On My Legs During A Kayak Trip On The Lake
Image credits: Tekki
#14 The Difference Between My And My Brother's Tan
Image credits: YungTinkerbell
#15 The Hair On The Pale Part Of My Watch Tan Is Black, But The Hair On The Tan Part Of My Arm Is White
Image credits: jamaicanhopscotch
#16 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
Image credits: earthling1117
#17 My Son’s Sunburn Matches The Gradient Of His Shirt
Image credits: hellotypewriter
#18 Awful Sunburn. It Hurts
Image credits: Hillary0631
#19 My Cousin's Neat Tan
Image credits: wowwhatagreataudience
#20 Day In The Sun + Backwards Cap = Awkward Sunburn. Top Effort Dom
Image credits: kmarkham_golf_fitness
#21 Love My New Slip-On Vans, Hate The Tan Lines
Image credits: BlueMacaw
#22 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
Image credits: mat_brooks
#23 My Friend's Crazy Tan Lines
Image credits: sanjirou3
#24 My Husband Got Scalp Edema From A Severe Sunburn
Image credits: hippy_potto
#25 Sunburn On Vacation
Image credits: MapleSyrupLover_
#26 The After Effects Of Spending All Weekend In The Pool Wearing Sunglasses
Image credits: meghanly86
#27 Dude, Look At My Tan Lines
Image credits: patrick_oleary_art
#28 I Work Outdoors, This Is The Color Difference Of My Hand And My Foot
Image credits: 420trainwreck
#29 Oh Yeah. Now That's Different
Image credits: dirtbagpoet.of.troy
#30 I've Put Sunscreen On My Face And Wiped My Fingers On My Arm
Image credits: Coperoni
#31 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
Image credits: BirdieFive
#32 New Rule: No Matter How Much The Sunscreen Costs (After You Drunkenly Lose The One You Brought) You Buy It
Image credits: emfordhall
#33 Husker Day Burns. Ouch
Image credits: aliciakadavy
#34 Forgot Sunscreen
Image credits: grpvideoproductions
#35 My Sunburn Line Perfectly Follows My Vein
Image credits: Grc280
#36 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.
Image credits: al3237
#37 I Came Across This Picture Of A Sunburn I Got When I Was 17 Years Old At A NASCAR Race
Image credits: June_Third_2024
#38 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
Image credits: dragonxmother
#39 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
Image credits: wifi_is_fake
#40 Cook Until It Stings
Image credits: baristabj
#41 I Think I Missed Some Spots
Image credits: jcrawf05
#42 Thought I Would Get A Nice Base Tan Helping Out At My Customer's Farm For A Couple Hours
Image credits: SnowboardingEgg
#43 Went To An Amusement Park And Forgot Sunscreen But The Paint They Marked Me With Left A Tan Line
Image credits: judith-has-a-knife
#44 However, The Weather Did Not Seem So Aggressive That Morning. Luckily Grandma Gave Me A Tube Of Biafine For Christmas
Image credits: matt.paradiscap
#45 No, My Feet Are Not Dirty, That's My "3 Weeks In Keens" Tan Line
Image credits: lyra531
#46 My Tanned And Untanned Skin Tones Are Drastically Different
Image credits: CATNIP_IS_CRACK
#47 Today I Got A Raccoon Sunburn And My Chain Around My Neck Tan Too
Image credits: deans_pix
#48 Some Of My Worst Tan Fails. Pro Tip: You Don't Get Tan Lines If You Tan Naked
Image credits: lindasallstrom
#49 The Sun Is My Greatest Nemesis
Image credits: Rose262
#50 Spent 50 Minutes Outside Earlier
Image credits: b0ng-hits-f0r-jesus
#51 The Way My Bracelet Created This Tan Line
Image credits: kgxdfrey
#52 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
Image credits: fayenault
#53 Bike Glove Fail During His 10-Hour Ride
Image credits: cagri.ozertem
#54 Thought I'd Share My Recent Burn
Image credits: -_-Jack-_-
#55 My Trendy Tan Line
Image credits: kulacha.c
#56 It Wouldn't Be A Good Day If I Didn't End Up With 27 Different Tan Lines
Image credits: candidly.curcha
#57 Came Back From A Cruise And Noticed My Eyelid Has A Tan Line
Image credits: Big_Miss_Steak_
#58 When You Leave The UK Winter For An Aussie Summer
Image credits: martamasieroyoga
#59 Fifty Shades Of Tan Lines
Image credits: idagustafsson_pt
#60 My Burn From A Few Years Ago. Still Remember The Horrific Pain, Worst Sunburn I've Ever Experienced
Image credits: sarahdasgupta
#61 Went To A Music Festival, Got This Gnarly Sunburn
Image credits: TheBlitzkid46
#62 I'm Half-Ginger. It Happens A Lot
Image credits: RareyDairy
#63 Never Trust The Mother-In-Law
Image credits: Akutalji
#64 I Got Sunburn But Not On My Shins Where I Have Calluses
Image credits: youngmarinelc
#65 Got The Worst Sunburn Of My Life Immediately After Totaling My Car
Image credits: staying-late91
#66 Missed A Spot With The Sunscreen
Image credits: Kcaz91
#67 Spent 45 Minutes In The Sun Today Without Sunscreen (Critical Mistake). To Be Fair, I Burn Really Easily Regardless, But Still
Image credits: bgrif59
#68 The Weather Was Nice Outside Yesterday
Image credits: D15c0untMD
#69 Birkenstock Tan
Image credits: khaleefa91
#70 Nothing Like A Beautiful Tan Line
Image credits: jdjdjdjdfy
#71 Don't Paint Fences In The Sun And Get Paint On You
Image credits: shannon_alana1
#72 Sunburn Stopped By Vein
Image credits: BuckyBigLegs
#73 Note To Self: Remove Sandals Before Tanning Next Time
Image credits: sarajlarson
#74 When Your Pool Is Not Open Yet So You Have To Sunbathe On Your Patio In A Regular Chair
Image credits: chelso.fitsta
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