Sunburn - a little lesson, I suppose...

[eire1274]

What you see below is my upper back and shoulders, unedited. Yes, it's icky. I'm sorry.

Tuesday, I volunteered to mow the front pad (around 2 acres) at the shop where I work. There was no PC-related stuff for me to do, to it was either mow or mop the restrooms to keep from falling over dead from boredom, and I figured a nice reasonably cool (low 80°s, Fahrenheit) and clear day that the air outside would be preferable to ammonia and restroom vapors.

I was out there for around 4 hours, from 9AM to around 1PM. The time frame was due to a problem with the mower and the fact that the pad (which is supposed to be mowed by the county, but we have yet to see them out there this year) had plants taller than my waist, to it was a bit of a chore.

4 hours is too long for a regular person to skip wearing sunblock. In my case, given the fact that I take coumadin on a regular basis, not wearing heavy sunblock or wearing clothes that covered my fully, was just a case of stupidity on my part. Coumadin can (and in my place has) affect skin density on small levels, and can make sun resistance fade.

This is the worst sunburn I have ever had. Period.

Tuesday, I was pink and complaining. Normal.

Wednesday, much the same.

Thursday afternoon, the blisters formed on my upper back.

Friday, my shoulders started. I saw a doctor, who simply recommended frequent cool showers, antibiotic salve or ointment, and keeping it all exposed to air. Tylenol was

Saturday, when these pictures were taken, I was leaking everywhere. Saturday night, after a short car ride to drop off my younger brother, I had broken so much just leaning against the seat had left me with a soaking t-shirt and a car seat that I HAD TO CLEAN. Yuk.

Sunday the healing process started. Itchy, itchy, itchy, and I can't touch it!

I'm still pink now, and finally feel like I'm getting over this. Far less pain, and I'm pretty much blister free. Let the peeling begin.

Take care in the sun, folks. This week sucked! Last night was the first night I actually slept all night, and it was a major relief! Sunblock is your friend!

[nighthawk15]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW thats some bad burning:noway :shocking :noway :shocking

[deathrow]

Yea, i hate sun poisioning, had it at the beach because i didnt wear sunblock face was all blistered and swollen

[Drizzt]

I'm guessing you will be a little more diligent with the sunblock from this point on huh? The sun has been wicked this year for sure. I managed to get a lot of hot sun while helping my dad & neighbors build our fences. While I used sunblock most of the time, I skipped a couple times & wound up nicely burnt, blistered and peeling a few days later. Those blisters really are icky when they break. Yuck!

You really have to watch it when there is a good stiff breeze because you don't notice yourself getting burnt.

[Care^Bear]

Ouch, hope you get better soon. :Holy Crap

[Tivon]

I'm a white man myself and that's what happens under full sunlight without any shade. The problem with sunblock is that some brands can burn your eyes. There is nothing wrong with going out in the full sun for 1 or 2 hous, but after that you need to use something next time. You can build up a suntan, but in the long run that's bad for your skin and you age faster.

[Kindom934]

Holy...:shocking

Thats some pretty darn bad sun burn! Freak, I'd hate to ever have anything like that!

Argh....thinking of sunburn is making my back tingle....

[KaNaDiAnIcEmAn]

pwned by sun.

if you know you do not tan, NEVER test your chance, always, and i mean ALWAYS, wear sun screen.

Im hungarian so i tan pretty darn nice.

[tanman_sg]

Whoa, and you don't even have an ozone hole above your head!

That's an extreme sunburn...

Get better soon!

[bejohnson]

Nick, We Irish tend to be intolerant of the sun. Use a SPF 30+ waterproof sunscreen and buy yourself one of these.

http://www.theumbrellahat.com/images/green.jpg

[nighthawk15]

Nick, We Irish tend to be intolerant of the sun. Use a SPF 30+ waterproof sunscreen and buy yourself one of these.

http://www.theumbrellahat.com/images/green.jpg


Hmmmmmmmm thats strange, I supposedly have a lot of Irish in me and don't burn too easily at all. I've spent all day out in the sun many times with little to no burning, just a tan. Do germans take the sun well? Because if they do that would explain it as I have a lot of German in my family also:Blah

EDIT: Nice umbrella hat by the way.

[Kindom934]

Interesting...

I got a very light tan on places where are exposed to the sun (i.e. elbow to sholder, kneels to feet) but I don't think Asians burn super eazy. The last time which I remember I burned up from sunburn was when I was like....going to 5th grade I think. I had bad sunburn on my back and boy it was painful to sleep. Had blister, one was the size of a quarter...something like those big bubble wrap thing, only thing that it was on my back and filled with water...

Reason why I don't get sun burn now? I'm always in the house now...

[Maro]

Ouch!

Lots of Aloe Vera when it's healed a bit more. You know it's going to Itch like a b%*##$#D!

Take it easy. :Thumb

[eire1274]

Nick, We Irish tend to be intolerant of the sun. Use a SPF 30+ waterproof sunscreen and buy yourself one of these.
You know what? What I did last Tuesday is what I've done for the last 20 years. I'm not all Irish... there is a little Sioux in there, too. A gift to my family. We don't necessarily tan on extreme levels, but we DO NOT BURN like this, ever. Took 3 years of a continuing medical side effect to cause this in me.

Now, I burn like a true Irishman!
Ouch!

Lots of Aloe Vera when it's healed a bit more. You know it's going to Itch like a b%*##$#D!
Yeah, I know. The itching has started to set in. I'm in the healing phase, and I know I CAN'T scratch like I want to! :spin

Thanks for the comments, all.

Hehehe... itchy tasty...

[egarrard]

My first thought was, "4 hours of mowing in the hot sun? I thought he was married..." Then I realised that you were at work. :Wink :lmao

[Bodhisattva]

Man...when you burn like that, you have a great risk of those area developing melanoma. I would keep a vigil eye on those areas over the next few months.

[Tivon]

Something else we should all watch out for. Just got stung on my righthand thumb be some small wasps! OUCH! :noway

Baking soda paste on it now and 2 IB's going down as we speak.

[3dGameMan]

My god man, are you ok??? That looks totally nasty :( I've had a few sun buns, but nothing like that. HOLY COW! :jawsdown

[eire1274]

Man...when you burn like that, you have a great risk of those area developing melanoma. I would keep a vigil eye on those areas over the next few months.
Well, I'm watching it for possible bacterial infection... that's my big worry. But, yep, now I've got to watch that skin closely. Blah.
Something else we should all watch out for. Just got stung on my righthand thumb be some small wasps! OUCH!
I haven't been stung since I was 13. Got attacked by a nest of yellowjackets.

Since then, I've ben quite respectful.

[deathrow]

Hmmmmmmmm thats strange, I supposedly have a lot of Irish in me and don't burn too easily at all. I've spent all day out in the sun many times with little to no burning, just a tan. Do germans take the sun well? Because if they do that would explain it as I have a lot of German in my family also:Blah

EDIT: Nice umbrella hat by the way.


I dont but thats just me :Wink (80%+ german remember :D)

[Tivon]

I had a can of wasp and hornet killer. I didn't get them all because it was daylight and only one good spray left. Oh well.. that will teach them one sting = death. ;)

[eire1274]

Peeling is well under way now. Got some sweat going yesterday that loosened everything up. Unfortunately, the skin underneath isn't epidermis yet... still mostly dermis, especially where the blisters were, and I'm hurting again. I've got an aloe vera gel with lidocaine, but that won't go on until most of the leather has shed off.

Weeee! I'm having so much fun! :Crying

[Happy Camper]

Peeling is well under way now. Got some sweat going yesterday that loosened everything up. Unfortunately, the skin underneath isn't epidermis yet... still mostly dermis, especially where the blisters were, and I'm hurting again. I've got an aloe vera gel with lidocaine, but that won't go on until most of the leather has shed off.

Weeee! I'm having so much fun! :Crying
Nothing a little morphine won't solve...

Seriously though, that sucks, and there isn't really much more you can do than what's already been suggested. I just hope it heals fairly quickly.

[eire1274]

Nothing a little morphine won't solve...
Well, obviously you don't know me well, so...

Following open-heart surgery, I refused morphine. Flat out, don't give it to me. Apparently this is very unusual (so I've been told), and they moved me over to hydrocodone tablets just to keep my body reasonably de-stressed.

The problem is that morphine kills pain very well, but it also messes with the brain in ways that I just can't tolerate. Thoughts go from ordered and logical to seemingly random, and you can't focus on a task like your sober brain can. Very unpleasant, and I am horrified that people inject it, or chemicals that become morphine, into themselves because they enjoy that sensation of disordered thought... creepy.

[slugbug]

I was vacationing in New Brunswick some time ago, and made the mistake of wearing shorts on a day ocean fishing trip. My legs were covered in blisters the following day, and I could barely move the rest of the week.

ps: you don't want to get a bad sunburn on your feet :o

I've had heat stroke twice since and have learned to avoid spending too much time in the sun. Heat stroke is not fun :Sigh

[Drizzt]

Well, obviously you don't know me well, so...

Following open-heart surgery, I refused morphine. Flat out, don't give it to me. Apparently this is very unusual (so I've been told), and they moved me over to hydrocodone tablets just to keep my body reasonably de-stressed.

The problem is that morphine kills pain very well, but it also messes with the brain in ways that I just can't tolerate. Thoughts go from ordered and logical to seemingly random, and you can't focus on a task like your sober brain can. Very unpleasant, and I am horrified that people inject it, or chemicals that become morphine, into themselves because they enjoy that sensation of disordered thought... creepy.

He was kidding Nick....

The hint was when he started the second sentence with "Seriously though, ..." ;)

[eire1274]

ps: you don't want to get a bad sunburn on your feet :o
Back in high school, a (still currently) good friend was a competitive swimmer. He napped off during a meet after his event, and did as bad on the soles of his feet as I did in the pictures at the top. Terrible. He went 4 weeks without being able to stand, at least comfortably.
My god man, are you ok??? That looks totally nasty I've had a few sun buns, but nothing like that. HOLY COW! :jawsdown
I'm good. Still leaving my genetic material (e.g. skin) everywhere. I'm waiting for my first clone to show up and kill me, and take my place in this odd little life I've got going. Sorry I missed your post, Rod!

[eire1274]

He was kidding Nick....

The hint was when he started the second sentence with "Seriously though, ..." ;)
I'm Irish. If I don't rant on and off, I explode. Let me rant. It's all for the safety of others, OK? :lmao

[Happy Camper]

Well, obviously you don't know me well, so...

Just a little joke. Sorry I touched a nerve.

[eire1274]

Just a little joke. Sorry I touched a nerve.
Not really. No worries.

Seriously, I was just off on a rant! It happens every once in a while! :Wink