A couple of weeks ago, I got sunburnt. I'm not talking your regular, "Oops, I forgot to put on sunscreen, baby burn." I'm talking, I was outside from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. without having proper face coverage. Let me tell you, the following week was hell.
The weather was and still is very spring-like; rainy, windy, a little chilly. So, I went outside prepared for the cold. I had sneakers, capri leggings, and a baggy sweatshirt. It was so cold that I actually wished I had chosen sweatpants instead of the capris. I almost, I repeat, almost grabbed a hat but unfortunately did not. As the day went on my face began to sting. Then, it hit me. I was about to turn into a red tomato.
After I had finally finished my outside duties (I was refereeing volleyball games), I went up to my room and inspected my face. It didn't look too bad, but man did it burn. As the day progressed my face got worse.
I was applying aloe on an hourly basis, and drinking tons of water. I did not feel well at all. (FYI, I recommend the blue, cooling kind of aloe because it makes your face feel like you're sticking it in the freezer and that is all I ever want to do when I'm sunburnt.)
The following day, my mom and brother came up to visit me and laughed upon seeing me. (Mostly because I had a pretty sick capri legging sunburn that made me look like I was wearing pink, high socks.) Then, my mom scolded me, telling me to wear a hat.
The following week, you best believe that I did as such. I wore a hat every time I left my room. Even in the evening. Not only, did it protect my face from burning more, it gave my face the coverage needed to camouflage my burn.
I kept applying aloe and even attempted a baking soda/water mask. For those of you out there, who have never attempted this it burns. It burns so much that your face will cry. My face was pouring out water, it was low-key terrifying. Though, after the concoction dried, it felt really, really good. Supposedly, the baking soda helps speed along the healing process and help break up skin cancer causing agents? I don't really know the science and I didn't look it up until I had the mixture on my face, which in hindsight is probably not the best idea... if you want to see what I found, just go on google and look up "SOS can baking soda burn my face off?!?!"
(Don't forget to snap a pic with song lyrics that relate to your current situation.)
Throughout the week, my face went from having lizard-like scales to salami-like spots. The scales were from the scabbing, and the salami spots were what happened when the scabs fell off. It was honestly a tad bit terrifying. Almost worse than the time I got hives for the first time and thought I was going to be covered in these itchy bumps for the rest of my life, but that's another story.
Thankfully my face healed, for the most part, in time for my sorority's formal and now it is back to normal.
This experience taught me that wherever I go, bring a hat. Hats are so helpful and they will protect your face from the harsh sun. Side note, I should probably invest in some sunscreen and make that a part of my daily regimen.
Please, please, please protect your face and your skin because the body you have is the body that you'll have for the rest of your life. You gotta treat it well so that it treats you well.
