A Tale Of Getting Too Much Sun | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

A Tale Of Getting Too Much Sun

As told by the palest of them all.

22
A Tale Of Getting Too Much Sun
YouTube

There are two types of people in this world: people who get beautiful natural tans and people who just say the word "sun" and instantly get third-degree burns.

As one of those unfortunate people, I have recently experienced one of my worst sunburns to date. It is 100 percent percent my fault (as it oftentimes is), even though I thought I put on more sunscreen than is probably legal.

But that's how it always starts isn't it?

You go to the beach with good intentions

but the sun has other plans for you, and not even sunblock can save you.

You go home realizing the damage has been done, while also praying that it's not going to be so bad this time around.

But it's worse. It's always worse.

Perhaps a cool shower may help ease the pain? Nope!

What you thought was going to be a peaceful shower after a long hot day at the beach quickly turns into excruciating torture by the pounding water that is now assaulting your newly burned skin.

Once you are out of the torture chamber, you apply as much aloe as possible to get some kind of relief.

But it doesn't last very long.

After covering yourself in a lifetime supply of aloe, you head off to bed. You know you'll be alright once you fall asleep and dream of a better, less painful place.

But of course that doesn't happen because you can't even get comfortable in your bed, you know, since you feel like your skin is going to burst into flames at any moment.

What most people don't talk about (but what you have experienced too often), is that sometime during the night you start to feel incredibly sick— chills, nausea, the works. You definitely got too much sun, and your body is going into shock.

Great, bring on the blankets.

When your hellish fever breaks the next morning, you feel great, but that happiness only lasts for a moment, as you look in the mirror and see that you are even more red today than you were yesterday.

Besides for looking like a tomato, every part of your body is in so much pain, and even the most simple things are no longer doable.

Getting dressed is the real struggle because putting clothes on top of your burn is super painful, so you have two options.

1. Wear as little material as possible, and be prepared to receive comments and stares.

2. Cover up your entire body so you don't get comments or stares, but be prepared to be in extraordinary amounts of pain (bonus: your covered areas will not get any more sun).

Choose wisely.

When you see your friends or family, all they'll want to do is poke you to see how badly you got burned - do not let them.

Next comes the blistering and peeling. Brace yourself, this stage lasts for a very long time.

There isn't enough moisturizer in the world that can make this any less unattractive, but hang in there, you'll get through it.

Finally your skin no longer burns and the peeling is done, but instead of being beautifully tan like you thought you would be, you're actually just as pale as you were before.

You then vow to never ever go back to the beach. You won't go through that again. This love-hate (mostly hate) relationship is officially O. V. E. R.


Maybe you'll just go get a spray tan.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

2010
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1252
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

388
winter

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1796
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments