Woman spends hours outside in sun but ends up with more than just a tan

When it's sunny outside, it's natural to want to try and catch a tan, but some people have been sharing their skin woes lately. Paige Cudini is one person who shared their skincare horrors as she documented what happened after she spent some time in the sun.

She told her story in a TikTok video, and she looked super happy posing in a wetsuit two hours before the unthinkable happened. After spending some time in the sun, she soon started to notice some huge changes to her face - and now she's urging people to protect their skin properly while enjoying the glorious weather and travelling abroad.

In a picture she shared of herself the morning after, Paige's face had totally swelled and she had to cover her face in aloe vera. Even though things started to get better, the situation soon esculated again, and her eyes and nose started to "puff up" -highlighting the great importance of wearing sunscreen properly.

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As matters progressed, her face started "blistering", and she lost the ability to use her one eye. Her eyelashes also started to fall out, and her skin started to peel off "in chunks."

Paige noted she had to go to the doctor to aid the situation in the end, as she had experienced something known as sun poisoning. This can manifest on the face as severe sunburn with symptoms like redness, swelling and painful blisters.

Sometimes people can also experience fever, headaches, nausea and dehydration. Unlike a typical sunburn, sun poisoning can need medical attention.

After Paige shared the video, people were left totally gobsmacked. Many asked how it happened, and Paige noted it's something that's "definitely preventable."

When it happened, Paige thinks she was too dehydrated and her SPF wasn't high enough when she ventured outside. She encouraged people to take super good care of their skin in the sun, as her skin took a while to heal and get back to normal.

One person said: "Crazy that this is totally preventable." Another added: "This happened to me in the UK when it was cloudy. For sure learnt my lesson and now always wear sunscreen."

A third replied: "This happened to me in Acapulco. Traumatised me for life. It is super scary when you see your face swollen like a ballon. Glad you're feeling better."

Meanwhile, a fourth also commented: "This happened to me when I was 10. It was the worst pain and trauma of my life, and I needed to go to hospital when I returned from holiday."

While some people questioned whether sun poisoning is a "real thing", it is real, even though it's not considered a formal medical term. Usually, it's used to refer to severe sunburn that causes systemic symptoms beyond the typical redness and pain of a sunburn.

People often use the term "sun poisoning" to refer to a more intense reaction to sun exposure, which may include blisters, fever, chills, nausea and other systemic symptoms. In a nutshell, it's a severe case of sunburn with extra complications.

How to protect your skin

When it comes to protecting your skin in the sun, the NHS advises: "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.

"Spend time in the shade when the sun is strongest. In the UK, this is between 11am and 3pm from March to October."

When the weather is really warm, people are advised to spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm, to never burn, cover up with suitable clothing and sunglasses, take extra care with children and use at least factor 30 sunscreen.

You shouldn't rely on sunscreen alone to protect your skin from the sun. The NHS says it's important to wear suitable clothing, and to spend plenty of 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
• At least 4-star UVA protection

The NHS adds: "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. Do not spend any longer in the sun than you would without sunscreen."