I’ve heard people say that there’s no way that black people can get sunburn. Well, that’s absolutely false.
My first sunburn experience happened when I was studying abroad in Spain. I’d spend the morning in class and then spend the rest of the day at the beach soaking up the sun.
To be honest, I don’t recall if I put on sunscreen or not. But after a couple of days, I noticed tiny bumps forming on my thighs. I thought I had an allergic reaction to something. I was in a new country eating food I had never eaten before, so it could have had something to do with my diet, I thought to myself. It turned out I had sunburn.
About a year later, I went back home to Jamaica and again spent hours in the sun at the beach. Sure enough, I developed sunburn.
Fast forward to a few days ago. We decided to take the kids to the beach. I made sure that the kids had sunscreen on and this time I lathered up as well.
The kids were having so much fun that I lost track of time. We must have spent a few hours in the hot sun and at some point, I took off my sun hat and shades. Boy that was a big mistake.
I began itching the next day. My hubby finally said, “you might have sunburn.”
“But I put on sunscreen,” I replied.
“I guess you missed some spots,” he answered.
The itching continued on my cheeks, all over my lower back and down to my thighs.
It turns out that I may have had sun poisoning, which is a severe case of sunburn. It began with an itchy stinging feeling. As you can see by the photos, it was pretty inflamed too.
The moral of the story is to limit sun exposure. We were at the beach for about a few hours, and that was way too long. Also, don’t forget to put on sunscreen multiple times throughout the day and wear a legionnaires hat. I only applied it once, but funny enough I kept the kids lathered up. They were sunburn free.
My hubby and I on the other hand suffered the consequences. Oh and don’t forget to wear sunscreen all year round. Some people think there’s no need to apply it during winter months, and that’s completely false too.
The next time someone says that black people don’t get sunburn, please share this post.
How often do you apply sunscreen?
Yes, I can attest to the fact that this is true. Many years ago I fell asleep on a surfboard and got the worst case of sunburn you could imagine. I won’t even tell you about the pealing I experienced afterwards…
Sorry to hear that happen to u. I have gotten sunburn before to the point where my skin was sore…it was a beach day in Jamaica and i spent over 2hrs in the midday sun. I learned my lesson
Girl Yes! When you have dark skin you think you are invincible.LOL My first time was in Florida. I did not even know what it was, but it was hurting and the next day it started peeling. My white friends had to school me. Granted I was out there for hours, but it happened.
I know. The sun is pretty intense.
Sorry to hear. It’s so important to lather up on sunscreen. So easy to forget.