People Share 50 Of The Most Hilarious And Painful-looking Sunburns After Thinking They Don't Need Sunscreen

Sunburn has a way of turning a normal day outside into an instant regret. In this roundup, people who thought they could skip sunscreen learned the hard way that UV damage does not care how confident you feel at the start.

The images below show everything from awkward tan lines to full-on painful burns, with plenty of people realizing too late that a little protection would have saved them a lot of discomfort. Some of the results are funny, some are brutal, and a few are hard to look at without wincing. Read on.

1. "Sunscreen is very effective, but I can’t reach the middle of my back."

Reddit/HenningAW

2. "Tan lines, not tan dots."

OP hilariously captioned, "Tan lines are sexy, right? When you forget to put sunscreen on your feet."Imgur/BobHopeLives

3. "Less than an hour in the sun, with factor 50 AND factor 70 all over me."

Reddit/inkwitxh

That first mistake shows up fast.

4. "I have one small but gross blister on my back, and my whole body aches."

Reddit/hiiibaaats

5. "Leave it to a ginger to get sunburnt fishing off the bank when it’s in the high 50’s."

Reddit/ehunly71

6. Realization for OP while working in an outdoor vaccine clinic.

"Didn't think about sunscreen... Now I have a mask-shaped sunburn, but only on half my face," this woman posted.Reddit/thatwillnotsuffice

7. Socks made of sunburn.

Reddit/indysleep

8. Aang, the legend of sunburn.

"I wore a mesh hat on a 30-mile hike. Feeling like Aang today," stated this Redditor.Reddit/jurz90

9. "Got a new job where I have to wear a uniform and gloves while working outside; now I look like this."

Reddit/arxtix

10. Which is worse, the sunburn or the hair?

Twitter/neonixdub

Some of these tan lines are doing the most.

11. "Is there a chemist open this evening in Abersock or Porthcawl?"

Twitter/ @SetCheshire

12. "The tan lines on my feet."

Reddit/dramignophyte

13. Is this how a Neapolitan ice cream looks?

"I bought some new shorts that are shorter than my other shorts for work. Now my leg looks like Neapolitan ice cream," according to OP.Reddit/chet-

14. "My boyfriend only put sunscreen on his tattoo while hiking, and this really showed how useful sunscreen is compared to socks."

Reddit/wanksies

15. "My wife helped me sunscreen my back at beach day today (TWICE)!"

Reddit/Leeroy_D

16. "My brother works outdoors and wears the same hat every day."

Reddit/LivingInColor8

17. "Me and my coworkers tan." Do they wear the same shoes?

Reddit/Beans-n-egg

18. Ripped jeans and ripped skin.

Twitter/mcbridemc23

19. "I’m not gonna be in the pool that long; I won’t need sunscreen."

Reddit/123mitchg

20. When you see those tan lines.

Instagram/bikepsyke

And if you think solo plans are risky, read the AITA about going solo in Bali after a friend bailed last minute.

21. OP showing their tan lines after cycling in the United States.

Reddit/caliborntravel

22. What a cool and unique mark!

As posted by u/xJacon, "This patch on my skin never tans/burns. I’ve had it since I was born!"Reddit/xJacon

23. If you want to be a human and snake hybrid, try fishnets. Proven by OP.

Reddit/Anahell

24. Thought he was wearing a top.

"Ran the London Marathon a couple of years back. Think I missed a bit with the sunscreen," the guy posted as he showed his sunburns.Reddit/mikeszabo20

25. "When you forget to put sunscreen on your face, but at least your sunglasses work."

Instagram/aandjclemmer

26. Probably better than wearing Crocs and having a polka dot foot.

"Tanned a bit too much while wearing shoes. Kids call them my chimp feet," shared by OP.Reddit/vectorious1

27. "Like an idiot, I chose not to wear sunscreen."

Reddit/datchilidoh

28. "Leigh left his sunglasses on!"

Instagram/coombears

29. "At my school, this tan line was a status symbol."

Reddit/TigzyWigzy

30. What a flex.

"Bradley Fraser posted, 'I managed to make almost a perfect straight-edged rectangle on my back with my haphazard sunscreen application. I have no idea how I managed this.'He added, 'My back is muscularly improving. I am not accepting hugs at this time.'Instagram/bradley_viking42

31. Finding the joy.

Reddit/technoviking_onigiri

32. "My dad is two different people."

Reddit/illbeyournursetoday

33. "I got a temp tattoo, got a sunburn, and got this imprint."

Reddit/0zzyking

34. "My tan lines make me look like I’m wearing necro-pants."

Reddit/elite4caleb

35. "I have to sit for two and a half hours in direct sunlight for my brother's graduation."

Reddit/River_Atkinson

36. Is this friendship over?

This Redditor posted, "I asked my friend to spray sunscreen on my back... not the most even coat."Reddit/LambSause26

37. "I don’t need sunscreen; I’ll just wear a hat."

Reddit/JAH_1315

38. "PSA: If you’re using spray sunscreen, please rub it in."

Twitter/@Katie Hamilton

One bad application can still leave a mess.

39. "Went out on a boat without sunscreen today, and now I have what I am calling the bib of pain."

Reddit/Whitefence227711

40. "I didn’t wear my watch to the beach and got a strip of sunburn."

Reddit/friendofmany

41. If you're wondering what a Crocs tan looks like.

Reddit/Skintoodeep

42. "Last summer, my wife 'sprayed' sunscreen all over my back."

Reddit/ryanthesmith

43. Matching these white gloves with a white shirt.

"I’m a solar roofer, and we are required to wear gloves while we work... it's only May," OP stated as he showed his tan lines.Reddit/ItsJustGrandpa

44. Seems like he's wearing white socks.

"My dad's white feet and tanned legs. He wears the same shoes every day," OP shared.Reddit/G-radicus

45. Like a tiger.

OP asked, "First day at the beach, and my wife made sure I was protected from sunburn by spraying my back with sunscreen. I can’t see back there—did she do a good job?"Reddit/Kratsas

46. When you insist on putting sunscreen on without anyone's help.

Reddit/ddaug4uf

47. "I probably should have covered his whole back in sunscreen and not just his moles."

Instagram/joss_co7054

48. "Be careful when applying spray-on sunscreen."

Reddit/3rdfloorChair29

49. "Throwback to that time my backwards hat and lack of sun cream resulted in a bellend being burnt onto my forehead."

Instagram/mr_g_f_a

50. Was he wearing a mankini?

Instagram/tremil89

By the end, the burns are almost as memorable as the jokes.

Wet skin is more susceptible to sunburn. If you intend to swim frequently, you should get enough water-resistant sunscreen.

Sunscreen isn't the only precaution you can take. Long-sleeved shirts and caps can also block UV radiation.

Sunburn symptoms, such as stinging and burning skin, typically develop after a few hours of exposure to sunlight. Take note of these things before having fun under the sun!

For more “we thought it would be fine” drama, see how parents’ failed salon dreams turned into chaos across family photo albums.