Outdoors

These insane sunburns will make you want to hide indoors

Finally, it’s summer and the sun is out. And that means it’s time for long days outside, sunbathing, and, for some, the dreaded sunburn. Here’s a scenario you might just be familiar with: a long, beautiful day on the beach or in a hammock, during which you fall into a gentle slumber in the searing sun. When you wake, you spend a few suspicious minutes squinting at your skin. Is that a hint of pink you detect? Of course, within a few hours, it’s apparent that you should have reapplied the sunscreen, and soon you’re an unpleasant beet-like shade of red. By bedtime, even the gentle touch of your bedsheets is too painful to bear.

Of course, the upside of all this is that when you see another person with an intense sunburn, you can empathize—and maybe laugh a little. After all, sunburns don’t discriminate: they can show up in strange shapes and in unusual places, from the top of your head to to your littlest toe. So, as a public service announcement, we’ve collected some photos of the most ridiculous, painful-looking, and unlikely sunburns of all time.

Hopefully this will serve as a reminder of the importance of applying sunscreen, avoiding direct sun, and wearing ridiculous floppy hats. Happy sunbathing!