A teenager has shared photos of her agonizing giant balloon-shaped blisters after getting sunburned while on holiday.
Maisie Squires, 16, from Leeds, suffered severe burns to her entire back while snorkeling with her family in Cuba this week.
She says she had been wearing sunscreen but just an hour was long enough for the tropical rays to cook her fair skin.
To make matters even worse, Squires had to take a nine-hour flight back to the UK the next day.
Shocking images posted on Facebook show that her blisters were so bad that they visibly stuck out underneath her T-shirt.
“So mind how swollen and disgusting my back looks, but this is what my sunburn turned into this morning just before a 9-hour flight back home to England So shocked! A&E it is! (wear sun cream),” Squires captioned the post.
“I was snorkeling for one hour and my back was showing, but I didn’t realize my back was burning and I did wear suncream. I’ve blistered like that because the sun was very hot in Cuba on Tuesday and I have very fair skin.”
One image shows someone lifting Squires’ top, exposing two bulging yellow blisters.
The one on the left is so big it droops down while the one on the right is smaller but still prominent enough to poke through her top.
Painful black marks surround the blister, including two smaller ones beneath her bikini strap while almost her entire back is bright red.
The post has been shared more than 10,000 times on Facebook, with thousands of people commenting beneath it.
“This happened to me with factor 50 on my legs as I’m so fair and burn I feel for you that looks so sore, I had blisters but not that big,” one woman commented. “Hope you start healing and recover soon.”
Another woman said: “Looks like 3rd degree burns almost.”
“That looks so sore hope it’s not done too much damage to your skin,” a well-wisher commented.
Others urged her to seek medical advice urgently.
“You need medical attention asap. I am very surprised if they let you fly. They are severe burns and you may need a skin graft. You’re at high risk of infection too. Please seek medical attention asap,” a woman pleaded.
“Your body may also go into shock at any time due to the burns and also sunstroke. I’m sorry to worry you. Please please seek medical help.”
Squires later posted an updated picture showing the blisters removed and confirmed she had been treated at the hospital.
“The blisters on my back are still very sore and I still cannot sit back or lay down on my back,” she said.
“I did not get them removed or anything as the hospital said to me that they will just have to pop on their own.”
Her dad, Dean Squires, said that his daughter was wearing sunscreen and hopes this serves as a warning to others.
“She was wearing sun cream on front and back. It happened on the last couple of days of the holiday. We went to the hospital and they put some Sudocrem on it and said to let it take its course naturally.
“The two bigger ones popped when her little sister ran past her on the bus shuttle from the airport and it popped them. She [Maisie] was screaming like hell. It weren’t [sic] nice for her at all.”
The 38-year-old also explained how the injuries were “much worse in real life” and said someone told her she’ll need a bra for her blisters.
“Every time I looked at her it was making me cringe, it was so much worse in real life,” he said.
“I’ve never seen as bad before. We know teenagers don’t listen but she was wearing cream and was still burnt. Hopefully, it’ll be a good warning to other people.
“Someone told her, ‘you’ll need a bra for those.’”
Take extra care
Experts have urged those who go snorkeling on holiday to take extra precaution.
“When swimming, particularly snorkeling which exposes your back to the sun for a long period, when the UV index is high then you need to take extra precautions,” a spokesperson from the British Association of Dermatologists told The Sun.
“Sunscreen will quickly wash off, so protective clothing such as a rash vest is a necessity.”
They added: “Prevention is always better than a cure when it comes to sunburn, as the ‘cure’ will only do so much, and the damage to the skin can’t be reversed.
“When it comes to protecting yourself we recommend staying in the shade between 11am-3pm, applying sunscreen with an SPF 30 and good UVA protection, and using protective clothing such as a hat, t-shirt, and sunglasses.
“Cases of severe sunburn, particularly in young children, should be seen by a doctor. If you suffer severe blistering then you should get help immediately, which means a trip to your local A&E.”
Source: Read Full Article
