12 Things People Who Sunburn Easily Know to Be True

It’s that time of year again — the time to apply three coatings of sunscreen every day. (Gif: teendotcom.tumblr)

Warmer weather is upon us, which means longer days and more opportunities to soak up that vitamin D.

But for those who burn easily under the sun’s rays, this is also the beginning of the months-long battle against pain. And redness. And peeling.

And oh, what a battle it is.

The time has come to march boldly into this period (all while hearing your mom’s echoes of “Did you reapply?!” in the back of your head). Below, find 12 things every person who sunburns easily knows to be true:

SPF 15? OH PLEASE, THAT CRAP DOES NOTHING.

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Your friends find it fun to come up with ways to describe the weird patchwork patterns on your body due to missing tiiiiiiiiny spots while applying sunblock.

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You’ve seriously considered filling your bathtub with aloe gel and sitting in it for hours.

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You have lotion with SPF, lip balm with SPF, and a sunblock stick in every purse or bag you use.

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When you scratch your flaking skin in public it results in blizzard-like conditions.

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You’ve needed to rotate seats during long car rides due to your outstanding ability to obtain the dreaded “Driving Burn.”

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You have at least one horror story in your past that involved falling asleep on the beach, and waking up burnt to a crisp. 

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This has almost happened to you, like, a thousand times.

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You’ve seriously considered wearing a bucket hat outside. In 2015.

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The thought of being on a beach without a tent or umbrella = no.

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When you emerge from oatmeal baths, you feel like a modern-day swamp creature. 

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When someone starts telling their “worst sunburn ever” story, you silently judge them while one-upping them in your mind.

Of course, it’s not just those who burn easily who need to apply sunscreen — everyone, regardless of skin color or propensity to burns, needs to protect their skin. 

Related: 3 Tips to Apply Sunscreen the Right Way

“You really should be coating yourself with a shot-glass size of sunscreen, reapplying every two hours,” Anthony Rossi, MD, a dermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and member of the American Association of Dermatology, tells Yahoo Health.

Be sure to look for a sunblock that protects against both UVA and UVB rays, and wear a hat, sunglasses, and sun-protective clothing, he advises. And don’t fall into the trap of thinking that getting that first sunburn at the beginning of the season will protect your skin from the damage of sunburn throughout the summer. “The biggest misconception [about sunburn] is that getting a base tan will protect you against future burns,” he says. But the truth is, getting this “base tan” is already damaging to your skin, and does nothing to protect you against the negative effects of UVA and UVB rays. 

For more tips on properly applying sunscreen, watch the video below:

Read This Next: This Is Your Skin On Sun

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