Sunbed Shock

Jeez you have the right to have a second opinion. What a waste of time. Aloe vera is very good for burns. Make sure you keep hydrated, not just water though, other fluids too.

You have the right to request a second opinion @SansaStark90

OP, I've never done sunbeds because I'm blessed with the type of skin that burns incredibly easily, so I have been caught out many times, many childhood sunburns when they used to sell factor 2 and factor 4 suncream etc.

I have blistered, peeled and had a suspicious growth removed.

I burnt badly one time in NZ when I lived there. I bought some amazing aftersun that had lidocaine anaesthetic in, an Australian brand. I think you can buy it online here.

I'd really lay off the sunbeds though, the sun damaged skin on my shoulders is horrible.

Go back and see someone else.

How much pain are you in now? Has the shaking stopped?

If the codeine is sufficient and you have stopped shaking then make an appointment with your gp in the morning. Keep you fluids up and rest.

If you are still in agony and still feel feverish, shaking etc… then you will have to go back.

I’m very glad you went but sorry you didn’t seem to get the assessment you expected and probably needed. Could you go back?
How are you feeling tonight?

Glad you've got some pain relief. Just a word of advice for in the future, If you're not happy with the answer you're given and feel like you're being fobbed off, tell them that that's how you feel and that you want to see someone else. Don't just leave because you'll only end up going back.

Are you feeling better today or still the same ?

My mother was a nurse. We had to be bleeding heavily or have broken bits to get sympathy.
She would have said to go to A&E immediately. Get there.

Get medical advice, please. Call 111 or present at A&E. Burns can be very serious and you are clearly unwell.

She didn’t go - her mother told her not to do she followed her advice not 111’s - they told her to go to a+e 🤷🏻‍♀️😖

Hi @SansaStark90 How are you feeling today?

19 pages of the same advice .... Why do people think their suggestions haven't already been made by page 5...

OP hope you're ok

Did you not count “Mississippily”? 😅

I hope OP is feeling better today, x

Sunbeds are classified as Group 1 carcinogens by the WHO — the same category as tobacco and asbestos. If something increases your cancer risk by up to 59%, downplaying it because "the absolute risk is still small" is incredibly misleading.

The issue isn’t whether the absolute risk sounds low — it’s about avoidable risk. Sunbeds are a completely unnecessary and preventable source of increased melanoma risk. Saying the risk “only increases from 2.44% to 3.05%” (or 3.88%) may sound small, but that’s still thousands of additional cancer cases — and for what? A tan that fades in a week?

It’s also misleading to compare it to road traffic accidents — people have to use roads. No one has to use sunbeds. And even if the death rate is “only” 0.49%, that’s still one in 204 people potentially dying from something that could have been prevented.

Finally, minimizing a known carcinogen because the lifetime risk seems abstract is exactly the kind of reasoning that public health experts warn against. It’s not “health anxiety” to point out real dangers — it’s informed caution.

But you are far intellectually superior to me and know best so I’ll keep my mouth shut 😂

I really hope you go and seek medical attention, there’s ointment they can give you for bad burns like that. Sympathies.

This!!!!!
You are in pain
You rang the 111 services, which is a triage.

Don't listen to your Mum. She's not a burns expert is she?
What are you waiting for?

My DC was a marshal at a sports match and the back of his neck got burnt it didn't even look serious.. but he had sunstroke and needed treatment

Also take advice on when you will be able to have sun exposure again after this. I believe it takes six weeks for the skin to repair itself after serious burns like this.

They're banned here in Australia. Our sun does enough damage as it is as we have the highest rate of skin cancer in the world and it's drummed into us from early childhood to be sun smart.

Is there a difference between the stand up sun showers which are 3 minutes vs the lay down which are not as strong?
Which did you use op?

Get yourself to minor injuries ASAP.

As an aside - and I realise it's not helpful, sorry OP, but I am just interested - why do people use sunbeds when you can just get a spray tan? I honestly don't understand it. It's sooooo bad for you! The people with the best skin in older age are the ones who've stayed out of the sun!

I don’t understand how you got to adulthood OP without knowing that 20 minutes on a sunbed would burn the living shit out of you.

I burnt like that once…..when I was 9 years old and someone who should have been taking care of me said I didn’t need sun cream for our last day on holiday in Spain! I ended up with two blisters-one that covered half of my back and one that covered my thigh.

The good news OP is that they didn’t scar if you are still worried about that.

Did they manage to help you at A&E? It did sound like a good idea to go.

OP, I really hope you are doing ok. I had horrific sunburn on my legs when I was a teen and I will never forget the pain. It took weeks to be pain free as they blistered, I couldn't even walk. I hope you've got medical attention and are being looked after.