To ask how many times you've had sunburn

[Thenights09]

Over your lifetime?

Once, about 20 years ago.

As a kid in the 70s, the only awareness I had was that during the heat wave of 1976, we were not allowed to play out between noon and 3pm.

So as an adult, I'd sat in a sun trap of a park at a concert wearing shorts and a vest top. I'm naturally tanned (mixed race) and because I'd never really sunbathed, it didn't occur to me that I could burn.

Shoulders and shins agonisingly scorched and later peeling. Never again!

To many to count.

Lots - and I was the odd one out in the 70's wearing a sunhat all summer. You couldn't get high factor sun cream, though by 85 you could get it for babies so I wore that.

I'm 42 now and still burn ridiculously easily and don't tan. P20 f50 has been a revelation to me!

Me: Tonnes and tonnes. Grew up in sunny place. Holiday on a Mexican beach (literally wild camping on beach) when I was 5yo & I spent the whole week burnt & peeling.

My dad is a redhead but he managed to get a tan one summer playing beach volleyball daily, after weeks of burns & peels before that. He's a right beach bunny & finally learnt to completely cover up & slather on cream so spent decades without burns, but Now 70+ & has a funny kind of eczema which is supposed to be a result of too many times burnt all those decades ago.

I've never had proper sunburn. I have been a little bit red a few times (about 5, at a guess). Never as a child, and we used to spend all day outdoors, with no suncream.
Now, I only wear sun cream if I'm actually sunbathing, which isn't very often. I usually catch the sun just by walking round in it or by gardening.
Apparently I have a Mediteranean skin tone, though I can't really see it myself. It's just what I was told by a makeup artist.
Although I'm white, I have one black great grandparent, so perhaps I inherited a little bit extra melanin from him.

Twice both times off a sunbed, im a idiot

Loads - 70s kid, if suncream existed, we weren't aware of. Just had calamine lotion for the inevitable after sun agony. Ouchy.

Once when I was about 7, it wasn't too bad. I hate to see people getting burned, it's awful - I wish they wouldn't. And letting children burn is just terrible. Losing someone to melanoma is a big wake up call.

about 3 times very badly. ... once to the point the blisters on my back ran into one big one that covered me from shoulder to shoulder, it was hideously painful and I couldn't lift my arms up to put clothes on. did similar to my face one year too. scares me so much now thinking about the risk I may be at of skin cancer. I don't tan at all now, cover right up, use factor 50 and stay out of midday sun. I was a fool and can only hope I get away with it. if I could tell you what I do for a living you'd understand why im so worried about this.

Lots as a 70s child. I really feel annoyed about it still. My mum was one of those that thought 'building up slowly' whilst being at the beach all day with no shade was the way to go. Not for a pale-skinned child, mother!

I used to dread the car journeys home, it seemed miles and miles, and always had heatstroke. Sunburn kicked in then and lasted days... and then my mum used to peel the skin off when it was flaking...

I do love her though but remind her of her peeling days when she's stroppy...

Once, when I went on a 40 mile bike ride in the middle of summer

DH burns at the slightest peep of sun.

Loads, 4 times that I can remember we're very bad.

My mixed race dh got badly burnt on his shoulders a couple of years ago as he didn't think he needed sun cream on.

My dc have never been burnt, I'm a lot more careful with them.

A few times as a teen/in my 20's, but never blistered or sunstroke despite using Hawaiian Tropic Factor 2 having blonde hair and blue eyes.

Never. I had a suspect mole removed when I was 10 which turned out to be pre cancerous so I am not willing to take any risks where the sun is concerned

Lots of times

I'm incredibly pale skinned despite my dark hair

I went to fuertaventura last year in may, hat, shirt, factor 50, sun umbrella, out of the sun between 10.30 and 4 -still burnt

Unfortunately dd2 seems to have the same skin type as me and also burnt -I felt so guilty as we were being so careful

Sticking to England now where I still have to be careful but I know factor 30 will keep us from burning

Only once when I was 13 (stayed out all day at a swimming pool). Combination of being meticulous with sunscreen and skin not being especially prone to it for a Caucasian person. I am pg this year so will be taking extra care

As a child, quite a lot, though not to the extent of blistering. There wasn't the awareness of sunscreens back in the 60s & 70s.

As an adult, very rarely. I'm very fair skinned & careful not to get burnt, but still get caught occasionally.

My DC have never had sunburn. I've always been obsessive about slathering them with sunscreen.

As a child I burnt to the point of blisters quite a few times, so when it was very sunny I had to go indoors for a few hours. I guess suncream wasn't around then.
In 1992 at the age of 17 I went to Spain for 5 weeks or so for an exchange. One day we all went to the beach. My Spanish friends all advised suncream but I decided I wanted a tan...
On the way home I could tell I was burnt to bits, by the time I got home I was becoming unwell. My Spanish family were fab, another daughter was a nurse and looked after me.
I was so sick! Vomiting, barely able to walk, I swelled up, and the pain!
The used some special cream, but I was bedridden for a couple of days. The skin came off in huge strips. I had to walk with the help of two people, my feet so swollen I couldn't wear shoes for days and then only converse with the laces out.
Needless to say since then the sun and I are not friends. I'm the person under a tree or umbrella, I hate sitting in direct sun.
I use a good factor cream, and get a tan pretty easily, but never burn since then, thank god!!

I've never had it bad enough to have peeling skin, but I've gone red and tender a handful of times, maybe 5 times in my life. I never went abroad as a child and I don't do beach holidays now, sunbathing doesn't appeal to me. Mostly I've got it when I've been out doing touristy things and too busy to reapply suncream. I usually use One Day Long type suncreams now. I have an Asian skintone so that helps.

once or twice as a child, suncreams weren't as good then. Never since and have spent a lot of time outside and in the sun. The strength of the sun's rays has not changed in our lifetimes.

there's a lot of ignorance around and today is a sunny bank holiday, so expect to see lots of lobsters tomorrow from the 'it's not hot so I won't burn' brigade.

Once to the point of blisters, I was about 8, on holiday and refused to get out of the pool to put on more suncream. The golf ball sizes blisters on my back and shoulders taught me for the future.

However, I still burn at least once every year, usually early on in the year as I forget suncream is needed, especially when it's windy so not as warm.

Being incredibly pale I always burn, peel and go back to white again. I have never had a tan in the last 25 years. I can't see me having one any time in the next 25 years. I am the definition of milk bottle!

Once as a child - very mildly.

Every Summer as a child, to the point of peeling, on our seaside holiday (UK). This was very early 70s and high factor suncream didn't exist. I was coated in Ambraire Solaire oil . Then only random pinkness on shoulders etc for a few years until I went to Jersey at 18, we were in the sea all day with factor 8 on (the highest I could get) and I even burnt my face which I never had before. I think I peeled pretty much all over. I haven't burnt badly since then, but have been a bit pink now and again. This is largely thanks to high factor sunblock arriving and me taking a lot of care. My dds are 7 and 10 and the eldest had a little area of burn where sun cream had missed, but other than that they've been fine because I am really careful and also only take them to the beach after 4p.m. in the Summer. We are very fair skinned celts.