A WOMAN says she looked like an “alien” and started hallucinating after suffering severe sunburn on her legs.
Cas Flynn-Troy, 22, went “bright red” after sitting out in 24C heat at a music festival – despite topping herself with sun cream throughout the day.
Cas Flynn-Troy at Beyond The Valley festival in Victoria, Australia, before her sunburnSWNS
The 22-year-old’s blistered limbs after a day in the heatSWNS
The boxing and Pilates teacher initially noticed her limbs felt hot before becoming heavy and sore.
They then turned “bright red” before “ugly blisters” formed.
“It felt like an alien was on my legs. It was horrible,” Cas said.
“It was so ugly. The blisters were huge.
“It was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced.”
Cas attended Beyond The Valley festival in Victoria, Australia, on December 31.
She said she and her friends started the day sitting outside in their pyjamas, lathering on sun cream almost straight away.
They then reapplied it “a couple of times” before changing into trousers for the evening – but it “clearly wasn’t enough”.
“I put on trousers and noticed my legs were a little sore – but I’d been dancing for three days straight,” Cas said.
The group went on to enjoy the rest of New Year’s Eve, but Cas started to hallucinate and feel a pain in her legs.
“I remember thinking, ‘Why are my legs hurting?’,” the marketing worker, from Melbourne, said.
“They just felt hot and tender, and they were swollen.
“I was holding the material of my trousers away.”
Cas got back to her tent, rolled up her trousers and was horrified by what she saw.
“My legs were bright red,” she said.
Cas decided to see the festival medic, who poured cold water over her inflamed skin and gave her painkillers.
She returned home the following day, exhausted and with blisters starting to grow.
But her concerned family convinced her to go to Royal Melbourne Hospital, where they drained fluid from the blisters on January 2.
Cas has been resting her legs ever since.
“It’s peeling now,” she said.
“I wouldn’t think this could happen. People say you don’t burn your legs.”
Cas now has four sun creams with her at all times and is still careful to cover her limbs when she’s outside.
Urging others to follow her advice, she said: “Check the UV rays – even if it’s raining.
“Even if you tan, it’s still damaging your skin.”
Cas in the medical tent at the music festivalSWNS
SWNSHer legs bandaged after having her blisters drained in hospital on January 2[/caption]
Tips for using sunscreen properly
IT’S important to use sunscreen properly to get the level of protection it says on the bottle.
To do this, Cancer Research UK recommends you do the following:
Make sure you put enough on – people often put on much less sunscreen than they need to. Apply sunscreen evenly and thickly. Make sure that you’re putting enough on if using a spray or roll on sunscreen.
Reapply sunscreen regularly throughout the day including ‘once a day’ and ‘water resistant’ products. Sunscreen can rub, sweat or wash off – even if it’s supposed to be waterproof. It’s especially important to put more on after toweling dry. Reapplying also helps avoid missing bits of skin.
Check the expiry date on your sunscreen before you use it. Look for a symbol with the letter M and a number that shows how many months the sunscreen will last after opening.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK, and UV exposure is the main preventable cause.
Experiencing severe sunburn, particularly in childhood, increases the risk of developing it in later life.
About 17,000 new melanoma cases are diagnosed every year in the UK, killing about 2,500 annually, according to Cancer Research UK.
Staying out of the sun at peak times of day, covering up and using sun cream can help protect you.
Health officials recommend Brits use lotions with a UVA star rating of at least four.
The SPF – or sun protection factor – number indicates how well a sunscreen protects against sunburn (UVB), while the UVA number denotes the percentage of UVA radiation that’s absorbed compared to UVB.
For both, the higher the number, the better the protection.
UVA and UVB are damaging to the skin, but UVA penetrates more deeply. Both play a role in skin cancer.
To meet EU standards, the ratio of UVA to UVB protection must be 1:3. This is denoted by the letters ‘UVA’ inside a circle.
But the NHS says products should also carry a four-star rating or above, whatever the SPF, as it isn’t the only measure of effectiveness.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which sets the guidelines, adds: “To reduce the risks of sunlight exposure, sunscreen should meet minimum standards for UVA protection.
“The label should have the letters ‘UVA’ in a circle logo and it should be at least four‑star UVA protection.”
If you do experience sunburn, defined as hot and sore skin caused by too much sun, the NHS says you should:
Get out of the sun as soon as possible
Cool your skin with a cool shower, bath or damp towel
Apply aftersun cream or spray
Drink plenty of water
Take painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, for any pain
Cover any burnt skin from direct sunlight until it fully heals
Avoid tight-fitting clothing
Try not to scratch or remove peeling skin, or pop any blisters
Steer clear of ice or ice packs, and petroleum jelly
SWNSCas said: ‘It felt like an alien was on my legs. It was horrible’[/caption]
SWNSThe boxing and Pilates teacher described the pain as ‘the worst I’ve ever experienced’[/caption]