British woman suffers severe sunburn and eye swelling after using moisturizer instead of sunscreen in Cornwall

– I wasn’t prepared for that. It wasn’t very painful, but quite annoying, because I had plans the following weekend, and it worried me.

That is what British Orla McGlynn (22) says to the news agency South West News Service. She recently spent a long weekend in Cornwall on England’s south-west coast.

McGlynn had been looking forward to having a little break from everyday life as a waiter in a pub in his home town of Stockport.

It was cloudy when she arrived at the popular holiday destination, so she ditched the sunscreen and instead used a moisturizer with a sun factor.

She would bitterly regret that.

Affected the vision

A few days later she woke up swollen and badly burned on her face.

The swelling just got worse and worse.

– It took two days before it started to improve, explains McGlynn, who had to be treated in hospital as the swelling extended beyond her vision.

– What have I done?!

The 22-year-old was sent home with antihistamines and ibuprofen, and had to wear sunglasses at work to hide his swollen face.

– Now, thank God, I look normal again. It took three days before it was completely gone, and I had to wear sunglasses when I served in the pub, says the 22-year-old.

Now she makes a clear call to others:

– Use sunscreen!

Big myth: – Dampening little

There are probably many people who have followed the same path as Orla McGlynn, and dropped their oil because it’s cloudy.

But it is one big myth that you don’t get sunburned if there are clouds in the sky.

– Thin clouds, or just a little cloud, dampen very little of the sun’s rays. In partly cloudy weather, even the intensity of the sun’s rays can be enhanced due to scattering and reflection, said Secretary General of the Cancer Association, Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross, to Dagbladet last year.

Warns against popular trick: – Exploded

If you are by the sea, you should also have sunscreen nearby.

– Reflection from snow, light sand and sea also gives stronger sun. Therefore, you can still get sunburnt, even if it is partly cloudy, said Stenstadvold Ross.

It is recommended to use sunscreen with at least factor 30 on the body, and preferably 50 on the face.

If you want to learn more about how sunscreen works and which factor you should go for, you can read the case below: