Woman's scary reaction after sitting in the sun on European holiday
A common misconception was behind the 30-year-old's horror moment.
A woman was left horrified after her face began to swell up while she was enjoying her holiday in the sun.
Excited for a trip away, Tara Omidi travelled to Lanzarote, a Spanish island off the coast of Africa, but just a few days into the holiday, the 30-year-old woke up to notice her skin puffing up.
Hours later, things went from bad to worse. Tara was terrified that she might have to go to the hospital with her face now starting to swell considerably.
She rushed to the local chemist for advice and was told to stay firmly out of the sun and to monitor her symptoms.
“I woke up with a swollen forehead and eye and it gradually got worse by the hour,” the UK woman said.
“Luckily, there was no pain. The chemist provided me with strong antihistamines and they advised that I should keep my face covered for the rest of my holiday."
Tara was suffering from sun poisoning, an extreme version of sunburn which occurs during extended periods in direct sunlight without protection. She said windy conditions on the island meant the heat was less obvious and had fooled her about the UV danger present.
“I’ve never in my life had an allergic reaction or had sun poisoning," she said. Thankfully, three days later, the swelling subsided slightly.
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But she faced further worry when she headed home and made her way to the airport. “I was a little nervous about going through passport control as I didn’t look like myself," she said.
Common misconception behind sun poisoning cases
Since arriving back home, she’s taken to TikTok with a video to showcase the extreme swelling on the right side of her face – with her eye nearly forced shut. She's also taken it as an opportunity to warn others about the dangers of sun poisoning.
“When I went onto TikTok and asked people what had happened, everyone was saying the Canary Islands are quite known for sun poisoning," she said.
“Because of the strong heat and with it being quite windy as well, you don’t realise how hot it is."
Symptoms from sun poisoning can include blisters, severe pain, swelling, and fever. Sun poisoning is prevalent in Australia due to the high UV levels and people who work outside are often vulnerable.
Earlier this year one woman who attended Victoria's Beyond The Valley music festival revealed her sun poisoning symptoms, which included giant blisters on her legs. "The pain I experienced when I realised how bad it was, was insane," she told Yahoo News Australia.
- Jam Press
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