A woman has issued a stark warning after exfoliating her legs before sunbathing.
TikTok user, Hannah, suffered severe sunburn after exfoliating and heading out into the sun. She explained: "PSA: don't exfoliate before going into the sun unless you want 2nd degree burns."
You can watch the video below:
In the clip, Hannah's legs can be seen red raw, with painful burns. In one shot, Hannah can be seen in hospital with the burns, with the skin starting to crack as it healed.
Advert
And other users were horrified, with one person commenting: "Omg what did you exfoliate with?"
While another said: "Pls tell me how this happened so I can avoid it."
While many of us exfoliate our skin before applying fake tan, it's crucial not to exfoliate before stepping out in the sun.
Advert
When we exfoliate, we remove dead skin cells, that would otherwise help create a barrier on our skin.
Dr Geetika Mittal Gupta, founder of ISAAC Luxe Skincare Clinic, told Health Shots: "Exfoliation removes the 'fine protective layer' on the surface of your skin, which makes the skin more vulnerable, especially to the UV rays."
It's certainly an easy mistake to make, especially when the weather is so sunny.
"I exfoliated because I wanted nice, smooth skin for the beach - I also shaved my legs that morning so I didn't want any ingrown hairs," Josie, 25, from Brighton told us.
"I find I don't usually burn that much - coming from warmer climate I tend to just tan and I was actually wearing SPF that day.
Advert
"Before I knew it, after a couple if hours in the sun I was red on my back and my arms and in total pain."
Note to selves - never exfoliate before heading out into the sun and don't forget your SPF!
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@user505691303719