Mum, 31, left with third-degree burns the size of a TV on her back despite using sun cream
A MUM has been left with a huge burn on her back the size of a TV despite using sun cream.
Danielle Fitzsimons, 31, says doctors told her it was “about as close as you can get to third-degree burns from the sun”.
Horrifying photos show the extent of the burn on Daniell’s back after last weekend’s scorching temperatures.
After being in the sun on Saturday, her red-raw skin became covered in pus-filled blisters by the Monday that popped when she layed down.
She has been having her back regularly dressed with bandages at the hospital as she skin tries to heal.
Danielle, from Newtownstewart, County Tyrone, said: “I’m covered in thousands of little blisters and my skin’s all torn off. The pain is horrendous and I’m lucky if I get more than an hour’s sleep per night.
“I can’t lie down, I can’t brush my hair, I can’t do anything. I feel ill because the pain is so bad. It’s unbearable. I don’t understand why everyone else was fine and I’m the only one that ended up like this.
“People at the hospital said it’s about as close as you can get to third-degree burns from the sun. They had me on gas and air to do the bandages and I’ve been nearly every day since.
“It’s left me scared to go out. I can’t go out at all because if any sun touches my back, even through the bandage, the pain just makes me completely weak.”
Danielle spent three hours on Bumcrama Beach, Northern Ireland, with her dad Stephan Fitzsimons, 54, and her kids Khloe, nine, and Hayleigh, eight.
The single mum bought SPF 30 Malibu Lotion Spray for the first time beforehand to protect herself from the sun’s rays.
She said: “We normally go to Home Bargains to get sun cream, but this time I went to ASDA and I saw this had high UV protection from the sun so that’s why I bought it.
“My dad was there with us and he had the parasol up and we were standing in the water about knee-deep and the kids were paddling. I wasn’t sun bathing particularly.
“I applied the cream before I even left the house, then I applied it when I got there and then while I was there too. I think that’s more than enough times to apply it.”
The NHS suggests you put on sun cream twice before you even leave the house – once 30 minutes before and then just before you go out – if you plan to be in the sun for long.
You should also reapply every two hours, or after towel drying, sweating or when it might have rubbed off.
Danielle claims to have applied sun cream multiple times but ended up with a sunburned back.
She woke up later in the night shivering and in pain.
The NHS says these symptoms, along with a high temperature, dizziness, headache and muscle cramps, mean you should immediately call NHS 111 or see a GP.
Some people are more prone to sunburn, including those with fair skin. But anyone is at risk.
Danielle was surprised at the extent of her injury saying: “I usually get a really good tan. I’d never burn. Normally I’d get browner because I like to keep myself topped up with sun cream.
“When your skin’s damaged it makes you scared about skin cancer and this has put me off going out in the sun all together if I’m honest because I can’t believe how badly burned I’ve ended up.
“When I try and lie down the blisters are just busting and running down my back and my shoulders.”
Danielle says she doesn’t even mind if her back scars – she just wanted the pain to end.
But she’s resigned to the fact it could take weeks for the blisters to pop.
Sunburn is also a risk factor for skin cancer, with each episode raising the odds even more.
Getting sunburn just once every two years can triple your risk of melanoma skin cancer, compared to never being burnt, according to Cancer Research UK.
Danielle has contacted Malibu regarding their product and she’s currently in the process of filing a complaint.
The London-based company has stressed the importance of correctly applying their products and claim the majority of the public don’t realise how much protection they need to apply.
A Malibu spokesperson said: “We await Danielle’s completed complaints form.
“As a company we adhere and conform to all UK and European regulations. Our product formulations go through stringent testing to gain their SPF claim and we operate strict quality control in house.
“When a sun protection cream/lotion is tested a certain amount is applied to a certain area of skin. The skin is exposed to artificial sunlight for a certain amount of time and depending on how the skin behaves determines the SPF.
“A normal fair skinned person would burn in 10 minutes without suncare. If they use SPF30 this will give them 30 times longer in the sun before burning than without use (no matter how many times it’s applied). This equates to 300 minutes, five hours.
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“An appropriate application should be two-to-three tablespoons of lotion to an average body in a swimsuit. (If you hold your palm upside down and dip, the depression is one tablespoon).
“This is quite a lot of lotion and our problem is that the majority of the public do not realise how much protection they need to apply to get their SPF coverage. If they don’t apply enough suncare then they do not get the SPF they are expecting.
“The ethos of our company is that suncare should be affordable to everybody. We also try to educate so people are aware how key application is as well.”