Woman shares second-degree burns to warn others not to use expired sunscreen

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By Carina Murphy

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With summer on the way, it's always worth reminding yourself how important it is to wear sunscreen.

But one woman has taken to social media to warn her followers that sometimes, simply applying sunscreen isn't enough.

TikTok user Morgan Vacala - who goes by @morganvacala on the platform - found herself suffering second-degree burns after she put on sunblock that had passed its expiration date.

Morgan first teased her shocking injury in a TikTok video, which showed her forehead covered in the painfully blistered burns.

In a text overlay, she explained that even doctors were astonished by the nasty burn, writing: "I'll never forget the look on the doctors' faces."

Check out the video below (warning - it's not for the squeamish):

"Don’t be stupid, check the expiration date on your sunscreen," she captioned the clip. Unsurprisingly, the shocking injury quickly racked up 5.4 million views, as well as calls from other TikTok users to explain the full story of how she had gotten so burnt.

"Story time fully explaining please," one person commented, while another begged for answers, writing: "HOW EXPIRED was it??? How old was it?"

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Credit: TikTok
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Credit: TikTok

In a follow-up TikTok, she explained from a swimming pool how it had happened.

"One year ago today, I was standing in this exact spot right here, without a hat on, wearing expired sunscreen," she said, before panning to her friends who shouted in unison: "Yeah, don't buy Banana Boat [Sunscreen]!"

She also created a second follow-up TikTok, where she revealed that the burn took "about 2-3 weeks to fully heal".

"I grew up boating and always in the pool. Never had an issue burning like this," she explained, adding: "Hats are my new best friend."

Per SkinCancer.org, sunscreen is crucial to fighting the negative effects the sun can have on our health, and can even "lower your melanoma risk by 50 percent."

Additionally, protecting yourself from the sun also helps "prevent premature skin aging caused by the sun, including wrinkles, sagging and age spots."

The site recommends applying sunscreen on all exposed areas - preferably 30 minutes before going outdoors. Sunscreen should also be reapplied every two hours.

SkinCancer.org also recommends using water-resistant creams, and stressed the importance of wearing sunscreen even in cloudy weather.

Featured Image Credit: Mykola Sosiukin / Alamy