The quest for the perfect summer tan took a nasty turn for one woman who says she’s been burned by a tanning lotion, even though she used sunscreen.
Sally, 22, packed her bags for Evans Head on Wednesday to enjoy some surf and sun on the northern New South Wales Coast when she decided to buy ‘The Fox Tan’ after a recommendation from a friend.
The tanning lotion, which retails for $60, claims that it is ‘activated by repeat UV exposure’, and directs users to apply it to their skin before sitting in the sun.
Sally applied The Fox Tan (left) to her untanned skin (right) and left it on for about 45 minutes
Sally, 22, is still in ‘incredible pain’ after being badly burnt by a tanning lotion called ‘The Fox’
‘It advertises that you get minimal UV exposure to tan quickly with their product and it’s recommended to use some sunscreen with it,’ Sally told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday.
‘But I followed the instructions and that didn’t happen for me at all.’
She planned to use The Fox Tan once on each side of her body, and then continue with regular sunscreen: ‘I just wanted the product to speed things up a bit without getting fried like what those reef oils do.’
After less than 45 minutes in the sun on a 27°C day, Sally was delighted to notice tan lines developing on her body, and decided that she’d had enough sun for the product to work.
After less than 45 minutes, Sally found that her skin had turned the brown colour she wanted
Retiring to the shade for a break from the heat and some water, she started to notice that her skin was no longer brown.
‘The whole front of me was cherry-red,’ Sally said, adding that she has burst blood vessels on her legs and large blisters all over her body.
‘Even though I was constantly spraying Aloe Vera, I had that feeling like I was standing too close to a fire but couldn’t cool down.’
‘The first night it was so painful, I couldn’t even sleep under the sheet and blanket because it heated my skin up further,’ she said.
Sally’s pharmacist gave her burn dressings and antiseptic spray, and believes the almond oil in the lotion could have caused the bruns,
The pharmacist advised her that her skin needs to be cool in order for it to heal and that there was nothing else to be done.
Even with SPF50 sunscreen, she has barely been able to go outside for three days, and says that even changing her clothes is painful.
‘The first night it was so painful, I couldn’t even sleep under the sheet,’ Sally said of her burn
Three days later, her skin is still bright red and it hurts to do simple tasks like changing clothes
‘I’m just really disappointed,’ Sally admitted, adding that if her injuries had been any worse she would have been ‘really mad’.
‘I am an avid fake tanner, I’ve never used a solarium in my life and I used a different product in February last year and did not have this reaction.
‘That product was an oil … then for the second time I gave the same technique a go with a different product and the burning and blisters then occurred.
‘I’m sleeping terribly because of the blisters [and] my skin will be out of action now for weeks – I won’t be able to go to the gym or hug people.’
She also worries for other people, and wants to stop them from having the same painful experience that was inflicted upon her – and recommends that people stick to getting a tan that comes solely from a bottle.
Although Sally reached out to The Fox Tan company via their Instagram page, they have not returned her messages. Daily Mail Australia have also reached out for comment.
Sally has reached out to The Fox Tan and explained what they product had done to her skin