‘Severe sunburn ruined my holiday – my own mum couldn’t recognise me’

Most of us have been sunburnt, however one holidaymaker suffered an extreme reaction to ‘sun poisoning’, leaving her family members referring to her as ET. She is speaking up about her experience to warn others of the risks of sun exposure

Sunshine, Caribbean heat and cocktails – that’s what Ashlei Bianchi expected from her family getaway. But just two days in, her dream holiday quickly turned into a nightmare.

The 23-year-old had spent the afternoon soaking up the scorching Punta Cana sun while chilling by the pool with family. But hours later, she noticed a strange change – her forehead and head were swollen.

She’d used protection and assumed it was just a mild reaction to the heat – nothing to stress over. “I did use sunscreen, but I still got a little red, which was going to happen either way since I’m not used to the sun down there, and we were in the pool all day,” she said.

Trying to nip it in the bud, Ashlei wiped her face with aloe vera gel and hoped it would clear up naturally. “My face started getting worse, and that’s when the swelling on and under my eyes happened.”

By the final morning of the trip, one of her eyes was completely swollen shut – and things got even more alarming when she phoned her mum. “I FaceTimed my mom, and she said I didn’t even look like myself, then the family I went with said I looked like E.T.”

If her own mum couldn’t recognise her – how would she get through customs? “I had to go on my flight and go through customs looking not like myself, and I was scared I wasn’t going to be able to get back home. I’m so thankful I made it through,” she said.

“I wore my sunglasses the whole trip home, even when it was dark out, because I was so embarrassed.” And it wasn’t just her appearance drawing reactions, “When I went to the pharmacy, the lady working had wide eyes and went, ‘Oh my.’ Then, when I went through customs in Boston, the guy was like, ‘Too much sun?’ and I was like, ‘Yep!’”

Ashlei stopped at a Dominican airport pharmacy and picked up anti-inflammatory medication. While still abroad, she reached out to her doctor, who prescribed her an oral steroid but she couldn’t begin the course until landing back in New York on March 25.

It took four full days of steroids for her face to finally return to normal.

“My doctor wasn’t sure if it was sun poisoning, but I work at a hospital and asked a rheumatologist. She said it was sun poisoning, so that’s what I have been telling people it is.” she said

Now fully recovered, Ashlei is speaking out to warn others about how dangerous sun exposure can be – even when you use protection. “I would say the dangers of sun exposure are real. I’m lucky my sun poisoning affected my face and not anything else, and I had no symptoms besides swelling.”

“It’s very important to use your sunscreen and wear hats. I think that’s where I went wrong. I really should have had something besides sunscreen protecting my face.”

“But all in all, the sun is no joke, especially in the Caribbean where it’s much more potent.”

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