Many people like to have a healthy bronzed look instead of being paler, but most of us can’t afford to go on constant holidays to keep up the tan. In order to achieve a constant glow, many people use tanning beds, self-tanning lotions or spray tans.
These are all well and good if done safely, but one little mistake can be costly. One sunbed user has taken to TikTok to share her experience of a 20 minute sunbed session gone wrong, and has warned people of the dangers that can occur if they are used incorrectly.
The Mirror has reported that Natalia Armstrong was left unable to move her face and had to get four rings cut off her hand after trying a dangerous ‘trick’ while on a sunbed. She also developed an infection in one of her fingers as it ‘ballooned’ after the session.
The mistake that Natalia made was lying down the wrong way on the tanning bed. She lay her head where her feet should have been and put her feet where her face was meant to be. The issue is that her face was no longer under the facial tubes, but under the body tubes, along with her hand.
Natalia admitted to her followers, from her account @nataliaarmstrong82, that she didn’t know that the UV light by her feet was “stronger than it is on the facial tanner”. This single mistake caused her to need medical attention.
She initially thought that she got away with using the ‘hack’ and said she felt “completely fine”. However, two days later she shared on TikTok the shocking aftermath. She recalled: ”My sisters woke me up and were like ‘Look at your face, Nat. Please, just look at your face.”
Natalia had uploaded a separate video of her skin looking tight and red 48 hours later. The damage was so severe that she couldn’t smile properly. She added: “It was really tight, I couldn’t smile, it felt weird. I thought ‘Oh my god, I’m gonna scar, I’m really gonna hurt myself […] after I’ve just paid £7,000 in Turkey for my teeth’.”
The injuries got worse as her friend, who works in a hospital, urged her to see a doctor after her fingers ballooned. The damage meant she needed to have four of her rings cut off and developed an infection in her index finger.
Natalia said: “‘They just kept on dashing loads of gunk out. They did clean it all and put this bandage on.’ I am damaged – but it can be fixed.” However, she knows she is “very lucky”. Natalia heard about the sunbed ‘trick’ from some of her friends and decided to give it a go without thinking about the dangers that could follow.
She explained: “So, me being me, I did it like everyone else does it. I didn’t know this was gonna happen to my face – otherwise, I wouldn’t have never done it.”
By sharing her story, Natalia wants to raise awareness of the dangers of sunbeds, and has urged her followers: “Share it, repost it. If you know somebody who does this, please tell them not to. I did never think this was a thing – until it happened.”
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