If you've ever sprained an ankle or had any other part of your body swell up, then you might know that pressing your finger into the swelling can leave an impressive dent. That's what Cade Huckabay did when his face started swelling after a severe sunburn, and the resulting photo is seriously freaking people out.
Huckabay posted the photos on Twitter Monday, and explained that he had shaved his head in order to see what he would look like in basic training and then "decided to get sunburnt af." (Clearly, though, this was not an intentional decision. Wear your sunscreen, kids.)
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The sunburn led to swelling and the head dent, as Huckabay calls is, is a result of pressing his finger into the swelling. It's pretty intense. Just look:
One time I shaved my head, got severely sunburned, & swelled up just a little bit :-) pic.twitter.com/9FWw3jcdYf
— Cade Huckabay (@CadeHuckabay) December 5, 2017
Huckabay said in a tweet that he, at one point, created a dent that lasted a half hour. And, although swelling from a sunburn isn't exactly a common symptom — or else it wouldn't be quite so shocking, he's not alone. Several people commented on Huckabay's tweet with photos or videos of their own severely swollen faces, to show solidarity.
We've all been there lad pic.twitter.com/TL6VttThY9
— Joel (@_Joel__________) December 6, 2017
I really feel for you dude this is day 4 of sun poising when i finally could open one eye pic.twitter.com/zdDpF3kG7n
— jingle bASH (@ashlie5sos) December 6, 2017
This is true. But it’s also because we’re kindred spirits. pic.twitter.com/AZEruZP45P
— fem shrek (@xoxosnr) December 6, 2017
What's happening here is actually pretty simple. Swelling is normal with bad sunburns.
"Typically, sunburn causes the skin to become red and sensitive, but depending on the degree of the burn, it can also cause blisters and/or swelling," skin-care expert Renee Rouleau, told us in 2012.
Still, swelling this pronounced could possibly be a sign of infection, according to the Mayo Clinic. So it's important to check in with a doctor, especially if the swelling also comes with symptoms like increasing pain and tenderness, yellow puss coming from a blister, or red streaks leading away from a blister.
As for Huckabay? His swelling went down after four or five days, he told Refinery29. And he's hoping his head dent can remind everyone to put on some sunscreen. "I don’t want people following in my footsteps," he said.
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