Sunburn Warning as 50 People Hospitalized

420 people with sunburn went to the Burns Center of Tbilisi at the beginning of the summer season, 50 of whom had to be hospitalized, Imedi TV reported.

"Four young women are being treated in the Burns Center, their health of average severity," said the Head of the hospital, Guga Kashibadze.

This year only two people have so far been treated for burns resulting from fig sap, a trend that appeared amongst youth in recent years as a false method of "tanning faster." This year's victims have already been discharged from the hospital.

With temperatures higher than ever, Kashibadze advises citizens not to go out in the sun between 11 AM and 5 PM for extended periods of time, as the possibility of sunburn is "practically a given."

Georgia has embraced the culture of tanning. In summer, all the open pools, beaches, lakes and the shores of Tbilisi Sea are crowded. People sunbathe on balconies, in the courtyards of private houses, and also take to the solariums in the search of the prefect tan.

In that search, some people are inventing recipes, for example, the above-mentioned fig sap, or various cocktails containing beer, coffee, soda, or carrots. Their use often leads to second or third degree burns.

By Shawn Wayne