To think my dad is being irresponsible for not wearing sun cream?

[brunettebunny]

He seems to think he 'doesn't need it' and is somehow not at risk of getting cancer from not wearing sun cream. He just doesn't ever wear it, and I really cant understand this mentality. Even on that really hot day we had a few weeks ago, he didn't wear any.

Yesterday he said he had fallen asleep on the beach (in UK) for an hour from around 2-3pm, it was 25 degrees, and when I asked if he has worn sun cream he said no (of course I already knew the answer to this).

He is outside in the sun quite a bit as he plays cricket every Saturday, and in the week he helps to prepare & maintain the cricket field, so does have a fair bit of sun exposure.

AIBU to think this attitude is really irresponsible and selfish? He is 61, a father and a grandfather, and in my opinion should know better and want to keep himself healthy. Or should I just keep my nose out, and think he is an adult and its his decision whether to wear it or not?

Its just really wound me up and whenever I try to speak top him about it he just fobs me off with either 'I don't need to wear it' or 'I will' when we both know he has no intention of doing so.

[pinktrufflechoc]

I don't bother. I think YABU.

[PtolemysNeedle]

You should keep your nose out. I never wear suncream unless I'm in a particularly hot country and planning on lying in the sun in the middle of the day.

I'd get very irritated by someone nagging me about it all the time, I've never got so much as a faint tan in this country, despite trying, let alone been burnt. Leave the bloke alone.

[MirandaGoshawk]

I think you've said your piece and should give up on the subject. His skin must be like leather now because if he'd gone outside in the sun with lily white skin and started to burn like I did on the first sunny day of the year he'd soon have slapped some on. He obviously doesn't want to; he is an adult; so why flog a dead horse?

[IamtheDevilsAvocado]

Assuming he has white northerm european skin-he's being an utter idiot ...

I thought like this as i didnt sunbathe (but did spend ages in the sea..nicely magnifies the sun's rays.. .). I now always wear uv protection daily.

My dad was even more like your dad... He kept the fantasy up he 'didnt need it' , as his skin was 'hard'., even though objectively he had pale northern European skin.. He also tjoughtthought to be seen rubbing cream in was an affront to his masculinity.... Utter bollocks!

He's now on his third lot of treatment for skin cancer...

Hope your dad escapes this...

[AuntyMag10]

He's a father and grandfather
Fgs he's a grown man, if he doesn't want to do it then leave him alone and stop the nagging.

[Boosiehs]

Anyone who doesn't wear sunscreen is an idiot.

melanoma is pretty freaking horrific to deal with (if it's possible to at all) and can mostly be avoided by not exposing yourself to the sun.

[fourtothedozen]

I never wear sunscreen in this country. I want all the vitamin D the sun can give me.

[squoosh]

Even on that really hot day we had a few weeks ago, he didn't wear any

That made me laugh!

[Getthewonderwebout]

Anyone who doesn't wear sun cream even in this country is a bloody idiot. Do you think the warnings about skin cancer are just for fun?

[Getthewonderwebout]

Sorry boosiehs you said it first.

Melanoma is a killer. High risk of secondaries and a 50% survival rate. But you all go ahead and take your chances.

[fourtothedozen]

I live in Scotland- on the rare day that it is warm enough to sit outside there is no way I am going to put sunscreen on my skin.

[bearleftmonkeyright]

I think school children are better educated about the dangers of sunburn than many adults. Yanbu, but he will never listen.

[Blueberrymuffint0p]

I had a basal cell carcinoma cut out of my back last years. I think anyone who doesn't wear sun cream on a hot sunny day,even in this country is a total moron.

I burnt my back once as an 8 year old,have always worn sun cream since and never burnt again but that was enough to give me skin cancer.
I've now got a 5 inch by 2 inch scar on my back.

It's just not worth the risk.

[DinosaursRoar]

did he come back from the beach burnt? Did he burn on that really hot day we had?

[bearleftmonkeyright]

I have had two basal cell carcinomas removed also, blueberry, on my shoulder and back. Both pretty significant scars. I was lucky to have a very treatable form of skin cancer. I have been abroad a handful of times and holiday a lot in Western Scotland. I am 44. The one on my back appeared in my late 30's. My GP thought it was ringworm

[FurtherSupport]

I think there's a very strong possibility that a few years down the line we'll be learning that lots of the health problems we currently think are caused by the sun are actually linked to sunscreen - most is pretty nasty stuff if you look at the ingredients.

There's news today that no-one in UK is getting enough sun to provide the vitamin D we need.

IMO this is another all things in moderation thing. Obviously being out bare chested for hours in the middle of the day is daft, but with a t-shirt and a hat and avoiding the worst of the mid-day sun I'd rather be without suncream than with it.

I really don't understand why people get so cross about the decisions other people make about their own skincare though.

[caroldecker]

Vitamin D deficiency causes significant cancers and other diseases as well - it is a balancing act

[Getthewonderwebout]

really don't understand why people get so cross about the decisions other people make about their own skincare though.

To try and help protect people from their own stupidity.

[LazyLohan]

Keep your nose out. If he wants to take that risk it's up to him. I avoid sun cream wherever possible because there is MS in my family and I want the vitamin D.

[FurtherSupport]

But it's just an opinion Getthewonder. IMO it's stupid to wear sunscreen all the time and not get the goodness we need from the sun, which can have an equally bad impact on health, but if you want to avoid the sun all together, that's up to you.

[SomewhereIBelong]

I don't wear sun cream, I wear clothes and a hat and sunglasses. It is important to wear sunglasses in sunlight to stave off the effects of UV on the eyes.

Suncream makes people blasé about staying out in the sun at times when they should be covering up.

[Blueberrymuffint0p]

I do absolutely agree that we need vitamin D,I'm referring to people who don't wear sun screen on hot days ,basically those who let themselves burn because you really are asking for trouble later down the line.

[bearleftmonkeyright]

I'm not a slave to suncream either, I use a Buff on my head which has UV protection when I am outside on a hot day, put factor 50 on my face and shoulders and try to stay out of the midday sun.

[FurtherSupport]

You don't "know" that burning once gave you the cancer Blueberry. It must be highly unlikely that it was down to that one episode surely?

I absolutely agree that we need to make sure we're sensible in the sun and not allow ourselves to burn but sunscreen genuinely scares me. There have been too many things over the years we've been "told" to do/use that turned out to be really bad for us and sunscreen has some really nasty ingredients.

Lack of sun can cause cancer too. As I said, as with everything else we need to aim for moderation.