Anyone else not use sunblock in winter?

[butterfly133]

seems to be a lot of talk about sunblock. It led me to wonder - am I the only person not bothering with it all year round? My mother is Asian - another thread says Asians are obsessed about sunblock - she never has been. Aunties in India not either. They're very big on moisturising but have all aged very well and not used sunblock.

Any others not bother in winter?

[Greengardenpixie]

I dont wears sunblock in the winter but do have a moisturiser with a spf 15 in it.

[prepperpig]

I would imagine that outside of those who are really conscious of their skin care regime the vast majority of people don't use any sun block even in the summer unless they are intending to sunbathe or have it in their moisturiser without really thinking about it.

I have a moisturiser with sun protection in it which I wear all year round.

[038THETA]

I use it year round, dont think the spf in moisturiser is enough to have any effect

[legohurtswhenyoustandonit]

I don't use moisturiser with spf on working days in the winter as I spend very little time in daylight (perhaps ten minutes) so it seems pretty pointless. I am trying to use it every day though from April - October and on winter days when I'll be outside for any length of time. I use sun block from April - October if I'll be outside for long.

[legohurtswhenyoustandonit]

I think it may also depend to some extent on where you live. I am in Scotland and I find I need to use much more sunblock when I go down south.

[butterfly133]

Oh I actually meant anything with an SPF in it. Do those moisturisers not do much?

I hate winter, so often I'm just outside for the duration of the walk to the station and running errands. For the latter, it's often dark anyway as I prefer to do errands after work if poss.

my skin is very sensitive so I tend to stick with what suits me. I do have a ROC Face Factor 50 for sunny days but tend to apply right before going out in the sun.

[Greengardenpixie]

Well i am from scotland and spend most of my work days indoors so what is the point? Then I go from work to car in about 2 mins and then home! SPF in moisturiser is fine by me.

[SqueezyCheeseWeasel]

I do, as in products with SPF in them, as I use exfoliating acids which make you more sensitive to UV and can cause hyper-pigmentation if you don't use an SPF. In summer I use a high SPF.

[Greengardenpixie]

www.carolinehirons.com/2013/04/spf-cheat-sheet.html

saying that, who the hell is going to re apply sunblock by taking their make up off at work never mind their moisturiser with spf. Absolutely noone. So it will all be ineffective!
As Caroline Hirons says you need to apply a bottle of sunblock for it to be effective!

[Greengardenpixie]

• that is, if you believe everything she says. Seems to be a guru on mumsnet atm..but who actually is she?

[Greengardenpixie]

• or do we believe who she says she is and is not sponsered by anyone..mmm....

[SqueezyCheeseWeasel]

The "Asian" thing is often referring to Japanese & Korean skincare folk, there is a big trend toward skin lightening and keeping your natural skin as light as possible (possibly Western influence or possibly going back years and years, don't geisha's traditionally wear white face make up?).

[butterfly133]

oh I see...so it's about avoiding tanning full stop rather than avoiding ageing?

I'm skeptical re sunblock in winter, obvs, but I hadn't thought of people using other skincare stuff. I'm not using anything fancy like fruit acids etc so I will probably just carry on as I am! Thanks.

[Picachew]

Greengardenpixie. Have you bothered to read CH's 'about me/legal stuff' page? She makes it quite clear where she stands.

As for the OP, I'm a bit baffled by us lumping all Asians together too! I wear heliocare SPF50 from April to September as I am using an acid toning system but I wouldn't wear it in winter.

[Greengardenpixie]

No not really. Its a page on the internet. She says what she says. She says she is verified bla bla bla...so do a lot of people [ and they are not.]

[expatinscotland]

I never bother at all. I have olive skin and live in a part of Scotland with precious little sunlight. I have a VitD deficiency.

[AmelieinOz]

I agree. They mostly meant Japanese and Korean by Asians.

[Kennington]

Nope but I dont wear it in summer much either. I don't sunbathe much and am outside no more than 1 hour/day Monday to Friday's.
I think it gives a false sense of security. It doesnt block all uv either. Surely better to keep in the shade? Besides a little sun isn't so bad since we need vitamin d. I am inclined to think it is over marketed. I would have thought if you sun bathe too much with or without sun cream you will age prematurely. Or worse.
Zinc oxide is a true block but you have to wear it as thick as the cricketers for it to work.

[Branleuse]

i dont always even moisturise, let alone sunblock, and if i do moisturise, its with oil.

I wear sunscreen on hot sunny days, and whilst I understand it is best practice to wear it every day, it just is too much faff for me.

[Bunbaker]

I live in the north of England where we get very few sunny days in winter. Sunblock is as necessary as a bikini in winter, so, no I don't need sunblock at that time of year. I'm not convinced that anyone needs to wear sunblock between October and March at our latitude.

[thenightsky]

I've had to give up all moisturisers totally. Every single one I've used in the last year has given my awful eczema patches.

[AdventureBe]

I have a feeling, based on no scientific evidence at all, that obsessively avoiding the sun and plastering ourselves in sunblock, which contains all sorts of nasties is going to turn out to be just as harmful as too much sun.

As with everything else - all things in moderation.

I wear sunblock when necessary, if I'm going to be outdoors for long periods and the sun's shining. Even then I'd prefer to protect myself with clothing and/or shade if possible. I'm sure no-one needs it in winter when their only exposure to daylight is a dash for a sandwich at lunchtime.

[Bunbaker]

I'm inclined to agree with you AdventureBe. I think this is why so many people have vitamin D deficiency these days.

[AdventureBe]

It actually annoys me that it's difficult to buy a decent moisturiser without sunscreen!

[SnozzberryPie]

I am pale and freckly and even I don't wear suncream in winter!

My moisturiser has SPF I think. In summer I wear factor 30 or 50 if I will be outside for more than about 20 minutes.