Super tanned people everywhere!

Gotta love it when people tell others not to forget the bloody obvious 😄

I don't think tans ever went away. And if you're baring your midriff, it looks better with the vampire taken off. It just does. Annoyingly.

Dh tans just by looking at the sun. We are both welsh/ Irish heritage. It's very frustrating. Proper northern Europeans seem to tan easily too. It's those of us whose ancestors huddled under a damp rock for too long that seem impervious to it. I don't burn though, so that's something. I just wish I had an alternative gift- like glowing in fog, or seeing in the dark or something.

Why are teens so obsessed about the UV levels? It’s bizarre. My two teen boys did seem slightly more interested in tanning this year on holiday. At least they used sunscreen though.

I think tans might be back. Dd15 and her friends are always checking the UV for optimum tanning opportunities 🙈. They don’t lie out in it really but plan their clothes accordingly. As DD is half Cypriot and friends all Scottish she doesn’t have to put much effort in thankfully

East coast of Scotland. It has been absolutely glorious, best I can remember. A few hot stuffy days, like yesterday when it was 27 and airless. Today is a breezy 24. But mostly it's been a steady 20/21 sunny with occasional cloud since spring, Instead of our usual 95% cloud covering and rain! I don't think I'd like being any further south this summer if it's that bad.

@Flaskfan Maybe the sunbed Queens of your youth (and mine!) are now getting Botox and fillers and other tweakments and therefore keeping the wrinkles at bay!

I think ban on sunbeds is a no brainer (combined with lots of education about suncream etc). I did use them occasionally early 20’s (totally regret it, we used to go in our lunchbreak) and wouldn’t go near one now.

Well we have had quite a lot of sunny weather lately. Where I am anyway (West London).

Sunbed land round here. Drop kids off at school/ go the gym/ get your dodgy mj jab/ go the sunbeds.

I take months to tan. And even then, it's not what others would class as a tan. I currently look dip-dyed because my back and shoulders are out from about March, with running/allotment.

I'm not convinced about tanning and wrinkling. I was given to believe that the sunbed Queens of my youth would look older than me now. They do not. My gran didn't do sun. She was way more wrinkled than my outdoor nan. She was thinner though.

I'm an older millennial and definitely knew about sunscreen. Maybe a prenatal thing?

@Lauralou19 I googled it, it's to do with increased sunbed use (34% of 16/17 yr olds have used them) & nasal sprays/injections (never even knew these existed!) plus awareness about going to the doctor.

wtf. Would you say people look better with less colour?

I was at Secondary School in the late 90’s/early 00’s and as I mentioned above, we were not aware of sun safety at all. We slapped baby oil on our legs in break and other than holidays abroad and beach days, I dont remember ever putting sun cream on or my parents particularly worrying about it.

We are always outdoors at weekends but the suncream/hat has been on since probably late April and we all have deep tans (had a week abroad aswell).

It wouldn’t surprise me at all if there is an increase in my age group (early 40’s) but hopefully this will decrease in time when attitudes towards suncream/enjoying the sun safely changed.

Sounds lovely! Definitely more pleasant than sweating in the hot summer sun.

I’m a fan of spring and autumn sunshine @Delatron and am lucky to live somewhere we get a fair bit of it! Unlike now, I can actually spend a fair bit of time in April or Sept/Oct sunshine ‘cause I’m much less likely to burn then so I can actually sit in it for a while which is lovely.

The 80s were nuts. We’d go on holiday abroad and the highest factor my parents took was a 6 then we’d drop to a 4 then 2 oil! We did get burnt. It’s a worry!

I do use factor 50 on holiday and avoid the midday sun. But I’ll try and build up a base tan here before going.

I think there's a real difficulty with public messaging about the sun, because it's not nice and simple. Like, with smoking, the message is simply "don't". With sunshine, the message is "get enough, but not too much, and don't burn, and the right amount is determined by your skin colour in combination with local UV levels". It's not exactly pithy.

Acccording to cancer research melanoma is rising in all age groups, I'm surprised about the below tbh.

Rates are also rising for young adults between the ages of 25-49, with a 7% increase in incidence in the last ten years.

Yes and likewise if I go abroad somewhere hotter I'll avoid the strongest sun (11-3) completely, at least for early days, even with sunscreen, and try to build up gradually that way. I basically try to mimic the behaviours of people in the distant past.

Not the 80s though - I may be broadly "pro-sun" but everyone was frankly a bit deranged back then 😅

I remember listening to a programme about Australia and the success of the Slip, Slap, Slop campaign. It's older people (over 60s) who are getting skin cancers more - those with the wrong (north European) skin for the climate to had lots of sun exposure in the 70s.

This is a good explainer.

Why does Australia have so much skin cancer? (Hint: it's not because of an ozone hole) - Cancer Council WA https://share.google/wdneSe5iB1kiRFlMa

That’s correct. But that’s also why at the merest hint of sun I strip off and sit in my garden for 20 minutes. So I do make a conscious effort. Whereas others may avoid the sun.

Well no, they didn’t then but they did in later life
my friends dad has a huge dent in his head from having skin cancer removed
my mum had skin cancer removed from her arm
they’re both in their 70s

I really never worry about having a tan and I dont think anyone I know does. Burn is another matter. I think there is alot of skin cancer these days due to past behaviour. My DH’s auntie told me the story of going to Spain (probably 80’s), not wearing suncream and being covered in blisters in excruciating pain. She thankfully hasn’t had skin cancer but I don’t know anyone who would ever consider going abroad (or spending the day in the hot sun in the UK) without suncream. We used to lay out in our teenage days with baby oil on 🙈 and I never remember wearing suncream to school. My kids wear it every day in the Summer.

I think most people would say a normal tan from being outdoors, enjoying life in the sun, exercising, wearing suncream, not getting burnt, is worth it. Same anything - im not going to stop having a couple of glasses of wine at the weekend as I enjoy it (even though it would be better for me not to drink at all). Everything in moderation.

Unless you have the skin type that never tans, you would have to have tried very hard to not have some colour this year.

@DelatronThe problem with gradual daily exposure is that it isn’t possible in Britain! Yes, this summer we have been able to have gradual daily exposure over a period of 2 months, but for most of the rest of the year, our opportunities for that daily exposure are limited to non-existent.

Thanks @Jet2holiday, no I don’t feel patronised.

I hope I haven’t given the impression I sit indoors all the time- I don’t! I live near the beach and I have often been down there in the last couple of months- but in the evenings- it’s still sunny and warm but safer in terms of UV. It’s also quiet in the evenings so it’s perfect. I also sit in the garden in the daytime- I do have to mostly sit in the shade because I burn very easily.