To think we're far too scared of the sun!

[BedHanger]

A leading lecturer in dermatology at Edinburgh university has said that the benefits of sun exposure "may far outweigh the risks" after a new study has shown an hour's exposure significantly reduces blood pressure:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-22433359

This is on top of our growing understanding of the vital role played by vitamin d in health.

AIBU to worry more about whether my DC are getting sufficient sun than about the potential risks? I don't let them burn btw, but I do make sure they have plenty of sun cream-free time whenever possible.

I m not only practically transparent but I suffer with solar urticaria which is a (reasonably) rare disease that means if I get exposed to sunlight I come out in serious hives!
I use factor 50 sun cream in any sun all year round if needed because I burn in only a couple of minutes.
I won't risk skin cancer, I love sitting in the sun but I will always wear full clothing, sleeves and all as long as it is light enough so I don't overheat and a hat and sun cream.

When I have kids I will be very vigilant with them too as DP and I are both so pale.
It's not difficult to take vitamin D

if we lead a lifestyle tht precluded dashing here there and every where, our body clocks would tell us when to go into the sun and get back out of it.

I've never understood this absolute fascination with slathering children in sun cream etc when at home. Mine NEVER played out in the heat of the day, they self regulated and came indoors etc. They never went out after 11, and usually went out again at 3.30 or thereabouts.

Different if you are taking them to a beach or park with no shade etc, then wonder why they are lobstered after 8 straight hours building sandcastles.

I was a sun worship in my teens, sun beds etc - I leaned my lesson with skin cancer in my 30's. I never go out between 11 and 3, and I never sunbathe between June and September. But I do sit in the shade as the sun is a feel good thing.

I would of agreed with you until last year when my cousin died from metastic melanoma caused from a mole on her back. Was horrendous. My brother also had a malignant mole this year. X

I'm ginger and burn like I said at the word 'sun'. But wear long sleeves, hat, sunglasses and only sun cream my nose. I even bckpacked round India and remained lily-white using this method. My kids are all ginger too and we use this method. One isnt allowed suncream because it contains carbs and upsets his ketone balance (he's on the ketogenic diet diet for epilepsy).
So we all take D supplements as we all tested as deficient.

I love the sun and sit in it when it's out..which isn't often in the uk. I cover the kids up to some extent, but don't go overboard. There are chemical reduced/free sun creams readily available now, as I don't like using the chemical ones. Also, I think too much blame is put on the sun for causing skin cancer. Personally I believe eating meat causes more cancer. I saw a report by a woman in Florida who said eating meat, especially burnt barbecued meat, then putting on chemical creams and exposing yourself to the sun is just asking for trouble. I might be wrong, but that's what I believe anyway. Sun in moderation is fine, but eat healthy etc too, I say. We need the vitamin d..!

When I was a child in the 70s we all played out - all day.
I honestly don't ever remember having sun cream on.
I wore the usual shorts and tshirt that everyone wore and had tanned arms and legs but don't remember ever burning.

My DS tans at the drop of a hat; he was tanned within two days of the recent hot weather, my DD less so and the same with me. We all use factor 30 (minimum) sun screen when we are out and about, though I tend not to bother until about 10/11am nowadays and not usually after 4pm. If we use sun screen all day we tan (or not) in the same way.
DS wears a sunhat with a flap at the back and a large peak, DD refuses but then she's a teenager. Both wear sun glasses, as do I.
The lack of vitamin D bothers me, but so does the skin cancer risk. Neither of them have ever burnt.

topsi I have a South African friend who's levels went into the twenties after a couple of years here (Scotland!) and she got very unwell, lethargic, no energy, caught every cold going sort of thing. She now gets a mega-D vit prescription, it's apparently twice as much as you can get over the counter? But anyway, once her levels got topped up she was fine.

I work outdoors all day every day,can't imagine my customers being impressed if I refused to set foot outside between 11 and 3.I wear factor 50,reapply regularly wear long sleeves and jeans.Also drink full fat milk.One of my customers is a consultant and reckons I'm the only person she knows who isn't Vit D deficient.

My Dh and in laws drive me mad - they all have the kind of skin that turns brown very quickly in the sun, and if it does burn at all then is brown by the next day. They are all very proud when they manage to get a tan and totally see it as a badge of health. I burn very easily and then go back to white, and they all pity me for this. I obviously try very hard not to burn, by covering up, staying in the shade, using sun cream etc. They all feel sorry for me that I can't get a tan like they do. It drives me mad! They will not believe me when I say a tan is a sign of skin damage - they thinknitnprotects them against burning. I would rather be pale and not have skin cancer thank you. I hope it doesn't take one of them having a scare for them to change their minds.

I think it's important to take care in the sun.

But why don't we add Vitamin D as a supplement in milk? It's added to the milk in Florida, so why not here? Truly bizarre.

I get bad dermatitis on my back and the sun is the only thing that can clear it up, in just 2 days or so.
Everything looks better when the sun shines

All of you who have checked your vit D levels - did you have to ask your doc for a blood test for that? Or is there another way?

Ok I think if you are talking about people being too overly scared in the uk yanbu. I use the mets uv forecast

www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/europe/europe_uv.html

And this does show uv levels in the uk to be fairly low most of the year. It has reccommendations about what sun protection to use and when to seek shade. It is also good to compare to the rest of Europe when travelling as this is when I think people get caught out.

When in Australia I use their mets uv forecast too and this have the actual times of day when uv levels were considered low enough to not need protection. I imagine the met will introduced this feature in the future as it would be very useful to plan your days activities especially when abroad.

I personally dislike sun cream and prefer to use hats, long sleeves and mainly seek shade during high uv periods. Saying that I have always use SPF moisturisers to prevent aging on my face, neck and cleavage so those articles about risks of suncream do worry me.

Interestingly although I tan very easily (have never burned and the only times I have overdone the sun exposure by accident I have just gotten a tan) I have managed to avoid getting tanned throughout most of my life by mainly seeking share during the middle of the day, especially in areas with mid to high levels of uv.

Whoever up thread said that people mistakenly believe tans are ok or even give their skin protection is absolutely right, I think people who tan easily are lulled nto this false security. Tans are very much an indicator of sun damage, just as much as sunburn is.

Given the choice I'd rather skulk in the shade than be out in direct sun, I prefer clothes, hats and beach tent to excessive sunscreen. I think you can get more than enough sun for vit D, in the summer, when you're unable to avoid it, without ever intentionally sunbathing.

I might be wrong but I thought vitamin D deficiency in this country was mainly linked to the fact it can't be stored, so no matter how healthy your levels in summer, you'll still be low by the end of the winter. Healthy sun exposure (not midday, short time periods) will give you as much vitamin D as burning to a crisp, as there is a maximum your body can manufacture.

It's black over yonder hill I feel we are lonely voices in this discussion. I have asked for information on mumsnet and other place before about specific advice for dark -skinned children, and have so far drawn a complete blank. Even the recent boots feel good forum with q&a from doctors about summer health issues chose to ignore my questions about skin protection fro dark skinned children. Sigh. Ah well, at least there is some wider debate happening and some specific research being done abut vitamin d deficiency. Perhaps if we keep putting our 2p worth in, it will become less white- skin centred.

I am fair skinned and burn easily. I go red around my face, neck and collar bone and then a bit brown and then back to white after a day or so. So I try to keep covered up and wear SPF25 sun cream. I get caught out if I'm outside and don't reapply it. I think if I didn't wear suncream I'd be permanently getting burned just from everyday life. We've only had a few sunny days here so far this year and I've twice gone red after not reapplying the sun cream after an hour or two outdoors, but the sun had gone in and I was wearing a jacket and shivering so the sun didn't seem strong enough to merit putting more suncream on.

I can't actually remember if we ever wore suncream as children (1960s-70s) but I can remember getting burned sometimes on holiday (UK) and spending the rest of the holiday keeping covered up to protect my skin from further burning. But I don't think we were aware of the real dangers. We just thought burning made your skin sore.

Sorry if I have missed it but there is an article on vitamin d and sunshine in this months good housekeeping, a pretty respectable mag! Worth a look especially if you live where you are at risk of low vit d levels.

Stupidly I married the only man in the UK with even paler skin than mine so poor dd is sentenced to a lifetime of factor 50 and people saying "just arrived?" on the last day of her 2 week summer sun holiday.

But she will look 25 when she is 40, she might not like it now.

I'm on high strength VitD, 1 a week because my level was 7, but I'd rather take a pill than burn.

and for the nth time to all those who talk about heat - TEMPERATURE IS IRRELEVANT!! Ever seen someone after a skiing holiday?

Really good point! I got badly burned on a cloudy day in Greece many moons again, wasn't particularly hot.

I think I'm coming round tot he idea of gradual exposure and never burning.

Rather than never going out in the sun

I think I read somewhere that people most likely to get skin cancer are those who spend little time In the sun but then get a big dose at once, like the typical 2 weeks somewhere hot, once a year - they are not used to it so more at risk of burning/damage.

I don't think my children have got burned yet, but we don't go out that much in the very strong sun - we tend to keep to evenings and early mornings when it is burning weather.

Oh yes I think it was the worst sort of cancer for people who aren't used to it

and people who are only get the non dangerous type? something like that

There are sadly some stupid people who still believe that the best way to look healthy is to go out, get burned as much as possible, then go brown after that and they think it is attractive.

The same sort of people who take someone else's second hand antibiotics for a virus, because they know better than anyone medically trained.

I have always believed that about 10 to 15 mins of sun exposure without suncream is a good idea. I have always done this with my children. Both very fair, and have NEVER burned. That to me is key, to not let them burn.

I put the once a day suncream on my daughter as per instructions from the school. As I can't restrict her time in the sun when I'm not there.

How on earth do you expect kids to make enough vitamin D if at the slightest hint of the sun coming out you slap on the factor 50? There have actually been cases of deficiency in kids for this very reason.