to not know what counts as sunburn?

[rosesinmarch]

Obviously, if it's sore, blisters, or peels quickly in strips, it's probably not great.

But pink, not sore, goes away again (or turns brown) in a couple of days - surely that's OK?

I was aware of the lack of vitamin d caused by high SPF. I make sure we all get 10-15 mins pure sun a day before putting cream on. Rickets is on the rise.

I got burnt as a child numerous time, it's very scary no as I think my skin cancer risk must be quite high because of this.

I find it so weird that humans haven't evolved enough so that this is still a problem.

"Its all very well saying even a tan is sun damage, but some of us have the skin type that naturally darkens when exposed to the sun"

But that's the point, exposing yourself puts you at risk; it doesn't matter if you tan or go pink/red.

Humans have evolved, that's the point. My dark skinned ancestors came north and some of them mutated pale skin, which was such an advantage at this latitude that the lighter skinned genes came to dominate.

Treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer is awful, but then so is treatment for prostate cancer and bowel cancer and MS doesn't have effective treatment at all. It's possible that oral vitamin D supplementation will give the same protection as sunshine but it will be decades before we can know for sure.

Having had a melanoma dug out of my arm, followed by removal of lots of skin to try and catch it all, then a lymph node biopsy, just as I turned 30, I'd suggest that you don't take unnecessary risks. I've never been burnt, but have gone slightly pink at various stages of my life. Now I'm slathered in sunblock and covered up at the slightest hint of brightness.

Tanning does not = skin damage.

It's all very well saying just take a pill every day, but how many people actually do that? Until you do start necking down the supplements, the best thing you can do for your overall risk of cancer is to get some moderate sun exposure (i.e. not enough to make you burn).

That's because vitamin D deficiency is linked with a higher rate of internal cancers - all the common ones, including breast, bowel, prostate. It is estimated that in the US, for instance, there are four times as many deaths due to these internal cancers that are caused by lack of sun exposure, than there are from malignant melanoma, every year.

I'll make sure I tell my grandfather's dermatologist he's wrong then wrt tanned skin being damaged.

"Tanning does not = skin damage."

Yes, it does and it's dangerous to believe otherwise as it will lull you into a false sense of security.

Valium, I'm really sorry, I certainly didn't mean to imply that your Grandfather's traumatic injuries due to skin cancer are not serious or horrifying.

But I am saying I'd rather have that than be dead, basically (I lost my best friend of 15 years to melanoma, when she was 34, and she left behind two little children. )

I'm just surprised at how naive some people are!

Pink is sun damage
Tan is sun damage
Red and blistered us sun damage and depending on severity may need proper treatment

All of them increase risk of skin cancer. Who doesn't know that in this day and age?!?

It may be damaging to your skin, and it's important to be aware of the risks and keep an eye out for the first signs of cancer. But that does not mean that having milk white skin is the safest way to be. Staying sitting in your front room will almost guarantee you won't be run over by a car, but it's not good for you overall.

LadyIsabella, my 'sign of cancer' was a tiny freckle. It itched every so often. It nearly killed me. I'd suggest that taking care in the sun is more akin to looking both ways before you cross the road than staying in your living room.

I'm not saying it's not a serious risk Spikey - it really is, but the numbers killed by bowel, lung and prostate cancer and heart disease each year are truly terrifying, as are the numbers living with MS. You have to make a choice which risks you prioritise.

But you can still get vitamin D without burning. Why do people want the lobster look anyway?

And of course you should "take care" in the sun - there's no justification for risking a blistering burn, or using a sunbed, but there are decisions to be taken about how far you go beyond that level of protection.

Oh this is scaring me. I've got an appointment to get a new itchy mole on my lower leg checked tomorrow. I always wear spf30, but in hindsight it should be 50, as I still go a bit pink.

Chances are it is nothing, TheLittleFriend and you are doing the right thing getting it checked out. In my case it was a freckle I've always had that just started to itch every now and then and it was spotted by my GP as I was bending his ear about something else and scratching my arm at the same time. I've had 4 or 5 other freckles removed and they have either been okay or have been melanoma that hasn't spread. They really were freckles, not moles - not raised or particularly dark. I'd never have seen a doctor about them myself.

Best of luck TLF.

Tanning is an exquisitely regulated skin protection mechanism that evolved to allow ancient humans to live in northern latitudes, and still produce the correct amount of vitamin D throughout the year despite annually varying degrees of sun intensity.

Sadly it cannot cope with people who spend most of their time in northern Europe but jet off to Ibiza for two weeks a year.

The little friend, I have read that the difference between using factor 30 and factor 50 is negligible.

I have had a basal cell carcinoma on my back. I am 42. It took ages and ages to get a proper diagnosis. It appeared about 4 years before. Take care in the sun. I am fair skinned and havent been abroad for 12 years as we always go to Scotland, chance of sunburn minimal

Hi, a quick update, the gp thinks its a small cyst rather than anything sinister, so feeling very relieved here

Hurrah, excellent news.

That's brilliant.

Both UVa and UVb (b being the burning one) are now linked to skin cancer, so a tan does count as a risk and permanent damage.

Glad that you got the good news :) phew!

BTW, one thing that an OAP here told me that she never knew... she applied sun screen on her face but didn't rub it into the first centimetre or so of her hair line. She has had to have a bunch of skin cut out over and over again up there because she keeps getting skin cancer along that line and her hairline is getting higher and higher. Don't forget that area. Oh the other one that people often forget and gets a lot of skin damage is the back of your hands.