To not smother my DCs in suncream?

[CantankerousCamel]

I know there is a lot of information suggesting ‘there’s is no such thing as a healthy tan’ but AIBU to think it’s gone too far the other way?

I am very lax about suncream personally (choice partly and research mostly) but everywhere I look, people seem to be smothering children in factor 50 every second of the day!

This cannot be healthy surely? Some sort of happy medium is necessary? Obviously some skin needs heavy sun cream and some needs none (I have Spanish skin and my husband is South African, neither of us or the kids have burned when being careful with staying in the shade in midday sun and popping a thin layer on/hat if needed

Why the factor 50 in May?

AIBU to think NICE should be adjusting guidelines to ward off such thick use of creams on young children? It is important for skin to experience sunlight, especially in the Northern Hemisphere and especially this time of year when moderate exposure is easier, safer and will prevent burning later on in the summer.

DS gets factor 50 as I have pre cancerous skin changes and I don’t want him to have to endure biopsies and the stress I’ve gone through if at all avoidable.

He still has a healthy colour to him but without the irreversible skin damage

We're all blonde and barely have a pigment between us. I cover my kids up and use factor 50 on any exposed skin if it's sunny.
However I don't put any on if they play in the garden for 20 minutes at 9am when the sun isn't very strong for example, I'm not militant about it but I do make sure they are protected. My kids have never burnt or tanned. They have a vit D suppliment.

Yanbu - I think it has gone to far. I work in bone health and listen to loads of discussions between vitamin d supporters and skin cancer experts.

They broadly agree - sensible sun exposure - take precautions not to burn but you do not need to use sun screen all the time.

Yes technically a tan can be described as 'damage' however a splinter damages your body but it's not a broken leg. The increased risk of skin cancer from non burning sun exposure is very small.

Have you considered letting him have a few minutes a day, in the early morning or later in the evening to just feel sunlight? Not st a time when burning is an issue (between 11-3) but just some time, in sunlight, without masses of creams?

I get that people are cautious but we are in Britain, we have long days and really only some of that is dangerous to skin.

Having Mediterranean skin myself, I completely agree with you. I spent a good proportion of my childhood on the equator and maybe had factor 15 on the hotter days and have never burned, although I do have freckles on my face.

Having said that, my DS has fairer skin than me and I do use suncream on him daily if I know he is going to be out all day. I'm not one to reapply every two hours though, only if he has been in water. I'm certain that he wouldn't burn without this if I were to practise the ways in which my DP's prevented me from burning in years past but the media and peer pressure certainly do play a part.

When I see text messages from school asking for the DC's to have sun cream applied before they arrive when it is 15C I certainly ignore. Maybe due to the media around rickets a couple of generations ago, my generation went too far the other way and now they are pushing back again?

You only get vitamin d from sunlight between 10am and 4 pm. May - Oct.

Sorry my second post was to the first reply! I’m not used to all this yet

Unless we are out at the beach/park for a full day or a school trip we dont use any

We seek shade and cover up in midday sun

SUNDANCE;

I’ve heard similar from emergency doctors, they say the very WORST thing you can do is burn skin and it tends to be the teenagers that head for the beach with friends after a lifetime of factor 50 who burn the most. Sun exposure is actually not a bad thing, but burning is. So why are we still so scared of sun exposure?

I think most kids (regardless of skin tone) could do a 30 min outdoor session without heavy creams at 10am in May

I think it’s something the NHS should promote

WOBBLE;

I feel much the same about the school. My children have both asked me why I don’t send them in with suncream like all their friends (it is May for goodness sake and they get 1 or 2 30 min breaks a day outside!

I asked them how often we used suncream last year (only at the beach when shade is impossible to find and only factor 15) then I asked them if they’d ever had burnt skin (they never have)

I do think it’s gone far too far.

I am pleased by the sensible answers here. I was ripped apart on another forum with people posting photos of dead parents when going through treatment for cancer and telling me I was irresponsible for suggesting that 30 mins in the sun at 8/9/10 am this time of year, sans suncream was especially good for children

Yanbu. We need some exposure to sun. You need to find some balance.

I agree with you, and my children are very fair. My older one is 9 and she is practically blue, but she has never burnt on my watch (she did once with her dad!) I use factor 25 or 30 and only apply if she going to be in the sun for a long time. I do remember having a battle with her nursery when she was small because they insisted I had to send her in with factor 50 instead of 30.

Im a little obsessive about my almost two year old having cream on, I don't put layers and layers but she has such fair skin I'd hate to think if it burns, it's my fault and I've damaged her skin

We always had family holidays abroad when I was a kid and I remember mum creaming me up but I'd still burn and even had blisters a couple of times. I worry that my moles may turn into something one day.

I always buy factor 50 so a bottle lasts most of the summer, it's expensive stuff so would rather just get the most out of one bottle!

My DH is very over the top with suncream. He and DS have very pale skin (ginger hair). DH has memories of severe burn so is obsessed. I am cautious but don't reapply often like DH does.

DD has much darker skin and I am less cautious with her.

BEANSPROUT a little bit of sun exposure out of the hot part of the day without cream would be really good for her.

Even prevent her skin from burning because gentle exposure is very, very good for the skin and it’s sun tolerance (only at 9/10am and for 30mins or so :-)

I used to get them naked in the garden and run around with them! Was beautiful.

I think that shade/hats and long sleeves are far more beneficial than suncream in the hotter part of the day which is possibly why you still burned on holiday with your folks

HIDING

from what I’ve read, fair skin needs sun as much as any other skin, just moderate the time of day and be extra careful in the midday sun.

This summer we are focusing on making exciting, cool, shaded places in the garden to have the kids out of the sun

My mum has skin cancer. My grandmother died from it. DS has red hair and very fair skin - he ALWAYS wears sun cream if it’s sunny.

My DD wears factor 50 in strong sunlight in May. Not all day - we took her out at 7am for a walk and breakfast yesterday and it was my judgement she didn't need it, but when we took her out again at 4pm for a walk outdoors, our car thermostat said 25 degrees and it was hot, so of course I slathered her in it or she would have burned.

I do think there is not enough knowledge about safe times to be in the sun and that regardless of how hot it is then you can still burn even if the temperature is 15 degrees if the uv is high. UV index is the critical thing to understand in terms of sun exposure. The higher the UV the more risk of sun burn. In the uk this will be mainly between 12 and 3pm. I'm very vigilant with my kids (I live in Australia) but only apply sun cream once the uv index reaches medium danger which is about 5-6. They always wear hats in the sun and also I prefer t shirts which cover shoulders. In the UK the risk is lower but if kids are playing outside for extended periods during peak uv even in may then they can get burnt. I got burnt in the U.K. on bank holiday weekend because I was sitting in the full sun at 12pm for at least 30 mins, stupidly underestimating how strong the sun was at that time.

YANBU. Children need some sun exposure for their health, they need to learn to manage their own sun exposure so they do not burn... and sun cream is not a very good solution unless you are at the beach, pool or in a garden. Hats and tops that cover you up are far better for your health. Beware sun cream manufacturers and their greedy ways.

I agree. I have to make a choice as every suncream I have ever tried makes my DS come up in a horrible itchy rash (he used to have severe eczema when younger and still has sensitive skin) Even the supposedly sensitive skin ones make him react. When discussing this with his dermatologist she said that the better option was to only apply it when we're out e.g. all day at the beach. He doesn't have any on a day to day basis and hasn't burned yet.

If we have a hot day I get pretty zealous with the sun cream (for myself as well as ds) as a) he is very fair and b) I've burned before, not badly but it was very sore /uncomfortable and I certainly don't want that to happen to him.

25 degrees here is just the same as 25 degrees anywhere and warrants sunscreen.

That being said like pps I'm not militant about it. Half an hour in the garden before school doesn't often require any and ds has a very slight tan (even with factor 50. Dread to think how burned he would be without it on those few hot days we've had recently)

OP I also have similar heritage with olive skin and it takes a while for me to burn. My daughter has the same...but my son has very pale English skin. It's very hard to judge how easy it is for pale skin to burn if you don't have it. I once put sunscreen on my son when he was 4 but then put his long sleeve rash vest on him - unfortunately, it must have dragged off the sunscreen on his hands and even although he was only out in the sun for 2hrs - sadly he his hands got so burnt they blistered. Another time when he was 9 and it had been raining a lot on holiday, the rain stopped so we decided to go out on a boat. It was overcast and a bit cold - but I didn't fully appreciate the sun reflection. My daughter and I were fine...unfortunately my son got so burnt he peeled and the skin on his legs was painful to touch. I, of course, felt awful. Every time you get sunburnt you are increasing the risk of skin cancer. Now on semi-sunny days I make sure my son has suncream at least on his face and on any major moles. My daughter only wears sunscreen on super sunny days.