To not understand why some people won’t wear suncream?!

[ClandestineAdulation]

Currently sat in the garden and enjoying the sunshine with my factor 30 on... with the family and not one of them is wearing suncream.

I can see their skin burning.

They can see their skin burning.

But they think I’m weird for wearing suncream.

I don’t understand why some people would knowingly do this?!

It's not a minefield. If you use one that protects against A and B you'll reduce your risk of burning and cancer. Not lying in the sun doesn't mean you are getting no sun. Ask your doctor not the Internet about Vit D.

@Aus84 I'm sceptical of the idea that chemicals in sun cream cause cancer to be honest. Just like I'm sceptical that too much red meat causes cancer. I don't buy into this mass hysteria.

Skin cancer from prolonged sun exposure is a very real proven thing and one I want to avoid. I never use the spray ones as I think they're rubbish.

I'm not wearing sun cream today as I won't be spending that much time outside, but if I know I'm going to be out in the sun I will continue to use it.

I’m a country girl, outdoorsy you could say. I can’t imagine staying inside because the weather is sunny. My face moisturiser has a spf in it anyway so I have that all year round. If I am out in the summer sun for any length of time I’ll put a good layer of factor 20/30 on depending on what time of year it is / how hot it is.
If the kids are playing outside for a long time they have sun lotion on and they have some in their school bags.
I’m naturally pale with but I do pick up some colour in the summer. I can’t remember the last time I burnt ( somewhere around 1988) and my 3 children with a mix of pale and olive skin have never burned (13,11 &9).
The olive skinned two pick up colour really quickly ( like my olive skinned dh) my other ds picks up colour very slowly throughout the summer like me.
Some of the stuff I’ve read on here today seems a bit over the top, if I’m honest.

Parker231 makes a good point re some people with darker skin thinking they’re Immune from sun damage.

I’m olive skinned with v dark hair and eyes and I had a skin cancer removed in my 30s. My dm is dark skinned Asian and is shortly having a skin biopsy for the same thing. My df has had a few topical skin carcinomas.

I avoid the sun but ensure ds (also olive skinned) is covered in cream and avoid midday sun.

Totally agree with everything Aus84 says.
I live in Australia and rarely put sunscream on as I need my vitiman D everyday and yes the chemicals in suncream have been linked to skin cancer, it sounds crazy but if you research it you will see.
Once I've got enough sun to get my vitiman D then I will stay in the shade or cover up.
I have to chuckle at the obsession of sun cream use in the UK when you are all probably vit D difficient.

Maybe you could link to this research about skin cancer caused by sunscreen, because I can't find anything reputable?

Same.

It seemed initially like aus was saying people engage in riskier behaviours because of suncream when they'd otherwise do things like stay inside from 12-3 etc. With British's people's attitude to the sun I'm not sure that would be applicable here, but ok I can see how it might be the case in somewhere like Australia, where people don't feel they have to get out and soak up every ray immediately because it'll be raining again later.

However it sounds like people are actually saying the sunscreen application itself, rather than behaviour it might encourage, are the issue?

It used to be mentioned on the cancer research U.K. website. It’s not about chemicals within the sunscreen - it’s more about the false sense of security provided by sunscreen because a) it only prevents the passage of certain types of UV rays (& some better than others) b) the rays that contribute most to melanoma is not that well understood & c) it can reduce the rays that make vitamin D and vitamin D can protect against cancer. Iirc the evidence for sunscreen is better for skin cancers that are not melanoma.

I mentioned this way back in the thread. The google I did then looked to me as if the jury is still out in terms of melanoma.

Personally I use sunscreen on exposed areas if in high intensity sunlight (eg on the water, or a day on the moors), but also seek out shade and Use appropriate clothing . I never sunbathe (am very pale). Kids have always had rash vests, hats etc for the beach as well as subscreen.

Ask my doctor about vitamin D? Are you having a laugh?!my GP wouldn’t even test me!

Doctors are miles behind in this stuff, like they are on food. Clueless.

It is a minefield as the answer isn’t to sunbathe with SPF50. It is probably not to sunbathe at all.

Riiight so you all know way more about health than GPs and medical researchers.

That's OK, you just go and treat yourself and leave the NHS and medical research for the rest of us. Would maybe reduce the strain on it especially when people who think the doctors know nothing die of skin cancer.

There are loads of oil-free sunscreens if you hate feeling sticky. A doctor friend told me this week that a really common site for melanoma is the tops of the ears, which most people forget to protect.
I had to supervise not one but three sports days last week. I am naturally ghost pale. I absolutely slathered factor 50 on.

I didn't get to read the whole thread, but I noticed ppl don't use sunscreen because they don't like the texture and feel of it.
Sunscreen texture imoroved a lot.
Here are some water based spf options :

This one is good to apply on the face even on top of makeup :
www.garnier.co.uk/sun-protection/beauty/ambre-solaire/sensitive-advanced/beschermende-gezichtsspray-spf-50

And some non sticky spray one for kids :
www.garnier.co.uk/sun-protection/beauty/ambre-solaire/resisto-kids/anti-sand-spray

A nice light lotion type one for the face:
www.paulaschoice.co.uk/resist-anti-aging-youth-extending-daily-hydrating-fluid-broad-spectrum-spf-50-m7800.html?dwvar_m7800_size=fullsize&cgid=#q=Spf%2B50&lang=en_GB&start=0&top=306

And a lightly tinted mineral one, for the face :
www.paulaschoice.co.uk/resist-anti-aging-moisturiser-spf-30-m7760.html?dwvar_m7760_size=fullsize&cgid=#q=Spf%2B30&lang=en_GB&start=0&top=832

There are a lot of options in supermarkets aswell, textures for different skin types and they don't need to be tacky or sticky at all .

If spray on sun cream is useless then I've been wasting my time and putting my kids in danger

For me, I don't bother except if I'm suddenly going to be exposed to higher levels than I'm currently used to or if I'm going to be out for more than an hour or two. Even then, I'm more likely to just wear some light clothing that covers shoulders etc.
I'm usually out every day, summer and winter for a couple of hours so I build up a natural low level tan. I haven't burnt since the 80s either!

It depends what I’m doing. A day at the beach or out and about with lots of time in the sun then I do. Day to day I don’t.
I think it’s important to get a bit of sunlight on the skin for Vit D etc but not so much you’re burning up mid afternoon!

I wear sun protection on my face every day as it's in my moisturiser. Throughout the last few weeks I've work sun cream every day. I would burn and I'm not particularly pale. I wear factor 30. Even sitting I'm the shade I catch the sun so need protection.

I have freckles and have a patch on my face that I was referred to a dermatologist on a 2 week cancer referral as my GP was unsure. It was fine but the dermatologist told me that I should wear protection in the UK every day not just when it's sunny. I'd rather not risk it. Even driving to work for 30 minutes I can feel my arm burning in the sunshine we've had the last few weeks.

I guess it depends on your skin tone and type.
I wear sun cream but would never wear anything above factor 20 as I believe that my skin needs the sun - especially the vitamin D. So I have some protection
My skin also often reacts to the harsh chemicals in sun cream -eczema, it breaks out very badly
so I try and buy more natural one, the one I use at the mo is Lush sesame sun cream factor 10.

@ThanksForAllTheFish
Gosh that sounds bad! You might have got a bad batch though, we have used the P20 spray for years now, in South Med countries and have never had any issues - I honestly wouldn't have suggested it if I thought it was a bit hit and miss.

We ran out one year and bought a bottle of Nivea for kids, SPF 50 as an emergency (we were quite far from our apartment) and we found it didn't seem to do very well at all. To be fair to that product though, we got it in the middle of the day so perhaps we were near the limit of maximum sunshine anyway? But never had a problem with the P20 luckily.

drspouse my experience of most GPs has been hideous. Most of the time they aren’t up to speed at all.

Example- last winter I was very viral and quite low. GP offered me antidepressants. I asked for vitamin D test and was declined. Paid to have it tested privately and it was low. Now raising it with vit D supplements and sun. No antidepressants needs. So I have saved the NHS money.

I have so many similar stories. I wouldn’t even have kids if I had listened to bloody doctors!

If I get cancer, then yes I will embrace modern medicine with aplomb. But until then I try to read the latest research myself. It’s called Pub Med.

Maybe your spouse is different - lucky you!