AIBU to be shocked by the sunbathing advice?

[Doman]

We are in Tenerife in an apartment complex around a pool. It's blazing hot. Yesterday lunchtime a woman came to the poolside with a microphone and announced that she was the 'suncare advisor'. Call me naïve but I expected some half sensible advice about avoiding the midday sun, wearing hats, reapplying cream after swimming etc.

It turned out that she was selling a range of products. That's fair enough, I guess, but the 'advice' she gave was unbelievable. Don't use sunblock, you only need up to SPF15, anyone can get a 'healthy tan'. She was telling freckly fair-skinned women they had ' good base tans' and anyone with olive skin that they 'won't burn anyway'.

I was truly shocked that anyone would be allowed to dish out this dangerous twaddle in 2018. AIBU?

I think I'd have to have a chat with her....about getting sued.

the view of the experts (FDA)
There is no such thing as a safe tan. The increase in skin pigment, called melanin, which causes the tan color change in your skin is a sign of damage. Why it happens: Once skin is exposed to UV radiation, it increases the production of melanin in an attempt to protect the skin from further damage.
the 'natural' melanin produced is TRYING to protect the skin. HTH

Yeh that’s bad

also to bear in mind
UV rays can damage our vision every day, deteriorating the lenses of our eyes. Too much time in the sun can speed cataract development, so it is important to limit your time in direct sunlight. Not wearing proper eye protection is another culprit, Hats, wraparound sunglasses and lenses that offer 100 percent UVA and UVB protection can help prevent, or at least delay, cataract formation.
sorry to preach - but I know first hand how much damage UV exposure can do and find it hard to tolerate the view that sunshine is good and melanin production is 'natural' so must be beneficial.

Oh yes there was 9ne of these when we were in mallorca earlier this year. I laughed when she gave the leaflet and mentioned that the guidelines were to use factor 30 but she warped on some white aboit the special formulation of the products she sells, and of course - it was ALOE!

From experience anyone who touts aloe isn't worth arguing with.
Their usual response is "yeah, but, aloe".

@Hinkle
That's precisely what I was thinking of doing! Maybe if she shows up again :)

@storminabuttercup
No, but must be the same woman or the same patter. Probably 50-ish, blonde, tanned (funnily enough). High factors just sit on your skin and cause prickly heat, apparently. Absolute crap.

"I find it hard to tolerate the view that sunshine is good and melanin production is 'natural' so must be beneficial"

It's odd though as humans evolved living mostly outside, gathering crops, hunting animals etc. And moderate sunshine is good for mood, many skin conditions, etc. I'm not advocating spending hours lying outside in baking heat with only a light coating of Factor 8, but I can't believe that sunshine per se is unhealthy.

Similar "advisor" at a hotel I stayed at in Tenerife a few years ago, stupidly bought some. I ended up really poorly with sunstroke, I spent 2 nights in hospital

Iv not seen this for yrs. They literally say anything to sell you the product. They must be commission based due to the nonsense they come out with. Can't believe they still do this!

sorry to preach - but I know first hand how much damage UV exposure can do and find it hard to tolerate the view that sunshine is good and melanin production is 'natural' so must be beneficial

But it's been proven that some sun exposure is beneficial. Tanning is a natural by product of the beneficial sun exposure therefore not all tanning is bad. You have to weigh up the pros and cons. Lying in the sun for hours purposely to turn deep brown, yes bad. Lightly tanning as a result of outdoor activity, whilst also wearing sunscreen, I cant get worked up about and neither would most health professionals. The alternative is completely avoiding all outdoor activities during the day which isn't realistic at all and detrimental to mental and physical health.

They've changed tack then.. usually in the canaries you get the lecture on being near the equator, the sun is really strong, take extra care and buy all our aloe/carrot shit.

It's all bollocks anyway- factor 15 gives the same level of protection as 50- it's the Le goth of time it protects for, not the amount it protects. So yup- factor 15- if applied more frequently is fine. I usually go 30 because I forget to put it back on. 50 is a waste of money.

So, if you start to redden after 15 minutes, a cream with an SPF of 15 should allow you to stay out for 225 minutes, or 3¾ hours, before you burn.
This is the case no matter how many times you reapply it. After 3¾ hours, the only safe solution is to find shade.
An SPF factor of 30 allows you twice as much time in the sun as a 15 - but should be reapplied every few hours.
So, an SFP 30 should let you enjoy 450 minutes or 7½ hours without burning. After that you can reapply as much as you like and it won't protect you.
If you burn after 15 minutes and plan to spend 12 hours in the sun, factor 50 should let you do so without burning. Reapplication is crucial.

However- should always wear hat and sunglasses, and not spend too much time me in direct sunlight- that's better advice than what suncream to use I would have thought.

50 is a waste of money.

How so? Costs the same as other SPFs in my experience. See here for example.

While the time thing is correct, this from the Skin Cancer Foundation is, too:

'Another way to look at it is in terms of percentages: SPF 15 filters out approximately 93 percent of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 keeps out 97 percent and SPF 50 keeps out 98 percent.'

I burn in 10 minutes of direct, strong sunlight. I'm pale and freckly. I'll be sticking with my 50!