AIBU to think that it's not usual to wear sunscreen all the time?

[TheKitchenWitch]

Leading on from another thread of mine in which I asked for recommendations for a tinted moisturiser without sunscreen in it (due to skin reacting), I was surprised that it seemed to be very much a given that one would wear sunscreen every day.

Now, I don't think I know of anyone who slathers sunscreen on their whole family every single day of the year. It might well be that it's included in a daily face cream for some, so they are getting it by default, but I don't put any on my children until we get to proper summer, hot sunny days etc and they are outside way more than me.
My husband also would only ever put it on if we're spending the day outside in summer. We live in Germany, so climate is similar to UK for much of the year.

So my question is: do you (as in your whole family) wear sunscreen all year round?

I wear factor 50 on my face always

I do use it all the time now...

I got a nasty basel cell carcinoma last year and I'm only in my mid 20s.

It's really unfair - I never use a sun bed, I never lay outside to tan and don't go to sunny places.

Stupid pale skin.

So confused by how many people wear it every day!
Surely it is not hot enough in the UK for suncream bar a few months in summer? And even then, if it is clouded over or raining, I wouldn't put it on then either!

No I don't. Vitamin D matters.

Can I point out tompeople who are worried about skin cancer that

• sun and vit D actually protect you from many cancer AND help you recover from them
• vitD is essential for the body to function well. Not having enough vitD will make unwell and is linked to many illnesses such as depression (and AND/PND), chronic illnesses such as ME/MS etc.... even if your levels are not so low so you are at risk of rickets.

I wear SPF30 tinted moisturiser every day of the year. It's actually reversed some of the sun damage done to my skin by over-exposure when I was younger. So yes, I do. But I don't put it on my kids every day - they'd never tolerate it! Only in summer when we're outside do they get it, but hats are also really helpful with kids and I encourage cap wearing, particularly for games outside in summertime.

Crikey - I really never knew this was a thing. When I lived in East Africa, I put it on if I knew I was going to be out for a prolonged period of time and I used to slather DS (who was a baby at the time) in Factor 50 the entire time.

Now though, in the UK, no, I NEVER wear sun cream, unless it's very very sunny and even then only when I think I'm going to be out for more than about 30 minutes. I make the kids wear it to school if it's very hot but otherwise they also get 20 minutes or so out without it. Vitamin D is quite an important thing.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/10052972/Six-year-old-diagnosed-with-rickets-after-using-sunscreen.html

(I'm aware it's media and therefore take it with a pinch of salt but it's not the Daily Mail at least).

I live in the UK. (And I got a bcc / skin cancer - see above post)

No one I know does. Maybe it's because I live in Scotland though.

I add a few drops of factor 50 to my spf 15 day cream. My foundation is also spf 15 though I don’t wear it every day.

I don't. Spent most of that glorious weather last year avoiding the sun as much as possible and wearing a hat and being completely covered from neck to feet when I did go out as my stupidly sensitive skin decided it didn't like sun block (it was fine the year before...).

DH on the other hand burns if he looks out the window on a moderately sunny day so he wears factor 50 as soon as it starts getting slightly sunny.

I do - it’s built in to my moisturisers. I’m very pale skinned, so always concerned about sun damage!

I use SPF 50 every day on my face, upper chest and hands. I live alone so I am my 'whole family'.

I don't rely on the sunscreen in cosmetics because it's not as good and is a lower SPF, plus it's part of another product so you don't get as much coverage.

I take VitD daily to ensure I don't miss out there, but even without SPF most of us need VitD supplements in the UK.

My skin care routine is washing my face with water then leaving the house so no, I don't wear any sun cream!

I wear an spf15 moisturiser every day.

If I'm going to be outside for longer than 45 minutes I burn except in the winter so I wear facial sun lotion with spf30.

I've worn at least spf15 every day since I was a teenager & have hardly any lines, I'm 42 but people think I'm younger.

I get my vitamin D from the tablets I take for Osteopaenia.

SPF 50 nearly every day on my face
I'm a redhead so generally vitamin D isn't an issue, plus I expose my arms etc and am outdoors a fair amount

Surely it is not hot enough in the UK for suncream bar a few months in summer?

My grandfather got cancer all over the tops of his ears and forehead and his cheek from gardening in the UK never went on holiday to hot countries and never sunbathed.

It is usual for those interested in not prematurely ageing their skin, yes

Surely the natural effects of the sun are the normal ageing process, not premature. Using sunscreen is artificially stunting the natural process.

I have SPF in my make up but don't wear that everyday. If it's very sunny and hot I'll put it on any exposed skin.

A bit on sun is good for you. Putting all those chemicals on your skin everyday can not be healthy. They are then washed off down the drain with all the shampoos, soaps, cleaning chemicals etc, is it really necessary to use so much? There have been reports of sea life being affected at touristy beaches from all the suncream washing off in the sea.

Surely it is not hot enough in the UK for suncream bar a few months in summer?

You know daylight, right? You know how at night it's dark, yes? Well, during the day, daylight is provided by the sun. At night, the sun is the other side of the world. So, despite the sun not necessarily being a shining beacon in the sky and despite it not being 30 degrees c, the sun is still there, emitting its gamma rays and UVA.

This is why I wear sunblock every day and it certainly does help to slow the aging process.

But, it's worth taking VitD whether you use sunblock or not.

I leave the house and walk ten seconds to get in my car, I go to work and walk about 90 seconds into the building where I stay all day, then reverse and barely go out most evenings and if I did, 8m of the year it would be dark. So, I get very little daylight on my face anyway. So, if I decide not to use SPF for that reason (no daylight on me, though UVA does go through glass so my 90 mins driving would count) I would still take VitD.

Obviously I go out more at weekends and holidays.

Yes I do because I use a face cream with retinol. Took years to find the right one though because at 55 I still have oily skin. Frezyderm velvet touch is fantastic, matt all day. The tinted one doubles as foundation.

Sun damage, not sunbathing, just walking about, is the biggest factor in skin aging: but daft using anti-aging creams then not using an SPF.

I have two moisturisers, one with SPF 15 for sunny days/days when I'm outside a lot from March - September, and one without for the rest of the time. My tinted moisturiser, which is all the makeup I wear e.g. at work, has SPF 15 and I'd rather it didn't, but I like it for other reasons. If it's really hot and sunny, and I'm outside, I have some factor 30 facial suncream. I use factor 15 on the rest of my body.
I don't think anyone needs factor 30 in the depths of winter, unless for good medical reasons.

No, not everyday but I do make sure I have it on when outside in the sun. I’m in SE England.

When I lived in the UK i wore SPF every day on my face, neck and décolletage, and usually back of hands from about age 25. Same as my mum - she taught me. I live in Spain now, so still do this and in summer months of course wear it all over.

I'm on the wrong side of 30, 3 kids and don't have a wrinkle or sun spot on my body.

I think a lot of people do, I bought face cream with SPF in it but it stings my eyes and makes them red so I try to avoid it now unless it's very sunny.