Tanned baby

[redredbrine]

My son is under the age of 1 and is currently sporting a tan. He is mixed race (1/4 black, 3/4 white) and was covered in factor 30 on a day when it was 21 degrees Celsius. I chose factor 30 as the UV index was low and wanted to avoid factor 50 due to the chemicals - would only use if it was going to be very hot.

One of my friends went off on a rant at me. Apparently I'm increasing my son's risk of skin cancer, should've used factor 50 and it's awful for a child to have a tan.

AIBU to think that it's fine that he tanned because he has sun cream on and he just went a tiny bit darker? It wasn't intentional or like I was shoving him out in the sun on purpose for this reason...

Fucking hell, 7 pages of hysteria.

Exactly.

Given your concerns I would speak to your gp.
My mum had skin cancer she never sun bathed in her life and the area affected never unclothed. She was never abroad either.
Another relative the same . Neither would have heard of sun factor and both were 80 + when they got such ( both recovered and doing well )
Given the child is of mixed race, I would not unduly panic. And speak to your gp .

Speak to my gp about what?! because my son has a tan?

Doesn’t the number on sunblock refer to the length of time you can stay in the sun rather than the level of protection? I’m sure I read that if your skin takes 20 minutes to burn then factor 10 for example, would allow you to stay in the sun for 10 times longer.

My son is very olive skinned, I always used factor 50 and he still got darker

What’s the difference between SPF 30 and 50? How do you choose between them?

SPF 30 is the most common level for most people and skin types. No sunscreen can block all UV rays, but what we do know is: SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays, SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays and SPF 50 blocks 98% of UVB rays. So, the difference between 30 and 50 is about 1 percent. But every bit of extra protection can be beneficial if you are very fair or spending a lot of time in direct sun! And most people apply less than the recommend amount (about one ounce for full body coverage), so the higher the number the better.

And this:

First, a quick lesson in SPF. What exactly does it protect you from?

SPF stands for “sun protection factor,” and it measures your sunscreen protection from UVB rays. Think about this way: If your skin would normally burn after 10 minutes in the sun, applying an SPF 15 sunscreen would allow you to stay in the sun without burning for approximately 150 minutes (a factor of 15 times longer, hence SPF 15). It’s not an exact estimate though. Also, SPF does not measure how well a sunscreen will protect from UVA rays. While UVB rays are what cause physical sunburns, UVA rays penetrate the skin more deeply and are associated with aging. They also increase the carcinogenic effects of UVB rays and increasingly are being seen as a cause of skin cancer on their own. That’s why it’s super important to look for a sunscreen that says “broad-spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection.”

Sensible exposure to the sun is fine. Burning isn't obviously. DS and I only have to look at the sun to tan.

Vitamin D is v important. Children need fresh air, exercise and a little bit of sunshine.

No wonder so many kids are vitamin d deficient

It's all damage. Whether you tan or not. It's just sun damage.

My parents were like you when I was growing up. Now I have a chunk of my face missing due to skin cancer.

I got a severe vitamin D deficiency after avoiding the sun and slapping high factor SPF on all the time. I think a slight tan and no burning is a perfectly reasonable balance.

The positive impact of exercise is down to the body responding to damage and building up more muscles etc. I’m not convinced that avoiding the sun completely is the right way to go about things given how much time we as a species have spent outside over time.

@SignedUpJust4This don't you think that's a little unnecessary? Sorry you had skin cancer but telling me I'm putting my son at risk and he's likely to get cancer all because of me (having him in the sun for 40 mins with factor 30 all over) is a bit of a wanky thing to say.

How ridiculous signedupjust4this

My boy (11) always looks like he’s been on a Mediterranean holiday after 1 day in the sun.... we always use factor 50...

I think I need to leave this thread. It's starting to piss me off a little. Clearly many people just don't understand (or want to understand) the differences between races of people and sun tanning. Thanks to those who have replied sensibly!

It's all damage.

It is. It’s called life and getting older.
You cannot prevent everything.

This thread is utterly bonkers.

I don’t blame you OP, enjoy the rest of your weekend

Don't blame you, OP. The thread is full of numpties.

I'm really sorry. You are absolutely right. I should've said it better but that is exactly what my dermatologist said to me. She said all tanning is just damage.and my parents should've taken better care of me.
I'm sure you are a wonderful mother and it sounds like your so has much darker skin than me so will be fine.

This is understandably a sore point for me.

@MadamMMA glad it's sunny

I think you’re getting a bit of an aibu kicking. The vast majority on this thread will be old enough to have not been slathered in sunscreen from day dot and most of us have our faces intact, I’m sorry for your experience but what you’ve said isn’t fair @signedupjust4this it would be the same as me lecturing every single person I see smoking about lung cancer just because I’ve had it.

Maybe op consider a hat that ties under the chin so it’s not as easily disposed of and reapply more often during the hottest period of the day.

Ehhhhh?? You’re all mental! My baby is also mixed race, has worn factor 50 and is rarely if ever in direct sunlight. She is still going a beautiful colour of brown on those parts of her that have ever been exposed to the sun. As I understand it, she has more melanin in her skin which is in turn reacting to even tiny amounts of sunlight. Those effects wouldn’t be as obvious on a child with very little melanin and therefore these hysterical responses are actually verging on the racist. As parents of mixed race children, are we supposed to limit their exposure to sun even more than white children’s lest they dare to turn an unsightly shade of brown?? Madness!! Go find someone else to pick on Karen.

Don’t blame you OP.

Utterly bemused by the advice to see your GP because your child got a tan...

Tbf I don't lecture everyone I see. Just the ones that specifically ask about it on a thread. I said sorry.

@SignedUpJust4This don't worry. Must've been a shit thing to go through. Wishing you all the best