To think sunny holidays are actually incredibly dangerous

[Monikaems]

People go to the Mediterranean or other warm destination soley with the purpose of baking themselves in sun, often times this is done without sunprotection but even with sunprotection it can still be dangerous. The UV exposure from just two weeks in the sun can be months and months of what someone would get in the UK.

AIBU to think we should be better educated about the risks of sun exposure. It breaks my heart seeing little kids burnt.

Melanoma rates are increasing every year, we place warnings on sunbeds but not on sunny holidays. It seems absolutely bizzare that there is no warning on sun loungers about the risks of exposure.

AIBU

I love my holidays abroad and will go maybe 2-3x per year. I use suncream and have yet to burn. I'd rather enjoy myself than stay holed up inside smothered in factor 100 with the curtains closed at the first sign of sun.

If people want to turn into leather it’s their choice. Unfortunately we have very little control over what other parents do with their children.. smoking, bad diet etc. I wear factor 50 in England even on a warm day. I tan nicely and my tan lasts longer although the last few years I’m not worried about a tan and will generally sit in the shade. It’s heartbreaking to see children burning in the sun, I’ve seem it once and was shocked, a baby too.

I use high factor P20 which you apply in the morning and you’re covered for hours. Whole family uses it, we’ve never burned.
Just because you don’t see us slip, slap, slop every hour doesn’t mean we aren’t protected or that we aren’t aware of sun damage.

You are a party pooper. Get a life have some fun. And use suncream. Jesus I'm glad I'm not going on holiday with you.

I know plenty of people who never put sun cream on, one of Med heritage. All men. Me, I’m a pale Celt who is always in the shade. But my gosh did we get terrible sunburn as children. Back in the bad old seventies.

I always use sun protection, I do not burn, and you know what? It is wonderful to be able to top up on vitamin D on holiday.

When I go abroad I can always tell the English kids cos of the sun suits and suncream, rest of Europe doesn't seem as bothered.

Really? Where do you go? I go to the Med a lot and the other brits are all sun-aware and kids protected. YABU to assume the masses are not as informed as you are - it’s just NOT an issue.

@flamed12 I’m so sorry to hear this you did your best though and yes the blisters will be from the first day. I got badly burnt only small bits on the bottom edge of my cheek and neck on honeymoon years ago and got water blisters no scars or marks but I have massive OCD about sunscreen on my face now.

I don’t trust the Soltan stuff at all. I used the baby factor 50 and burnt badly with it a few years ago. It was slathered on and it was the only cloudy day of the whole holiday.

With many putting sunscreen on seems to give them the impression that they are fully protected from harmful rays. No regard for regularly repeating applications along with hats, clothing and staying in shade. Warm sunny weather for us Brits seems to give us a mind block about the dangers of the sun. It's like the deafness many develop in warm sunny weather yelling in phones outdoors and playing music everyone in the neighbourhoid can hear but not them. Both are the British summer affliction.

I never use sunscreen, it’s got a whole loaf of nasty chemicals in and I don’t want them in my body.

I stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, and am cautious about my exposure at other times. I’ve never burned and am rarely ill - all that good vitamin D I get.

What worries me is people who slather themselves in cream and stay out all day under the misguided belief they’re protected.

Ironically the sun tan lotion market grows year on year and yet skin cancer is increasing exponentially too. The sun isn’t getting hotter and I don’t believe we are exposing ourselves to more sun, as we are more aware of the risks nowadays. The only factor at play is our increased use of tan lotion.

We have for the past few years been on very hot holidays, however we are not sunbathers . I use a lot of protection on us ( my family are blond and fair) we don’t sit around in the shade but get out and about . So far nobody has burnt .
However at LEGOLAND on Thursday when I also used sin protection much to the boys disgust there were a fair amount of adults with bright red sunburn .
The most tanned we ever got was on a 2 week rainy holiday in Cornwall !

I think the sun causes problems where ever you go if you don’t take precautions. I find my kids especially my dd is far more likes to cover themselves in sunblock than I was at that age .

Its because in UK we are being notified everywhere by everyone including schools. YOu be surprise that in south east asia where its on the equator that they dont use sunscreen nor being advise to do so. so we are quite lucky to be educated in UK about the danger as other countries do not do so as a nation.

I'm sorry but this made me laugh with the ridiculousness

I never use sunscreen, it’s got a whole loaf of nasty chemicals in and I don’t want them in my body.

Chemo has stronger chemicals, been there.

People still seem to disregard the advice about staying out of the sun between 11am-3pm.

Because that is very unreasonable for people on a sunny holiday.
I personally don't sunbathe, sit in the shade and look at it.

I work with someone that got a skin cancer on their face. Not melanoma but still not nice and needed to have a fair bit of skin removed around the lesions. They are a sun worshipper and holiday several times a year, always to sunbathe. This year they have still gone on the same type of sun holiday and still lay in the sun all day. This person is highly educated. Go figure!

Er, excuse me I go to hot countries for food, a different culture and snorkelling in clear water!! I also wear uv clothes whilst swimming.

I've had 2 melanomas, have 2 ginger kids.

When they were little, we had a 'no hat no garden' rule, plus sun suits, factor 50 etc. They have never burned. OTH, I was a teenager in the early 70s and can remember the most awful sunburn, possibly trying to compete with others to get the best tan - never going to happen for me, the milk white celt.

It is possible to go somewhere hot, take precautions (remember, the chemicals in sun cream might stop you needing the chemicals in chemo). Someone I know is in end stage melanoma - spread to his brain. You really really dont want that. What was that Baz Lurhman thing - remember to use sun screen?

The UV exposure from just two weeks in the sun can be months and months of what someone would get in the UK.

You know people live in these countries, like all the time?! Are the entire population taking huge risks?

People who actually live in hot countries tend to be sensible, cover up and stay indoors in the middle of the day.

I’m currently in a hot country and as its the weekend around 60% of the families around the pool were locals. In the time I was there I recalled my children to sit in the shade and dry several times so I could reapply cream and was regularly reapplying my own. We also had 2 parasols over 3 beds. I did not see a single local in the shade or with any suncream. I imagine people in sweaty cities do avoid the hottest part of the day for comfort reasons but it’s certainly not the case in the resorts. Tomorrow we will go to the beach which on a Sunday is absolutely crawling with locals who pitch up first thing with half their homes packed in the car and don’t leave til sundown.

Skin colour is intended to regulate the amount of UV we receive in order to synthesise vit D. We are all Africans, but a few thousand years ago some of us were stupid enough to walk up to Northern Europe and we had to go pale in order to get enough UV.

Now we wear clothes and live indoors all year round.

Low sun exposure for people with dark skin can be very unhealthy; pregnant women in Iran for example are suffering widespread vitamin D deficiency and of course that is very bad for their foetuses. Black people living in Blighty are at risk of low bone density etc.

We have all got to die of something and you may consider an unseen internal problem vs one on the surface that you can spot early. Each of us, individually need balance.... read up on Homeostasis if you've not heard of it.

The big problem for white people is 50 weeks of darkness and clothes then 2 of ridiculous intense sunlight in combination with skin that adapts to sunlight very slowly, you can't adapt in 2 weeks, you will burn!

The key is to try to keep your exposure as constant as possible year-round, keep it at generally low level if you are very white and quite high if you are dark.

White people that go to the Med in Jul/Aug are nutts in my opinion.... try going on holiday in the winter and pay the stupid School Fine.... it is lovely, sunny - even better than Blighty's 'summer', not too hot and because it is cheaper, you can go for longer, and more often.

Finally lying in the sun is bad because you are getting no exercise and certain parts get hammered badly while other areas get nothing + your circulation shuts down and your skin overheats.

Holiday in winter, wear a hat, go out morning and afternoon to avoid the mid day, and when you do get sun, move about, go cycling or something, get sunshine evenly and lightly. If the sun comes out and is direct on your skin, get in the shade or put something thin on.

Yes, lotion does not protect you from overheating.

We think we understand a relationship between UV and vit D.... I think there may be a few other things going on as well, if you study some basic biochemistry and the range of wavelengths in sunlight.

Lotion has only been around for 50 years, animals have been around for billions so simply, the hypothesis that we can suddenly start flying to countries we're not adapted for, then lying in the sun but with lotion..... has not been tested!

I can't trust sunscreen, you can't go on the beach midday and be certain that it is working and you haven't missed anywhere.

Stay in the shade, go on the beach when the sun is going down, you can feel when the intensity is dropping off.

Which is why we’re all deficient in vit D OP