My kids are tanned

[hipslikecinderella]

We haven't been abroad but they do masses of sport and outside activities. Dd is 8 and ds 9. They rarely burn but are fairly pale normally.
Aibu to have (inadvertently) allowed this to happen?
I do put suncream on them for a day trip/sports days. But not every day and clearly not enough to prevent a tan.

Christ who cares about wrinkles. Having enough vitamin D matters much more.

You only need about 10 mins exposure in summer for vitamin D.

Iv sunscreen all mine but they are outside constantly so have tanned faces and lower arms.

You only need about 10 mins exposure in summer for vitamin D.

Fair enough but you can't keep children wrapped up or inside if the weather is sunny not that im saying you meant that notso

@lindellia can you clarify please because your post is a little confusing. Do you really put sunscreen on every time they leave the house? Or just when you're planning to be outside (e.g. what if they are walking to the car to go to the supermarket?). I completely agree about sunscreen at the beach/park/garden/out for a walk in the sunshine, but it's not part of our daily routine for just wandering about in and out, or walking to school for 10 minutes - partly because of skin sensitivity (I haven't yet found one that doesn't cause eczema for us, and I have tried many). I also would put them in a UV suit on the beach/in the paddling pool, but mostly try to stay in when the sun is at its highest.

Tanning is an interesting word though isn't it - even if people don't burn, it still (to me) says sitting/lying around in the sun for hours on end. I don't think I've done that for 20 years since I learned to love my 'pale and interesting' natural skin tone.

It's also genetics. I have 3 DC - they all have the same amount of sun cream applied. DC1 takes after me and is the colour of milk still. DC2 takes after DH and is pale in winter but tans easily in the summer. DC3 is somewhere between the two.

Children don't lie in the sun though they are usually out playing which is more beneficial to them than worrying about a bit of colour on their faces and arms imo. I never sunbathe but i do get a tshirt tan from just being out and about

Is everyone on MN off their face this morning?

Your kids go outside and therefore get vitamin D. How is this a problem?

Being tanned doesn't mean that you'll develop skin cancer. Many people tan naturally because of their genetic disposition.

"Researchers indexed the 62 countries with the highest rates of skin cancer and found that high levels of ultraviolet exposure coupled with lighter skin tones led to a larger number of new cases. New Zealand and Australia had the most new cases per population, followed by Switzerland, Sweden and Norway. Bangladesh had the fewest cases, followed by Iraq, Egypt, India and Pakistan."

You should use SPF protection, by all means. But developing a tan, if that is your natural disposition and protect yourself, doesn't mean you're risking skin cancer. I wouldn't worry.

@Screamanger
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/uv-index-forecast/#?tab=map&map=MaxUVIndex&zoom=5&lon=-4.00&lat=55.71&fcTime=1562544000

@stillworkingitout

From May until mid-September, my dc wear suncream to school on every school day.

Over the holidays, I obviously wouldn’t make them wear suncream to walk to the car to drive to the supermarket, but if they’re going to be outside longer than 20 minutes (I.e. walking down to town), it’s compulsory. I also keep them inside between 11am and 1pm whenever possible.

I’m sure many posters on here will think I’m paranoid, but if you’d seen as many patients as I have die of melanoma, you’d think the same.

It’s the patients with young children, dying because of sun damage they sustained as teenagers, that gets me the most.

Thanks! Ok, so not actually so different - the one main difference there is school, but lunchtime is only 30 minutes at our school, including actually eating the lunch. I take your point about sun sensitivity above, but for us it's definitely sunscreen, only happens after sunscreen.

Any ideas on a good facial sunscreen for me that is non-oily? Everything I try results in big spots or worsening of rosacea. I've never been able to get it right...

@lindelia, I don't think you're paranoid. If I allow myself to think of the sun exposure I had as a child/teen it makes me quite anxious. One of my school friends died of a cancer they couldn't identify (it was everywhere by the time they found it) and I've often wondered if it was related to her love of sunbeds

My DCs have darker skin than I had as a child (both the white one and the mixed race one). But they both go darker in the sun, however the only one to have burned is my mixed race DD because we forgot the back of her neck when she was in the sling and had no hair.
So I'm OK with them going darker as long as they don't go red.

I remember in the early 90s our family friends taking their 6 month girl to Spain and being thrilled with her glowing tan. I was only a teen and remember thinking the baby looked odd, like she'd been rolled in used teabags. It was a big thing for them though, showing off their healthy tanned baby!

So pleased times have changed.

My Dd uses superdrugs own facial sunscreen it doesn't look oily @stillworkingitout

Unless they wear sunblock, they will tan with sunscreen!

I wear factor 50 and still tan. I tan easily

Surely, unless you've spent your life in a cave, we all have some degree of suntan. And it gives a level of protection against sunburn which is more serious.
Our bodies seem to be designed to change colour in the sun and I find it hard to believe that any level of colour change is dangerous.

Never will understand this anti tan movement. As long as they never burn, wear hats and sunscreen when exposed for a long time. That's it. But then I grew up in Spain. Nothing wrong with a light tan.

I have three kids, two which tan and one which doesn't. The oldest goes brown within the first few days of summer. The middle, is like me...goes freckly and that's about it 😂, and the toddler already has tan lines on his feet. They all use the same lotion, same frequency etc, they're just outside a lot. We try to avoid midday heat, cover up etc where possible too.

No-one would say I'm tanned, I'm white and pale. But I have a watch strap mark so some colour change has taken place. I can't believe that level of light colour change is harmful rather than protective.

I do not see the issue with your kids (or anyone) getting a tan?

My kids are tanned too, but they have never sunburnt, which is what I see as a problem. Yes, sometimes burn can happen even if cream is on them, but generally it seems pretty easy to avoid with a bit of care.

So yeah, tan is good IMO. Burn is obviously not.

YANBU because your children have tanned while we have lovely sunshine as much as we have had. Not even slightly unreasonable. Stop worrying

By the end of the summer dd1 will look like she has been on holiday abroad for three weeks and dd2 will not have a tan whatsoever. Both wear caps, same sun cream, similar amounts of time outside.

DS1 is very tanned at the moment as he's been outdoors a lot at school and at home. He's had factor 50 on but still tanned!