AIBU to think that sun cream was rarely used in the 70s? Recovering from the big C.

[Serendipity12]

So, am always paranoid about sun exposure with my two DCs and with good reason - 6 years ago I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Luckily am still here but it really got me thinking back and as I was growing up, although we rarely went abroad, like all other kids I enjoyed playing out and about and I have no recollection of ever being slathered in sun cream. Do remember the calamine lotion for occasional sun burn though😬
Not meaning to be judgey of my parents but is this the experience of other similarly aged people on here? Because it was obviously a factor in me developing that disease. Just trying to get perspective, really...

I remember sun cream as a child, but I also remember us hiring a sunbed to use at home before we went on holiday. That’s right, the whole family, children included, used a sunbed.

Born 1961. Celtic (milk bottle white, freckles, reddish hair etc). Lived abroad as a baby; spent my teens at boarding school 'tanning' with oil - remained milkbottle white underneath the burn.

First melanoma 1986 - stage 3. RADICAL surgery involving skin grafts, hideous scarring.

2nd melanoma 2013 - stage 2? removed via excision, much less radical treatment, minor scarring.

In between, gave birth to two red heads - never ever burned on my watch, and learning to love their own skin tone!

Cancer Research (I think) has launched 'Own Your Tone', a campaign to get people to enjoy being the skin colour they are, which I hope will work, because let's face it, no matter how pretty a golden glow is, some of us will never achieve it.

And if anyone's interested, I discovered a brand of sun protection clothing for adults recently called Coolibar - bought a wonderful knee length, long sleeve cardi type thing with a hood which saves slathering on the lotion, and is both miraculously cool when it is hot and a nice extra layer if the breeze is a bit chill. (No, I dont work for them!!)

We did use some kind of sun lotion in the sixties/seventies for the dch but only when abroad. However, remember we were always putting shirts on them when they were on a beach or by a swimming pool.

I was brought up in the 60s/70s and never wore sun cream as a child. My parents always told us it cost too much and we had skin that tanned easily anyway! I’m really careful with my skin now and always made sure my DCs wore suncream. My mother still believes it’s an unnecessary expense and people have too much money to waste!

They say skin cancer is increasing due to recent times and more holidays abroad. Seems odd as we have much stronger suncream now and more people use it.

I have very fair skin and burn incredibly easily. This thread has reminded me that I really must book in with my GP for a mole check - I have a few dark ones on my back that I’m worried about...

@user Because people use sun cream instead of limiting the amount of time in the sun when abroad.

I was born in the 80s but my siblings and I never wore sunscreen as kids as our parents believed it wasn't necessary in the UK (we're all fair skinned). I do remember getting burnt but not too badly as I didn't spend much time in the sun. I remember girls at secondary school (late 90s) would sunbathe during lunch hour and would use cocobutter to help attract the sun; they thought if they used sunscreen they wouldn't tan.