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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Sun cream??

86 replies

Strawberryjelly1 · 08/07/2022 16:32

Just asking for some perspective and other opinions with this!

im 23 and obviously want to be tanned, but I’m Scottish so it just isn’t meant to be! Ive accepted my extreme paleness and I just use fake tan when needed.

I wear suncream on my face every single day- usually factor 50. My moisturiser has spf in it but I just prefer to use separate spf 50 suncream aswell. I was speaking to a friend about it and they said it was pointless and a waste of time- I’ve been badly sunburned before and spent my childhood playing in the sun so the damage is done already. They also said factor 50 for my face is overkill and ridiculous given where we live in Scotland rarely has any sunny weather.

I thought everyone wore suncream on their face, or that it was at least recommended to help skin? Or am I just wasting my time because I’ve already been burned a lot when I was younger? I’ve been spending a lot of money (for me, anyway) on decent suncream so if it’s pointless I’ll just stop it. We have a family history of skin cancer unfortunately (melanoma which is obviously bad, aswell as BCC and SCC which are usually less serious but I was told it turned nasty and spread and caused the person to sadly pass away) so I’m a bit ott to sun damage but I just wanted to be as protected as possible.

am I wasting my time?

OP posts:
MsOllie · 09/07/2022 17:18

Bertieboo82 · 09/07/2022 17:10

Don’t know how you cope tbh!

I'm a redhead who's allergic to heat (actually allergic/on medication for it)
Win Grin

DorisJoy · 09/07/2022 17:44

Not wasting your time and being pretty sensible! Also, wear spf 50 all year round (altruist face fluid spf 50) As others have said just mix with tanning drops or a little fake tan. Skin biopsies are not nice and in 20 + years time you’ll be glad you looked after your skin. I’m currently a dermatology patient and was told the spf in makeup/moisturisers is not enough to prevent skin cancers.

HousePlantNeglect · 09/07/2022 17:56

SPF 50 on my face every day (a tinted one if I want to look half decent).

I don’t burn that much but been getting pigmentation and dark spots since my early 30s. Daily SPF stopped it immediately.

MaChienEstUnDick · 09/07/2022 17:59

50, Scottish and blue and think you're being very sensible. Wish I'd had your sense, to be honest - I rarely burned as an adult but I definitely have sun damage from UV. Your pal is an idiot.

LoobyDop · 09/07/2022 18:04

I’m pretty sceptical about the current advice to use factor 50 as a matter of course whatever the weather. If it’s sunny or even partially sunny, fine. If the sky is solid grey, in the north of England or Scotland, you patently do not need it. Some of the “wisdom” dished out by beauty journalists is just about helping to convince us we need to buy more. Sometimes we don’t.

Twiggywinkle13 · 09/07/2022 18:05

I’m Scottish too, factor 50 every day for me. It protects against further sun damage and ageing. Moisturiser or make up will never give you the sun protection factor because you’ll not be using enough of it. Moisturiser then separate spf daily!

KilmordenCastle · 09/07/2022 18:08

I'm 30 and wear spf 50 on my face every day all year round. I have done for about 5 years. I tan easily and almost never burn anywhere on my body so that's not the reason I wear factor 50 on my face. Sun damage is one of the biggest contributers to signs of aging so I figured that prevention is better than the cure.

floweringpoppies · 09/07/2022 18:09

Definitely wear it! My mum wore all the time and had amazing skin!

miltonj · 09/07/2022 18:09

I wear factor 50 on my face all year round (but live in a hot country) I still tan in the summer. Even if it's seen as over kill by your mate, it's still the best thing you can do for anti ageing.

fyn · 09/07/2022 18:13

The problem with factor 50 on your face in the morning is most people don’t apply enough, and it only lasts a few hours. By the time the UV is the strongest it’s worn off and you need to reapply. I’m guessing most people aren’t reapplying through the day, particularly taking their make up off to reapply.

miltonj · 09/07/2022 18:15

fyn · 09/07/2022 18:13

The problem with factor 50 on your face in the morning is most people don’t apply enough, and it only lasts a few hours. By the time the UV is the strongest it’s worn off and you need to reapply. I’m guessing most people aren’t reapplying through the day, particularly taking their make up off to reapply.

I reapply as needed throughout the day, but I don't wear makeup as in the heat I would just sweat it off, so no issue.

KilmordenCastle · 09/07/2022 18:18

fyn · 09/07/2022 18:13

The problem with factor 50 on your face in the morning is most people don’t apply enough, and it only lasts a few hours. By the time the UV is the strongest it’s worn off and you need to reapply. I’m guessing most people aren’t reapplying through the day, particularly taking their make up off to reapply.

I reapply once or twice during the day depending on how long I'm out of the house. The only makeup I usually wear is mascara and eyebrow gel but on the rare occasion I'm wearing foundation or powder I use the garnier spf 50 spray that can go over makeup.

scochran · 09/07/2022 18:20

As someone who has had melanoma and so unfortunately knows more about all this than I would like to, I would follow the advice from scientists and definitely not your friend.
People try to give me advice about how I don't need to use the suncream I do but I take the advice of the professionals who saved my life instead.
Not following sun care advice in the first place caused all this and is my biggest regret in life

littlepeas · 09/07/2022 18:32

I am very fair skinned and wear factor 50 on my face and décolletage everyday. I wear sunscreen on any exposed areas when the UV index is 3 or above.

UVA is the same level all year round and can penetrate cloud and class.

UVB varies but is highest in June when the sun is higher in the sky NOT when the temperature is higher.

You need to look at the UV index and not the temperature when deciding whether or not to wear sunscreen.

When we were in New Zealand the UV index was 10, despite the temperature being similar to May in the UK - they have no ozone layer in Australia and NZ, which is the reason that skin cancer is so prevalent. I burnt very quickly indeed after dh didn't apply sunscreen properly on my back.

The other time I burnt badly was in the UK in June - overcast all day and not hot, but a whole day outside at this time of year meant I burnt so badly my shoulders blistered and went horrible and scabby.

littlepeas · 09/07/2022 18:32

class = glass

WonderingWanda · 09/07/2022 18:32

Unless your friend is a dermatologist I would take her 'opinion' with a pinch of salt!

bellac11 · 09/07/2022 18:36

Im very pasty. My moisturisers always have high SPF in them, unfortunately no matter what moisturiser I use I sweat very much on my face, this means that I have sweated it off after an hour or so. I doubt my face has any skin protection because of this.

Darbs76 · 09/07/2022 18:38

keep wearing it, when you’re in your mid - late 40’s like I am you’ll be glad when you look younger than your friends. Only take a minute to apply.

User1234567891011121314 · 09/07/2022 18:42

You are doing the right thing OP! You will thank your self later!

JimmyMcNultyIsMine · 09/07/2022 18:44

I have sunspots on my face from only wearing factor 15. I now wear factor 50

Jalepenojello · 09/07/2022 18:45

I put it on my face almost everyday but no I don’t think most people do

Blankbias · 09/07/2022 18:47

I use factor 50 even in the winter on my face, sun is the biggest cause of ageing. I also use factor 50 on my body when very sunny and I still get tanned. The tan seems to last longer too than when I was younger and stupidly used factor 10 oil!

chilledbubble · 09/07/2022 18:55

Is factory 30 ok if I reapply it at lunchtime?

TitoMojito · 09/07/2022 18:59

I wear 50 on my face when it's sunny. If it's dull and cloudy (which it often is in Scotland...) I don't bother with sun cream.

TitoMojito · 09/07/2022 19:02

ihavenocats · 09/07/2022 16:09

Personally I only put sunscreen on my face during real heatwaves. I don't use sunscreen at all unless it's between 11 - 3pm and it's approaching 30 degree heat, at which point my child gets factor 50 and I use a tanning spray factor 15.

I've always thought being in sunlight is good for Vitamin D. I don't hold this idea that this planet's atmosphere or the sun is dangerous to us. I'm very easy going and still fit and healthy at 40, must be diong something right. Definitely not overzealous about sunscreen.

The sun being dangerous isn't a belief, it's a fact. Do you think scientists made that up for a laugh?

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