Suntan lotion question?

[PassingStranger]

Anyone else confused about the different factors of sun cream available?
Going on holiday soon. What do you buy for an adult? Factor 50 or 30?

There are also special suncreams for the face?
What would you buy, bearing in mind skin has not had much exposure to the sun this year so far?

I go abroad a lot.. it's the Stars you should be more concerned about.. a good 30 with 5 stars is better than a 50 with 3 stars.
Also a very good face one is a must..like la Roche Posay

I use factor 50, I do use a face specific suncream on my face otherwise my eyes burn.

Suntan equals sun damage! Nobody should aim for a suntan!

I use facial sun cream on my face because normal stuff often makes me spotty.

We also generally have factor 30 as it's easier to apply - some factor 50s are very 'thick'.

What's more important than the type or factor is that you apply enough which many people don't and reapply it regularly.

We've never bought expensive brands, cheap supermarket stuff is fine and despite me being pale skinned and spending a lot of time outside in hot countries, I don't burn because I always make sure I have plenty on.

I don't like the all day stuff because it sounds like a right faff to apply properly and it stains clothes and towels.

ASDA own brand has regularly topped the lists in Which? tests, outperforming more expensive named brands. So I would take factor 50 for the first days (as skin that's been unexposed through winter can burn v quickly). Then swop down to 30 when your initial tolerance period has lengthened (some people can do this if they have let themselves build up a bit of a tan)

Do look for videos (lots of Aussie ones available) that show how much you really need to use - Britons tend to skimp - and remember to apply before you go out. And reapply after being in water, if you've been sweating a lot, and around edges of clothing as it can chafe off.

Same here. We are off to Spain for two weeks on Friday morning so I went into Aldi today and got a couple of bottles of factor 50.

That will get things going, and as those get low while we are there we will buy some factor 30 to keep us going.

I reapply two or three times during the day, plus again after each dip in the pool or sea. I also wear a decent sun hat and sunglasses and I don't sit out in full sun except for a few minutes while drying off. I prefer the shade.

We don't buy any special creams for our faces, that sounds like a marketing gimmick to me. We just use the same all over.

Love LRP

@Simonjt because I don't burn as easily after I'm brown.

I always use 50, and in large quantities. I also use a face specific one for face and chest as often get prickly heat and it seems to help stop that. I also sit in the shade (except for my legs once it cools down late afternoon) and wear a hat and shades. I am a pale Brit and don't want to look like a leather bag in later years (or worse, get sun related skin cancer)

Are you not concerned about increasing your risk of developing skin cancer?

I find 50 much too thick on my sensitive skin (same for my DCs), I use 30 and reapply often - as explained above there isn't a huge difference between them in terms of protection so I'll avoid the eczema.

I use a different one for my face as they're not as greasy and don't sting as much around the eyes.

Are you just paying for the name then?

Probably
I have used a lot of own make suncream with no issues.

@Simonjt no. Because I don't let myself burn.

Literally exactly this!

great minds!

This is a great listen:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p089k7js?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

When they test them, aldi and lidl are always in the top five. Aldi kids comes out as the best budget buy.
I use a specific face cream, they are lighter, less greasy etc.

Currently in the Canary Islands, so it's windy as well as hot. DD is on F50, reapplied frequently as she is in the pool a lot of the time. She's also in knee length shorts and a high neck rash vest so not hugely exposed. DH and I are using F30.

I tan very easily, but don't skimp on sun protection, always in the shade between 12 -3.

DD will go through around 400ml of lotion in a week, DH and I probably 800ml at least. I'd rather overdo the application than skimp - sunburn is unpleasant as well as dangerous

I have dark hair and olive skin and I use factor 50. It doesn't affect how much I tan and I never burn

I use spf 50 all year round, a face specific one because I don't enjoy a spotty greasy face.

Spf 50 in a cheaper body one that I can drown myself in for the summer for the rest of me.

But it's not just burning that causes skin cancer

Tanning or going brown is the sun damaging the skin. The skin produces more melanin (ie turns browner) because of the initial sun damage and to try and protect itself against more. Going browner = more damage.

I'm in Australia. I only buy factor 50 because I don't see why you would bother with multiple bottles of different spfs. You could use the same suncream for face but I have a specific face one that doesn't cause spots and sits nicely under make up.

You'd be surprised by how much you have to apply to get the full protection it says on the bottle too, 1 full tsp (5ml) per arm/leg/back etc. The spritzy ones would need a heck of a lot of spritzing!!

P20 stains clothes apparently..
Ive used Ultrasun for years. Put it on every morning. Wait at least half an hour before going outside. Works for me. No burn and no prickly heat. I use a 50 anti pigmentation for my face and put serum and moisturiser on top after half an hour.

My husbands skin consultant recommended P20 factor 50 after he was treated for skin cancer. It stinks and does stain clothes but then again so do most sun creams. Wear a hat that covers ears (one of the areas my dh had treated) stay as covered as you can.
If you want to go brown get it out of a bottle. Having seen the painful treatment he's been through I'm now really, really careful in the sun. Pale and interesting is underrated imo!

Use a face one. You can get brown spots on your face later in life if you don't, and the face is a very common site for skin cancer. I use factor 50 myself. Can't see why I wouldn't.