Not to wear suncream at all with slightly olive skin tone

[justineanna]

I have the sort of skin that never really goes white I get quite tanned in the summer and it barely fades until the next summer when I just top it up, I just always look tanned/olive but I’ve never got sunburnt so have never worn suncream, I smother the children in it as they have much paler skin tone like their dad.
should I be wearing suncream regardless?

Where do you live???

Plenty of coconut oil, it’s got a natural spf in it, beats the chemicals in sun cream

Coconut oil has an SPF of between 1-3. You are mad if you think this is protecting you from anything

I have olive skin and when younger would wear a really low factor and almost never reapplied. I never burned. I now regret it (though the knowledge just wasn’t there back then so it wasn’t my fault) as I have sun damage to my décolletage and neck and crepey skin ugh. The rest of my skin is fine. I’ve tried everything to fix it (bar surgery) and nothing works. Protect your skin now if only for ageing reasons!

It's not surprising that people who tan easily/don't burn lack knowledge of the dangers of the sun. The only safe tan is No Tan.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sunscreen-for-black-people

Sorry. Absolutely ridiculous advice.

I would definitely start putting it on your face. Good luck x

Suncream has its place (like if you’re forced to sit in direct sun without shade for any period of time) but we shouldn’t rely on it solely.

We need to use our natural shade-seeking behaviours like animals do. You use your instincts to know when you’ve had enough sun and seek shade.

Rates of skin cancer are up globally despite higher than ever use of sunscreen. Skin cancer is caused by a myriad of factors, not least by our crappy diets. Things like the ubiquitous use of seed oils and sugar in everything and the amount of UPFs we eat at an alarming rate.
It’s also caused by being immune suppressed or by having a weakened immune system. And so many factors can weaken a persons immune system.
Smoking and vaping are BIG contributors and genetic factors as well is inherited conditions can be a factor too.
Chemical exposure and environmental factors can be factors too.

The sun is only part of the picture. And ironically avoiding the sun obsessively causes lowered vitamin D levels which in turn can contribute to overall cancer risk.

So people who are obsessive and evangelical about sunscreen are missing SO much of the benefits of sunlight and potentially raising their skin cancer risk by ignoring the other factors that can cause cancer.

Does different skin tone really protect people differently from skin cancer?

I really hope this is not the logic behind this thinking

A tan is skin damage

I have olive skin that “doesn’t burn”, or that’s what I thought until last year where I had a mojito too many on the beach and burned my entire self - ouch! Everyone can burn, regardless their skin colour if you’re in the sun long enough.

That said, I don’t wear sunscreen day-to-day and I’m almost 50 with very few wrinkles.

I only put sunscreen on if I know I'm going to be out for a prolonged period in the sun.
During my working week, even with the weather as it is now, I walk to the station/stand on train platform (approx 15 min) do errands within the day (maybe 15-20 min over 2 or 3 errands) and then walk home from the station at the end of the day. I often go for a run about 7.30pm. So I wouldn't regularly wear sunscreen for that as I'm mostly indoors
I do have fair skin though and burn easily if it's very hot

Just means certain people have a higher starting point of melanin. Which in turn acts as natural sun protection in terms of length of time you can stay in direct sun without burning.

Doesn’t mean you can’t get skin cancer or burn.

My consultant told me we should be wearing UV protection even when out during cloudy weather

I don't wear sunscreen in winter.

In summer, whack some on my face and throat etc. But I still look wrinkly and aged at 53 despite doing that.

I still dont understand why skin tone would protect you more or less from skin cancer

Wear sunscreen

My MIL and her sisters all have a (white, European) skin tone that doesn’t burn. They have always been scathing about suncream, tanned their own kids to deep brown and worn nothing but zero or very low factor tanning oil on their own skin. Two of the three live in sunny countries.

Of those two, MIL has looked like a crumpled old leather handbag since her 50s and looks incredibly aged for her years. She’s now regularly having early cancers removed. Her sister has very thin skin which is a patchwork of sun damage, sunspots, discolouration and lesions which she keeps having to get treated. She looks like she has a skin disease but it’s all sun damage. The third sister (UK climate) is ‘just’ extremely wrinkly.

How none of them have got serious cancer is beyond me. Simply good luck and decent GPs.

Wear sunscreen.

Skin tone absolutely affects skin cancer rates.

ETA - yes, OP should wear sunscreen.

Nonsense

Also, an olive skin tone here, do not burn. I wear factor 50 all year round, it is part of my everyday routine, and I keep a spray top-up in my handbag to reapply if I'm walking home from work.

Just to add, the SPF acts as a barrier between environmental damage and my skin, protects against early signs of ageing, and helps prevent hyperpigmentation/melasma/uneven skin tone, etc. Most people's skin damage in their 50s and 60s is from incidental exposure over many years.

I use it year round and my DH recently had a melanoma removed. Everyone of every skin colour should use it.

This so resonated with me I am the same mixed race with Caribbean
am religious about all yr round factor 50 on face and also hav tween daughter do the same daily so it’s the norm for her and part of her routine

Yes. You are still at risk from skin cancer.