To use sun cream?

[Esmereldapawpatrol]

A minor celebrity I follow on Insta is currently away on holiday in a sunny destination. As with a lot of influencers they holiday a few times a year. Her and her children always look sun kissed and have a tan. She was doing a AMA yesterday and someone asked what sun cream she uses for her and the kids and she stated that they don't use sun cream. Instead they wear hats, cover up and play in the shade when they feel the kids have had too much sun but the kids have built a resilience. She said it's because of all of the cancer causing ingredients in sun cream, if they have to use sun cream they use a Zinc based one.

I was really shocked by this but she later posted to say how much support she'd had and the story has been shared online and there are lots of comments saying they agree and they don't use sun cream on their kids either.

I was under the impression that it's not just burning that does damage to the skin, it's being unprotected in the sun and the skin can still be damaged without being burnt.

Have I been living under a rock and everyone else thinks sun cream is poisoning us or is this a random theory people are running with?

She is an idiot if she doesn't use it.. use mineral sun cream on children and yourself. Skin cancer rates have gone up not down. Avoid chemical sunscreens if you can.

Likely due to other factors such as better diagnosis rather than the use of sunscreen......

She’s wrong about sunscreen.
But playing in the shade is a good idea for kids.
Saying that, I LOVE sunbathing! Always have my factor 50 on and don’t let myself burn.
🤷🏻‍♀️

Everything is a “chemical”

Nobody should take advice from Sam Faiers or any reality ‘star’. None of them would win a prize as the sharpest knife in the box.

This is complete crap. Have a listen to the “what’s up docs” postcard episode on BBC Sounds with Drs Chris an a and Van Tulleken - they did an episode on tanning a couple of weeks ago the de bunks this nonsense.

Oh bloody hell, she is as thick as two short planks, so I really would NOT listen to a single thing she has to say!

This is appalling practice and potentially dangerous short and/or long term.

Like a lot of these influencers, she is peddling nonsense.

Why are you all so shocked that sun creams contain toxic chemicals? There are plenty of toxic chemicals in the popular brands that come with an array of health issues. That cant be surprising, surely? There are safer sun creams, like mineral sun creams and tallow.. Why is it such a big deal that she protects her kids in other ways? Keeping your children or yourself out in the sun all day with 0 protection is obviously a nonsense move so the appropriate thing to do is keep them out the sun during the bulk of the day. I.e. out first thing and last..

I hate the feel of suncream and use dry oil instead, it's so much better and goes up to F50 too, my kids prefer it as it's not greasy or thick

‘Not using sunscreen’ because it’s bad for you is the new conspiracy theory, she probably believes in non vaccination, chemtrails and that Trump is going to save the world too. Skin cancer is on the rise, it may be because of better detection but that doesn’t mean sun rays are not harmful and is causing cancer. Factor 30 minimum and factor 50 when my kids were little and still hats, rash vests and plenty of shade.

Ah I saw this online, Sam Faiers.....say no more!! Having said that I think schools have started going crazy about suncream as soon as the sun comes out. Obviously if kids are exposed for a long time then they should wear cream but I think 15 mins at playtime is fine. We do need to get our vitamin D.

Unfollow Samantha Faiers now. That is a load of rubbish and so so dangerous for someone who has such a following!! She should be using her platform to educate not fear monger 😳🙄

You cannot build up a tolerance to the sun or sun burn. Sun cream blocks out the harmful rays that can cause skin cancer (factor 30 blocks 97% and factor 50 blocks 98%)

I have a friend recently converted who used tanning oil for years and just had a melanoma removed (thankfully all the treatment she needed!!) and now wears factor 50 daily and actively seeks shade.

Where on earth is your ability to think @Esmereldapawpatrol ?

stop following clearly stupid vapid people. You’re just helping them create a monster and more people unable to think for themselves will listen to them.

Yeah I’m not taking advice of any kind off Sam Fairs (or however it’s spelt). I’ll be sticking wit the factor 50 for my child.

Even more reason why I don’t engage with any SM. It’s brain cell destroying nonsense.

And yet you’re on Mumsnet (also social media).

We're a doomed.
People actually listen/live their lives according to these not very well educated dimwits.
Very worrying 😟

She’s an idiot. Another ‘health and wellness’ influencer doing more harm than good. By all means spend a few mins in the sun without lotion early morning/late afternoon to get some vit D, but as a rule we should all be wearing protection if outside in direct sunlight for longer than 10/15 mins. UV suits, hats and going inside for the hottest part is all great advice…but not a substitute for wearing sun lotion. That lovely tan that she described her children as having is not “building up tolerance”, it’s sun damage. My children tan too, in many ways it’s unavoidable. But they aren’t as tanned as her kids because they wear factor 50 all day when out in the sun.

Here is the problem with influencers, giving unhealthy and dangerous advise to stupid people.
These stupid people don’t even realise they pay the wages of influencers, their lifestyles and believe every word they say.
The biggest crime being that nobody is held accountable for what they say or do.
Please stop listening to these people and live your own life, rather than fund theirs.
Just think how many gullible young kids and teenagers, listening to this stupid woman are now not planning to protect themselves from the sun.
To be honest, I’m glad my kids are grown, because I’d be sueing her arse.

She is right of course. Everyone who wears sun cream is dead. Including me!

This.

I avoid it for much of the same reasons. I only use it if I will unavoidably be in the sun such as a bbq over lunchtime. I have a lovely tan 🤷🏻‍♀️

Sam Fairs … unless she’s got a medical degree I wouldn’t take too much notice. She’s famous for being on TOWIE and having kids. Not sure who on earth would be “influenced” by her 🙄

Worth bearing in mind that not all sunscreens are equal. I’ve avoided all of the most common big brand sunscreens for years because of potentially carcinogenic ingredients, however in the last year or two many of these normal brands have removed those ingredients, so are much safer to use.

Generally, I prefer to avoid anything which contains the 3 Os (octinoxate, oxybenzone and octocrylene) and also avobenzone.

it’s easy to check this simply by googling “does X sun cream contain….” And you should get the result based on published ingredient lists.

i would also avoid retinyl palmitate as it is a form of vitamin A that may increase the risk of skin cancer when applied to the skin.

etc etc. the onus is on everyone to do their own research re chemicals and make the right decision for them.

for me, yes I’m fairly obsessed with using sunscreen but I want to know which chemicals I’m putting on my kids’ skin for absorption and so I do spend time checking these things. I also wouldn’t use spray sunscreen because of the risk of ingesting it.

this is my choice but I 100% use sunscreen - I am just picky about which ones I use.

not using any sunscreen is madness in my opinion but everyone should educate themselves about this stuff.