Sun exposure

[Kmg]

Does anyone know of a suncream which is NOT water resistant? My boys have sensitive skin/occasional mild eczema, and the GP has recommended not using a water resistant suncream, but I can't find one anywhere. Generally I try not to use one at all, and instead limit their exposure to sun - usually not hard in Oxfordshire. But occasionally we do want to be out all day, but I'd love to find a protection cream which doesn't clog up their pores, and need tons of soap to scrub it off in the bath at the end of the day.

Have you tried the new pampers wipes?? They are really good, easy to use and dont go on thick. They are water resistant though.

Have you looked in the Avon book? I don't used the child suntan cream because it's more expensive just for a bit of colour in it so you can see if it's rubbed in, but they do really high factors in adults and sprays and the one I use is not waterproof but is bug resistant! And they have some good offers on at the moment, with it being summer!

Soltan did a non water resistant one when I last looked - wasn't child specific though.

Speaking as someone from a country where skin cancers are rife......if a child has a lot of sun exposure before the age of 15 (only one bad sunburn will do it) their chance of developing skin cancer later in life is increased by 4x.

I have fair skin (freckles) and reddish hair and suffered sunburn at least once every summer as a child. I had my first skin cancer removed at 20 and a another one this year (I am only 31)!

Worth thinking about.......

Ouch Chelle...that's scarey, though I wonder if its better for children to slowly develope a tan as protection over the summer months, rather than stay fair and rely on lotions? wouldn't that be more natural - assuming of course one doesn't have very fair skin.

Thanks for the link Suew - but I couldn't see anything there about the protection a tan gives naturally. A tan must be worth something in the fight against skin cancer, but its like no-one dare say it incase we all ditch our lotions and potions!

We have just come back from two weeks in Greece. For my three year old daughter who is very fair skinned and blonde we used Proderm Sun Protection Mousse. The mousse lasts for six hours. It rubs in very easily and quickly which meant we did not have the usual fights about putting it on. We then just topped up her arms, legs and face in the afternoon. We also used the UV/UB sunsuits and hats. They are very cool, easy to wear and wash and as they come in bright colours so its easy to keep your eye on them on a busy beach.

The mousse is water resistent but its very light and doesn't have that clogging feeling that some of the childrens high factor creams have.

I was in the south of france where all the little french children are as brown as anything in their costumes building sandcastles, and then you spot the Brit; the hat, lathered in cream and the UV suit!! So the message looks as though its getting across to us in this country.

Still not convinced about the 'tan is damaged skin' arguement. A tan has always been our bodies way of protecting us from the effects of the sun (ozone layer excluded) - red obviously means the skin is irritated, but for many a tan is easily come by. So maybe the Frenchies are right!

Sorry to go off on a tangent - but my son who is one - so facing his first real summer has come out in a terrible rash after this warm weekend. We kept him covered - shirt/shorts and a hat and factor 35 kids suncream for sensitive skins on the rest of him - but he has a really bad red rash on his back/thighs (the bits that weren't actually in the sun)
Could be caused by grass/heat/cream?? any number of factors - Does anyone have any ideas how to treat it and make him feel more comfortable - and what to do - we are going to Israel this summer so he will be in a hot climate....Are the UV suits - cool to wear maybe they will help? He is also prone to exzma in his arm/knee creases - so I'm looking for general hot weather/ skin advice.

Thanks all

Kazack, not sure this is relevant in your case but I read an article last week (can't remember where) saying that high factor suncreams often lead to rashes and skin disorders. The reason is apparently that their consistency is so thick that it doesn't allow the skin to breathe / sweat. The doctor concerned said that the maximum factor cream that is necessary should be something like a 20 and it should be regularly re-applied. His view was that the higher factor creams were simply made by manufacturers in order to capitalise on parents concerns and aren't justified on scientific grounds. I have no idea as to the validity of hs argument although the factor 35 I have for our son is extraordinarily thick.

My son has had a rash on his ankles for a few weeks. I have changed my washing powder back and today, because of the things talked about here, I have left the suntan lotion off and just covered him up and his rash has gone down. We will see how it goes and a sun suit may be in order instead.

Lil, do be careful with your children's skin. A change in skin colour (tan) is damaging and even people with very dark coloured skin (Aborignals etc) suffer skin cancers. I don't know where on the internet you would find this information but it was in the brochures etc distributed by the Australian Cancer Council that were given to be by the Dr when I had this last one lopped off my leg.

It isn't only fair skin that is at risk. The younger sister of a dear friend (she has dark eyes and tans very easily) has had 12 cancers removed from her back in the last 2 years and she is only 27.

If kids are getting rashes from sunscreen, have you tried a PABA free one? Some people, apparently, don't react well to PABA. It should state if it's PABA free on the label...well it does here anyway.

Suew, thanks for the link. We got a Splosh suit from NZ for our son (available in the UK from Urchin Mail Order) and are delighted with it. He looks cute and he is covered from collarbone to elbow to knee. That's on top of a big hat and factor 25. We use the orange spray from Soltan (Boots). Hypoallergenic, thinnish so goes on easily, and the orange colour means you can see which bits you've missed. Not PABA free though I don't think. Then out comes the zinc sunblock for nose and ears...
We went on our nursery day outing last week to Broadstairs in searing sunshine. Most of the children's parents put suncream on them but there were few hats and t shirts in evidence and all the nursery nurses got burned to a crisp. I find it very worrying.
A friend of mine last year, also olive-skinned, had a malignant melanoma removed from her knee. She had to make a tremendous fuss to get the GP to refer her.

Suew, that is intriguing. We moved about a year ago and I got the distinct impression that you could have mail forwarding for two years tops from the Royal Mail. Is it one of these things that once you sign up for, you can just keep renewing?
So Splosh is much cheaper in NZ than from Urchin? Why am I not surprised...they regularly mark up even British stuff, where the price differential is insultingly obvious, by a few ££. Still, the service is good I suppose.

Suew,
Thanks for the link to the Australian cancer site. Hubbie has a mole that I've been suspicious about but kept ignoring as he's olive skinned and dark haired etc. (I thought it was just us pasty blondes who got skin cancer.) the web site actually has pictures and descriptions of malignant moles and it's made me very suspicious again. I think he'll be down to the doctors as soon as I can get an appointment....

HMonty/Suew, where were the pictures? I couldn't find them...that would be the most helpful page for me.

So you're coming back to the UK in a couple of months, Suew. Do you know where yet?