Sunscreen and children

[RedRobyn24]

I’m in a couple of online parent groups on WhatsApp and Facebook pages, I’m noticing in all there’s a real obsession (and I would use that word yes) with sun screen and not letting children be in the sun at all without it on. Obviously it’s been quite hot recently, but there’s been days this year where I am in recent months where it’s been sunny but certainly not boiling

I know you obviously have to be careful and I thought I was, but I do feel like I might be missing something

For context, both my children are fair skinned (like me) and my oldest is 4 and has never ever been burnt (the other hasn’t been burnt either) but if it’s been good weather for a while she might have caught the sun slightly and be slightly brown

i mean.. is that ok?? I always thought it was and it was good, like most of the U.K. are vitamin D deficient so surely a bit of sun is good?

If I’m out walking the dog with my baby I will put her in light long sleeve clothing and a floppy hat (she’s in a carrier as we’re rural, walking in farm land) she’s too young for sun screen.. like surely that’s fine?

Feel a bit stupid for asking, but some parents seem terrified if it’s like 13 degrees with a cool wind but the sun is out and it feels like I’m missing something

Not necessarily when you look into pigmentation. I think the messaging around sun damage is very white centric. It's known that brown and black skin tones get darker in the sun more than white skin tones. If I am following sun safety advice, than what else am I supposed to do? I can't exactly keep a 4 year old inside the house anytime there is a sunny day....

Yes, you can still get vitamin D even when using sunscreen, although sunscreen does reduce vitamin D production. The amount of vitamin D produced is reduced, but it's not blocked entirely. Even high SPF sunscreens still allow some UVB rays to reach the skin, which are needed for vitamin D synthesis.

This is interesting in relation to my other comments. So would it be that case with kids that are not white or are mixed?

My kids are mixed race and live in a hot country. They are ‘white’ but darker than all the other white kids. Yes they go darker in the sun. Is that sun damage? I’m not convinced that it is.

Glad I'm not alone! I asked this in the thread and got told even though I follow sun safety, apparently my kid is getting sun damage but that doesn't make sense! I wish there was more information on mixed race and non white skin tones with regards to sun damage.

Everybody gets darker when exposed to UV rays. I don't know what's confusing you... what other cause do you think there is?

There is. Loads of it.

Basically the same as this really. I’ve put sunscreen on my three year old the last couple of days as we’ve been out in it basically the whole time (or he has with preschool, at the park and their wild play area) but I’m not as hot on it (pun intended) as some here it would seem!

What's confusing is the message of "tanned skin is damaged skin" with no consideration to non white skin pigments. It's confusing having you and others telling me an easily tanned child (who is mixed race) is getting constant sun damage, even though sun safety advice is being followed. What exactly do you suggest I do other than keep them away from the sun? Literally she could be playing in the garden for 45 mins, with sun cream on and a hat and get darker. I don't think you have adequate knowledge of non white skin to give this opinion. My comments are more towards other parents in a similar situation.

What's confusing is you denying proven fact. Hopefully other parents reading won't be so ignorant.

I've seen some things, not loads. They all say to follow safe sun practices such as sunscreen and hat, which I do. But it's concerning as a parent of a child who naturally goes darker due to their pigmentation to keep getting the message "tanned skin is damaged skin" with no other solutions or nuence into how different levels of melanin actually mean non white skin reacts differently. It's not helpful to make parents worried when they are already doing all they can

The temperature isn't the issue when it comes to deciding whether to apply sunscreen. The time of day and therefore the angle of the sun is what you need to look out for. After all, people wear sunscreen while skiing (and altitude plays a part too).

I'm in a place that gets hot, sunny summer weather, so hot that my DCs and I stayed indoors between 11am and about 4pm most summer days when they were babies/ toddlers, avoiding the strongest UV rays. If we ventured out during those hours, they wore sunscreen and wide brimmed sun hats. As they grew older, we had activities outdoors even during the hours of most direct sunlight, and they wore sunscreen (and reapplied every hour if we were at the local outdoor pool).

On cloudy/ thunderstormy days we didn't apply sunscreen as religiously, depending on the cloud cover. If swimming outdoors, yes. If riding bikes / playing out with clothes covering torso and partial legs, no. Arms and legs were bare all summer as even with clouds it was hot and humid.

All very pale DCs, taking after their mother...

Children need vitamin D. We all do, but children especially need it for healthy bone formation. We can get it easily from sunlight, but they add vitamin D to cow mill and other milks here to ensure its available. It's a fat soluble vitamin so you need to have your vitamin D tablet with perhaps some nut butter, full fat cheese or milk or yogurt, etc, if that's how you end up getting your daily dose. I get out daily as much as I possibly can, but I take a supplement too, of calcium plus vitamin D.

Wow. How am I being ignorant? I'm genuinely asking for further advice around a confusing message. I have said MULTIPLE times that I follow sun safety advice for kids, nowhere did I suggest people shouldn't do this. I am asking what MORE are us parents of mixed race kids supposed to do apart from follow the advice?

Seeing as you ignored the rest of the comment, you clearly don't have any advice either.

@tempuser12345

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22615-melanin
You might be interested in this.

As the article suggests, getting enough vitamin D may be an issue for people with more melanin, so maybe this is something you could take into account.

Don't be disingenuous. You repeatedly say the facts are wrong and don't apply to darker skin.

If your children are tanning then UV rays are penetrating their skin. That is a fact. The only difference their skin colour makes is they have better natural protection than lighter skinned people.

It's up to you what to do with the facts, but trying to deny they exist because of some racist conspiracy isn't going to protect your children. Up to you.

Thank you so much for being helpful and not rude.

I genuinely am a worried parent because I DO put spf50 on my child, a hat and make sure to follow sun safety advice and yet she will still get darker in the sun. So people telling me my child's skin is sun damaged is just making me feel anxious because I don't know what else I can do other than make her a hermit who doesn't go outside all summer?

I never denied the facts, I said there weren't enough facts to make sense. Wow, can't genuinely believe you are accusing me of this when I stated, I just wanted more solutions on what I could do.

I guess according to you, I have to accept that I have no choice but to have a child with skin damage despite me following sun safety advice...

Well, I'm travelling in the Netherlands currently where I've managed to get sunburnt WITH SPF50 on. I don't know, I would rather put on sun lotion on the little ones than risk them getting burned. They have such sensitive skin, and it's good to teach them the habit of using it. Also, SPF doesn't entirely prevent you from absorbing vitamin D from the sun.

Yes I find it odd how many people think its hot burn or hot damage, rather than sun burn and sun damage.

Any sun tan is skin damage.

You over estimate how much sun is needed.

it’s about 15 min of spring and summer sun.

this article says even less. 8-10 min if it’s mid day sun.

just wear sunscreen. Cover up.

You do have a choice but instead of asking politely for advice you say the research is too white centric, people who know the science don't know anything about dark skin, and your children can't be getting darker because of UV rays but... magic?

It's impossible to have a fruitful conversation with somebody who doesn't accept fact and takes truth as a personal attack.

Outside for a fair portion of the day - suncream.
Inside and only going to be outside for a very brief period - I don't bother.

I very rarely put it on DD when she goes to school as 90% of the day she's inside, walk to school takes 5 mins.

A full day out at the park in this weather and I'd put it on her.

We apply factor 50 if the UV levels are three and above. Plus with the kids that means long sleeves, if they’ll wear one ideally a hat too.