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Original poster

'Avoid the sun' and 'Always wear a high factor SPF'....

95 replies

Ilovespringandchocolate · 05/05/2017 16:39

...Except what happens when you go on holiday for some sun? And when it's summer in the U.K.?

I have worn mositurisers with SPF in for years now (I'm 30) every day so I'd pretty much say I have some form of Sun protection on everyday, however, when I go on holiday I love getting a tan! I wear SPF 25-30 most days and do still tan and tend to wear an SPF 15-25 on face.

I love tanning my face because I look a hell of a lot freshener, brighter and healthier when I have a sunkissed glow on my face, yet at the same time I hate the thought of aging and getting wrinkles.

So...what do I do? Do people that are really strict with the 'No sun and always wear SPF' rule ever sunbathe on holiday or get any sun on their face?

I guess I'm feeling a bit guilty really because I go on holiday next week and am looking forward to getting a sun kissed face and limbs and just looking a bit healthy....but am now thinking do I just sit under the shade with a massive hat and sunglasses a week and avoid the sun?!

OP posts:
Original poster
Ilovespringandchocolate · 10/05/2017 09:17

Okay, okay i get it. I'll stock up on the factor 50 this afternoon & a big sun hat Hmm

Perhaps it's a generational, or even a regional thing? None of my friends or family avoid the sun when on holiday, so to me, sunbathing on the beach or beside the pool is 'normal'

I'll try and be more responsible with my sun habits from now on

OP posts:
Wtfdoicare · 10/05/2017 09:46

I have light olive skin and wear SPF 30 every day of the year as I exercise outside. On sun holidays I love feeling warm and sunbathe in short bursts as I get too hot, but always put plenty of SPF 30 or 50 on. I do tan still through the SPF but I think that is because of my olive skin.

peaceout · 10/05/2017 09:54

I dunno, I see hoards of people baking themselves in hot weather, just as they did 20, 30 years ago. I guess having a tan now means more to them than avoiding damaged skin
Their choice, I have always kept sun exposure to a minimum irrespective of what friends and family do

MumUndone · 10/05/2017 10:17

I wear factor 30 on hols but do sunbathe and do tend to have a bit of a tan by the end of the week. I think if you look after your skin for the rest of the year, and don't go crazy on holiday with the sun worshipping, then it's ok to allow a bit of a tan to develop (depending on skin type).

PNGirl · 10/05/2017 10:32

As a kid (late 80s-90s) I used to go on package holidays to Spain twice a year with parents who would wear a max of factor 15. My dad now has skin cancer (not particularly dangerous as it can easily be cut out occasionally).

There's definitely a demographic who went on holiday to get as much of a tan as possible back then and a lot of people still think it's normal because they've always done it even in the face of increasing warnings.

SapphireSeptember · 10/05/2017 10:57

I may be biased because I like to keep my skin as pale as possible, so I really do avoid the sun. SPF 50 suncream, long cotton skirts and when it gets really hot I carry a parasol with an anti-UV lining as I hate wearing hats. Can't wait to try the new Lypsyl lip balm with SPF 50, I've only ever been able to find SPF 30 lip balms before.

I'm really strict with myself now as I got sunburnt a few years ago and it was horrible, especially along my parting and on my nose, lesson learned!

Whirltime · 10/05/2017 11:05

Sorry to derail the thread.
Just noticed someone said that if you wear spf all year round you need to take vitamin D.
I ask as dc2 has photosensitivity and is allergic to the sun so wears spf 50 all year round does that mean he should be on vitamin D?

Fluffycloudland77 · 10/05/2017 11:21

Probably, I take it in cod liver oil routinely.

Pharmacies sell Vit d drops for kids, I've seen health visitors advise it as routine.

silentpool · 10/05/2017 11:36

If you are in your 20's to maybe mid 30's, the damage is not apparent. Seemingly overnight in my late 30's, I started seeing the damage appearing. It was mainly pigmentation and uneven skin tone, which I have treated with IPL. But I am nowhere near as bad as some of my friends who were fond of sun tanning or sun beds.

So if you wear sunscreen, your future face and body will thank you!

peaceout · 10/05/2017 11:40

There you have it, if after a day of sunbathing one's face was visibly wrinkled no one would expose any skin to the sun
The damage doesn't show up until it's too late

neveradullmoment99 · 10/05/2017 18:29

Like everything in life, everything should be done in moderation.
Maybe in the future, people will be getting skin cancer from applying sun cream? After all, you arent born with it on your skin. Its not natural. How do we not know that big companies are just trying to peddle suncream for profit? Just an alternative point of view to explore.
I will go out in the sun. I will wear suncream when its hot and do because i use retinol - but i wont avoid the sun!!!

BagelGoesWalking · 10/05/2017 18:40

As far as I know, latest govt advice is to take extra Vit D, as so many people are deficient. To the pp with child's sun allergy, I would definitely ask the GP.

I think there is a balance to be struck. I wouldn't want to be on holiday and stress about not getting a tan. I also enjoy the sun kissed look but make sure to avoid the midday sun. You also get tanned sitting in the shade. You just need to protect from getting the leathery look.

rubybleu · 10/05/2017 18:52

never spending summers baking in Spain or Australia isn't "natural" for people of fair Celtic decent either, given their skin colour reflects their ancestral environment with much less sun.

Floisme · 10/05/2017 19:15

How do we not know that big companies are just trying to peddle suncream for profit?
I'm sure they are. I think the people to listen to are the British Association of Dermatologists, the NHS and The World Health Organisation. They all say there is no such thing as a healthy suntan.

This thread reminds me of some of the things you used to hear smokers saying in the 70s:
'The odd one doesn't hurt.'
'I only smoke tipped.'
'It's alright if you don't inhale.'

peripericardium · 10/05/2017 19:47

If a product you bought caused a radiation burn, everyone would boycott it.

A suntan is triggered by UV radiation damage; the melanocytes in your skin try to absorb this radiation by producing more melanin.

So, melanin/a suntan just shows that you've suffered radiation damage.

kel1493 · 10/05/2017 19:51

I burn so easily so I always wear spf 50, even here in England. Like today, it was 17 degrees here and I was sat out back for a while. I had to put suncream on all exposed skin (face, neck and arms), else I'd burn, even though I was only out there a short time.
The sun gives me a bad headache though so I try to not stay in it too long

WhooooAmI24601 · 10/05/2017 19:56

I tan ridiculously well despite being blonde-haired and blue-eyed, but never deliberately sunbathe. Partly because I'm easily bored and partly because we have DCs so holidays are adventures rather than lying by a pool. DS1 is paler than the moon so I tend to err on the side of caution with him and they wear hats and rash vests on holidays abroad every day. DS2 has skin like mine and tans at the sift of the sun but I still protect his skin because I want them to form good habits as they grow up.

In my family as a child we did sun holidays where my mum would cremate herself like the woman from Something About Mary. Now she's in her 60's her skin is dreadful, her moles are everywhere and she's a likely contender for issues long-term. There's nothing beautiful about ageing prematurely or sunburned flesh.

neveradullmoment99 · 10/05/2017 20:18

This thread reminds me of some of the things you used to hear smokers saying in the 70s:
'The odd one doesn't hurt.'
'I only smoke tipped.'
'It's alright if you don't inhale.'

I agree, but then smoking isn't natural. The sun is. Its not natural to wear sun cream. Don't get me wrong, i am not saying that we shouldn't wear it [especially those of celtic origin and who are fair] but i wonder how much is hype for an altogether alternative agenda. cynical, perhaps.

I also think its good to question things generally. I think its good to dig deeper. Not believing everything you hear and assuming its fact just because someone says so.

taybert · 10/05/2017 20:39

It is good to question. It's good to question the natural = good myth. The world wasn't designed around humans- we've evolved well enough to be successful but there are all kinds of natural things that can and do kill us.

For what it's worth, I do as Baz Luhrman says 😁

taybert · 10/05/2017 20:40

And if you interrogate the hypothesis of skin cancer being linked to sun exposure thoroughly you will see that Baz was correct.

peripericardium · 10/05/2017 21:12

Polio is natural and the vaccine is unnatural.. I know what I'd rather have.

Floisme · 10/05/2017 22:03

Well yes, the sun is natural; as I believe, are hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and erupting volcanoes. Me, I wouldn't sit in any of them but maybe I shouldn't listen to everything I hear.

Anyway I am all about the choice. Your life, your skin. Goodnight.

ExcuseMeButImHavingACrisis · 10/05/2017 22:34

Wearing SPF doesn't mean you do not get a tan - you will do.

The other things you can do is start applying a tan accelerator a few weeks before you go away and you will tan faster.

Lots of companies do them Elemis, Decleir

tigerdriverII · 10/05/2017 22:44

Those of you who wear SPF every day : are you really outside all that? I can it would be useful if one was a farmer, or lollipop lady, or something- but all day, inside?

Ollivander84 · 10/05/2017 23:35

I can burn in 15 minutes outside hence wearing it even if working as I'm outside on my break. Plus I use retinol which makes me more sensitive to sun