What is the balanced moderate approach with sunscreen?

[faretheewell]

I wear sunscreen. I'm fair skinned will burn, get rashes in the sun. I cover up and wear hats plus sunglasses in UV higher than 2.

But I am concerned. The sheer amount of sunscreen the skincare industry advises. Which they profit from. The health concerns over chemical and physical sunscreen ingredients being absorbed by the body and breaking down which actually increases sun damage. The inhibiting of the main source of Vit D and the difficulty of supplementation. The environmental damage and damage to ocean life forms can't mean anything good.

Flip side off course is skin cancers.

There must be a more balanced approach. Any guesses?

I either cover up, avoid the sun or wear SPF
But I'm a redhead so it's sort of what I'm used to? Like I wouldn't go out midday to the beach, or a day event with no shade etc
I take vitamin D as I'm deficient with or without SPF, probably from my sun avoidance!

I don't really understand what you want to achieve from this. Your skin type will burn in the sun so if you want to enjoy it you need to wear sunscreen or cover up. Not sure what other option you're expecting!

Use Green People - it's organic and non toxic and works as well as any non organic ones. Also ok for eczema suffers. Used the baby one for my dds when they were little.

I don't really understand what you want to achieve from this. Your skin type will burn in the sun so if you want to enjoy it you need to wear sunscreen or cover up. Not sure what other option you're expecting!

I don't know, really. I'm trying to gage what other people do really. Advice, I find, is often over egged to reach the seriously complacent. I'm not complacent but wanting to become less prone to being overly anxious about sun exposure. Just looking for some more moderate approaches, in truth.

Use Green People - it's organic and non toxic and works as well as any non organic ones.

Lovely that it suits you. Doesn't last that long on me. I sweat off most formulations which aren't designed for sports of long lasting in this heat.

Like I wouldn't go out midday to the beach, or a day event with no shade etc

I'm pretty much the same but it's somewhat restrictive. I have to do my running at the crack of dawn. Then, when we are all free my family often want to go out walking somewhere. I'm seriously flagging! I feel like a right spoil sport. Then when I saw the surfers and paddle boarders I was wondering just how?

I’m with you OP. Having worked in marketing in a big player in the beauty industry, I can tell you you are absolutely right that the position is sell sell sell. The approvals are inconveniences to get around.

We live in australia, I have similar concerns about the amount of chemicals in sunscreen.

The kids are all covered up, they tend to just wear uv suits as toddlers, my older primary is in boardies and a long sleeve UV top when we are at the beach. Then zinc on the face is all we need. We are fair, blonde hair blue eyes, we never go out to the beach or for long play in the middle of the day in summer, always wear hats, and when we use regular sunscreen it's always factor 50, reapply is usually 4 hours, we wouldn't stay out in the hot Sun for long enough to need to reapply.

@Stickmansmum, yes I have noticed this. It's difficult not to, really. And what a surprise, we are advised to use copious amounts of product all year round very frequently! I'm backing the companies that are coming up with a least more robust long lasting formulas but still...

I am one of your theoretical people. I have a nasty allergy to all chemical sunscreens and for years I could only get very thick factor 50+ mineral stuff on prescription. Which I used.....and I ended up really vitamin D deficient a few years ago. The level in blood should be 50+ units ideally 75. Mine was 14. Needless to say I felt shocking.

Now there's for more mineral sunscreen out there and lower SPF so I get 30. I also don't apply until the sun is up properly, so I don't put it on my body til 10/11am. Same with my own kids. Don't bother if it's past 4/5pm. And I am the palest skin you will ever see, properly white. I now know it's vital to get some vit d in everyone. And we supplement in winter too.

I DO apply to my face all year, religiously. Got to think of the wrinkles!!

@beingsunny,

reapply is usually 4 hours,

Interesting, that used to be the advice in the 90s here. Didn't seem so onerous. Now it is 2 hours. Some advise 1 and a half. I think because some chemical filters plus zinc oxide actually start to break down and cause worse sun damage.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211014100220.htm

www.livescience.com/7117-sunscreen-damage-skin-applied-infrequently.html

So that's why I use the all day stuff. Even though it might not last all day the uv will be lower when it does start to break down.

@faretheewell that's interesting, I've just checked ours, we buy it from the cancer council here, it says fully waterproof tested for 4 hours reapplication for factor 50. Tbh mist are 50 plus and the lowest is factor 30.

That's interesting, @GuyFawkesDay. I'm pale and find factor 30 enough too.The reason cited for a lot of intolerances to sunscreen is because of the effects of some of the chemical filters breaking down. I don't apply to my face in winter though, stuff wrinkles but haven't got that many at 50 anyway. My face is the only bit of me in winter that sees the sun if it's not dark by the time I manage to get out!

@beingsunny- hmm, yes. What brands are they?

"And those reports on wrinkles and sun cream use are very convincing (google truck driver sun damage etc)"

I'm not sure about this because I also have one side of my face that is much more wrinkled than the other, but I don't drive neither am I passenger on one particular side of a car. (Maybe the way I sleep).

I'm not sure about this because I also have one side of my face that is much more wrinkled than the other, but I don't drive neither am I passenger on one particular side of a car. (Maybe the way I sleep).

I've had the creased face before when waking up! But more recently I've trained myself to sleep on my back because of shoulder issues with side sleeping. Took a while but at least the stress on the body and face will hopefully be more even! Try to chew evenly on both sides too!

I’m very sensitive to the sun and get rashes etc so I am careful. I don’t wear sun cream every day all year round though. I wear it if I’m going to be outside for more than about 20 min and it’s a sunny day and I always have some in my bag just in case.

We just returned from holiday and went to the beach and paddle boarding etc on sunny days. Long sleeved uv tops for me and the kids (DH just wears a regular t shirt, but he won’t go shirtless) any time we were in swim wear, plus hats. Factor 50 topped up often, but as we’re covered it’s less skin to apply to (definitely every 2 hours). Days out, no strappy tops and everyone wears a hat and we seek shade.

We lived abroad for several years where the sun is a lot stronger and we were at the beach or the pool every day in the summer. My kids are used to uv wear and pretty much every kid wore it and increasingly large numbers of adults each year I’d see in uv tops at the beach. Men and women.

I do get where you’re coming from re excessive sun screen use - but the pain of burning makes me cautious and so we have to use it. Covering up is way easier and healthier in my opinion

Don't you think long sleeves and long skirts/trousers and hats protect you enough? The material can be lightweight and the had wide brimmed.

I too am pale and have had significant vit D deficiency in the past so do expose my skin for about 15 mins. I do wear sunscreen but also cover up with long sleeves etc .. I do supplement Vit d too. It's a balance. Not sure I have it right to be honest.

As an aside I do notice very few people wear hats. From a style point of view I love hats all year round but in summer they make so much sense to me.

We just returned from holiday and went to the beach and paddle boarding etc on sunny days. Long sleeved uv tops for me and the kids (DH just wears a regular t shirt, but he won’t go shirtless) any time we were in swim wear, plus hats. Factor 50 topped up often, but as we’re covered it’s less skin to apply to (definitely every 2 hours). Days out, no strappy tops and everyone wears a hat and we seek shade.

Yes, that was much my thinking on the issue other than going out very early or later when the uv isn't as high. Didn't see many rash tops at the UK beach when I went past the other day, though. All bikinis and looking pretty joyful! All pretty tanned. I was a bit amazed tbh and felt like I must doing the sun wrong somehow...even though I know I can burn and get heat rashes (but didn't always) although it's being decades since I've even attempted a swim suit on the beach.

@Jewel1968, I get a bit sweaty in long sleeves. Do do long dresses, trousers and hats, though.

I am a nurse and have had family with skin cancer so aware of the risks but try not to let it take over my life as we live in the UK so the sun is generally not that strong/hot and we holiday maybe once every 2-3 years and are not sun worshippers. I wear a tinted moisturiser with SPF 20 every single day of the year. On holiday/beach says/very hot days like now I’ll put factor 30 on head to toe if sitting out, if pottering in and out, by the paddling pool for 10 mins etc I don’t wear any on my body. Kids in summer get the P20 factor 50 on first thing and always cover shoulders and stay out the heat midday etc. they’re murder for keeping hats on but luckily have thick hair so I usually do a bun to protect their scalp.
We all have fairly hardly skin- tan quickly and easily and rarely burn but are always very careful.

I think the hot weather is a bit of a rarity in the Uk so people like the novelty of breaking out the bikini. Based on what I saw this last week, I’m guessing a lot people have sun burn right now!

If we have more summers like this and more heat waves I think the sun protecting clothing will become much more common.

@NameChangeLifeChange, yes, I think it's important not to let it take over too much hence this thread. I go down a rabbit hole a bit every time I look to buy sunscreen and start researching the ones which I think I might like. So much conflicting information and advice!

Then threads about people being tanned or walking past a beach bring the subject up again in my mind!