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?

@Caterina99, well, yes, something's got to give moving forward!

Im blonde haired blue eyed.
As a child and young adult I would burn easily so I just kept out of the sun. Used sunscreen when older - it wasn't much of a thing when younger - and covered up.

Then I got a dog. Walk the dog twice a day, morning and evening all year round. Don't bother with sunscreen except if I'm going to be out for more than an hour or two on days like the recent weather we've been having. Slowly over the years I've developed skin which tans in the summer.
I spend a lot of time outdoors now although usually in chunks of no more than a couple of hours. Life is too short to be constantly applying sunscreen especially when I believe that to a certain extent it is counter productive. I haven't even come close to burning.

Re carefree enjoying the sun. On holiday this year I wore a rash vest & board shorts at the beach and water park and had a much better and more relaxed time than attempting to cover all my body with sun cream in a bikini.
If I need to put suncream on I do it at 10am and don’t reapply after 4pm. Same approach with the kids.

I understand you wanting care free days at the beach.

I also understand you not wanting to reapply suncream every 2 hours every day.

But unless you want to go to the beach every day I don't really understand why you can't have both? Some days in the height of summer where you are reapplying suncream regularly due to being out in the sun all day. Some days where you don't do that and use long sleeves etc to cover up instead. That's then not a "lifetime" of super frequent use.

@oviraptor21, ah that is interesting. It's a bit like what that article I linked to claims. Don't know whether I'm brave enough to do the same, though..It's tempting to maybe brave the tail end of the UV level 3 just before it moves down to 2 tho.

@Hakeandling, sounds like a sensible way forward.

@Augend23, I think the me of my fantasies would be out at the beach much more! And enjoying it immensely! 😂 However, yes, you are right - not that realistic!

I think the key for me is that it happened over a few years and with gentle exposure at cooler parts of the day but literally every day.
I would not have believed it possible 20 years ago - I thought I was someone who couldn't tan.

@oviraptor21, that is hopeful.🙂

See that never happened for me. I've had horses all my lift so outside constantly since age 5
Still pale blue! But I literally don't tan at all, even in summer as a child outside for days and days on end. White, burn, white

I'm on holiday now and see a lot more people covered up and/or sitting in the shade on the beach. I am fair skinned so do the same on the beach but other family members like a swim in the sea. Only ever there for an hour/90 minutes though. Plenty of people in one piece costumes (another reason I hate those almost bullying "Get your bikini on" threads). I only use factor 30 as remember stories about the difference in protection between that and SPF 50 was about 1% but the price was significantly more. I have worn a hat this time as my hair is now lighter and don't want that red scalp look. I wear SPF 15 tinted moisturiser for the rest of the year but mostly now avoid the sun. I do take extra vitamin D and calcium. However much sun cream I put on, if I wear a sleeveless dress, I always get slightly burnt just where the skin meets the material. As though the cream gets rubbed off. And I always wear a neckerchief thing as definitely sun damaged there. It's easy to avoid the sun at home but I don't really want to stay in and hide on holiday so have to manage that somehow.

I'm really into my skincare and have some pigmentation from earlier sun damage so I wear SPF50 on my face every day of the year (UK), but I don't go as far as to reapply. The proper skin worshippers would do that.

I tend to avoid strong summer sun and don't like holidays in very hot temperatures.

Body wise my main aim is to make sure I never burn. This is achieved by avoiding the midday sun, usually being quite covered up and the odd sun tan application if it's really scorching and I'm worried about ending up trapped in it. I do tan slightly which I suppose is damage but life's too short. I did see a lady with a parasol this week....

Lab muffin on instagram is great at debunking skincare myths.

I don't buy expensive Spf but I do reapply through the day and I always wear a good amount on my face because I'm vain. Tbh I don't find it a hardship I like the smell and my skin is always glowing.

I should have said I put Spf 50 on my 3 year old every day we go out from April to Sept roughly. And I reapply the spray altruist if we are out longer. He is mixed race and catches the sun easily, he is about 3 shades darker this summer despite copious factor 50.

Lab muffin on instagram is great at debunking skincare myths.

It's not myths though. The research exists. Just Google, loads of studies come up. It's just the takeaway from it that is disputed in terms of what is the most serious risk to health overall. And the various factors will affect some individuals more than others. That is why I am seeking more moderate advice and some referencing to individually tailoring an approach according to differing needs. At the moment it seem to flip flop between all sunscreen is bad and causes cancer to douse yourself in it, all year round, frequently, even inside otherwise you will die from skin cancer.

And I've had (breast) cancer, don't want it again - even the word can be triggering but still get warning bells when advice seems so extreme.

I do think one of problems with sunscreen is I miss bits. Many a time I will have clear skin with a patch the size of a 10p burnt because I have missed a bit. Easy to do your face and legs but other areas can be hard to reach. So that's one reason I favour covering up.

@Jewel1968, yep, that can be an issue. A formulation that is slightly tacky, oily or that has a white caste can help there, I find. But I cover up too.

My sister has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma, believed to be linked to a skin cancer a few years ago. As such we are massively into sun protection.

I use a factor 50 on my face for about 6 months of the year, and 30 on my body if going to the beach when it is hot.

Kids factor 50 all over.

Hats and rash vests, avoid midday heat and brollies where possible.

It's the hard to reach and see bits that I miss. I find spray ones help but I can still miss. Brollies are a good idea. Hard to use sunscreen on back of hands when we are constantly washing hands. Are there special sun umbrellas?

@Harridan1981, totally understandable.

Hard to use sunscreen on back of hands when we are constantly

I carry a chubby sunblock stick in my bag to reapply to backs of hands hands for this.

It's the hard to reach and see bits that I miss. I find spray ones help but I can still miss.

Oh and speaking of this I am finding the trend for cut outs and backless tops and dresses very annoying. Especially when this is not stated clearly on websites. I have sent stuff back before on discovering it was backless with a strap across to hold it on! Who likes this? The tanners will get lines the pale ones like me just have to use more sunscreen.

I love the sun. My holiday of choice involves a lot of sunbathing and dipping in and out of the water. I’m also fairly pale, naturally. If I’m intending to spend more than a few minutes in the sun I put sun cream on- factor 50 on my face and chest, and factor 30 everywhere else that’s exposed, and I reapply it every couple of hours. I also routinely wear a hat and sunglasses out in the sun. The sunglasses more or less all year round if the sky is any brighter than pale grey, as I have green eyes that don’t cope very well with light, and squinting gives me a headache.

I do think that the idea that you should wear factor 50 on your face all year round in the UK is patently absurd. The beauty journalists saying it are just trying to sell products, and the Mumsnet posters are doing their usual fun sponge bossy superiority. And although I agree that loose and wafty is definitely the way to go with clothing in the heat, I can’t bear wearing long sleeves, or really any sleeves, when it’s warm.

@LoobyDop, thanks. I was beginning to feel a tad unreasonable for hankering after the balance you appear to have found but albeit without the sun bathing (pointless for me, although I have liked reading on the beach ).

How easy do you find to reapply properly when out and about, though? (Why I love all day stuff) Do you use a spray or lotion? It's the legs and décolletage I think I find most embarrassing in public - don't want to flash the old bra or undercrackers!😂

I find the sprays easiest for topping up when you’re out and about, and lotions for beach/pool. Nivea is usually a good bet, and I think it is worth forking out for one designed for facial skin as well- the normal ones tend to give me spots.

I find the “all day” ones literally too hit and miss, as in if you miss a bit, that part WILL get pink because you don’t have a second pass at it with a top-up.