Sun exposure

[mrcharly-YHT]

OK, fair enough. But sun cream isn't exactly rock 'n roll, is it?!!

I'd rather die of skin cancer when I'm 50 than be incapable of wiping my own arse at 80.....

That's pretty much the most stupid thing I've ever seen you write.

I take it you've not lost any close friends or relatives to cancer. It's not a quick, clean and fun way to die.

[Treewheeler]

As some of you know and fewer of you care...
 I ran away to the Southern Hemisphere for 9 months and have just returned although fuck knows why when I have money enough to buy a Thai bride and drink myself to death between her legs...
 
Anyway...
 My head got burned time and time and time again.
I wore a special suncap and cowl that excluded alot of the sun but my nose really took a beating and also my forehead.
 Sun cream...? I'm sweating you bloody fools and the stuff just gets in your eyes and makes you sticky.
So now I have some skin issues...
 On my forehead2 patches of dry flaky skin that are slightly painfull to touch and a very tender pink and sensitive nose.
 To be quite honest, there are times (like now) when I feel I have 'almost' had enough of 'my' world and would welcome an excuse like terminal cancer as a real trigger to go and see the rest of the world before I die.
Spend my lot and not feel guilty about it.
 
 

[Ian H]

P20 is good because it dries on and isn't affected by sweat. Some 'sports' suncreams are not too bad in that respect.

[simonp]

I use an 8h sun protect cream for Audax.  For a 200, apply it at 10am and you're finished by the time you need to worry about reapplying it.

In defence of the people who say sun exposure isn't so bad, Vitamin D is produced by the skin when exposed to sunlight, and this protects against internal cancers:

A little sun might fight cancer - health - 11 January 2008 - New Scientist

[Jezza]

As some of you know and fewer of you care...
 I ran away to the Southern Hemisphere for 9 months and have just returned although fuck knows why when I have money enough to buy a Thai bride and drink myself to death between her legs...
 
Anyway...
 My head got burned time and time and time again.
I wore a special suncap and cowl that excluded alot of the sun but my nose really took a beating and also my forehead.
 Sun cream...? I'm sweating you bloody fools and the stuff just gets in your eyes and makes you sticky.
So now I have some skin issues...
 On my forehead2 patches of dry flaky skin that are slightly painfull to touch and a very tender pink and sensitive nose.
 To be quite honest, there are times (like now) when I feel I have 'almost' had enough of 'my' world and would welcome an excuse like terminal cancer as a real trigger to go and see the rest of the world before I die.
Spend my lot and not feel guilty about it.
 
 

That was me a year ago, that was. Except mine was Chinese...and I don't drink these days. I diagnose a chronic case of the post-travel blues. 

Might be worth getting a check up from a dermatologist. That way you'll know you've got plenty of time to see the rest of the world.   

[fred the great]

I love Chinese eyes but I didn't marry one.

There are two seasons in Thailand, hot and bloody hot. As we try to avoid the sun we rarely get sunburnt. I do however feel for the Tourists who lie on the beaches trying to get a tan. They won't get one, they will just suffer like hell

 My cycling is usually done in the late afternoon wearing a hat, something to protect my neck and suitable clothes.

[Regulator]

Having helped nurse my father through a protracted and painful death from malignant melanoma, when a proud, 6'4" man was reduced to a skeleton I could lift on my own, I am a fervent believer in Slip, Slap, Slop.

[MSeries]

Q: Is there any difference between sunblock for kids (Fac30) and the regular, not just for kids, type (Fac30) ?

[Regulator]

Q: Is there any difference between sunblock for kids (Fac30) and the regular, not just for kids, type (Fac30) ?

Absorbability and waterproofness are the main factors, I think.  And sun block (rather than sun cream) for kids should be at least Factor 50+.

The best stuff on the market for kids is probably Boots own label.

[MSeries]

So is Kids stuff OK for adults like me who tan easily ? Will it protect me ?

[Regulator]

So is Kids stuff OK for adults like me who tan easily ? Will it protect me ?

Yep!

I used to be tanned all year round but chemotherapy when I was a teenager affected my skin and now I burn easily. So I use Boots Soltan Factor 50+ for the high risk areas (feet, ears, back of neck) and Soltan Factor 30 for everywhere else.  The new Soltan Sensitive range is very good and I can recommend it.

[border-rider]

The kids' stuff is better for sensitive skins, and smells less poncy.

Just be careful about relying on it.  A hat and long sleeves are the first line of defence, suncream for when you can't avoid exposure.

As Reg said: SLIP on a shirt, SLAP on a hat and SLOP on some suncream. 

[mrcharly-YHT]

The Aussie sun is very strong; unless you buy clothing impregnated with UV blockers, you will burn even under your clothes.

Aldi sunblock is pretty good.

Tuggo, post-travel blues, definitely. Only one thing to do; start planning the next trip.

[Moloko]

Slap on the Noel Coward 78.

[hellymedic]

Q: Is there any difference between sunblock for kids (Fac30) and the regular, not just for kids, type (Fac30) ?

The price? 

[Greenbank]

The sun was staggeringly strong down in South America, especially way down South (54^oS) under the hole in the ozone layer. We rarely went out without hats and wore quality hiking clothing (Columbia Titanium and Mountain Hardwear stuff) that has SPF 30+ UV protection built into the fabric. Some people we met trekking round Torres del Paine national park were getting sunburnt through their t-shirts and couldn't understand why.

[border-rider]

We were in Namibia, just on the Tropic of Capricorn, in late December a few years ago.  That was strong sun.

One day we went out on a boat to see seals etc, and there was a British family there who were just in the country for a couple of days.  It was hazy first thing and they'd gone out without hats or long sleeves.   By mid-morning we were begging them to cover up as best they could -  the children at least were sun-creamed but it wasn't enough.

[Jezza]

I got used to strong sun living in Zimbabwe at 6000 feet, but I have to say that New Zealand was the most intense I've experienced. Burn time of 10 minutes on some days. I saw a dermatologist there, being of a moley, Celtic complexion myself, and she said don't bother with anything under factor 30.

[SandyV]

30+ everyday for the past 25 years - just hoping it will ward off the damage likely to have been caused on Aussie beaches as a child/ teenager!

Just for info on Slip Slop Slap (from the Australian Cancer Council website)

Slip Slop Slap
One of the most successful health campaigns in Australia’s history was launched by Cancer Council Australia in 1981. Sid the seagull, wearing board shorts, t-shirt and a hat, tap-danced his way across our TV screens singing a catchy jingle to remind us of three easy ways of protecting against skin cancer.

Slip, Slop, Slap!
It sounds like a breeze when you say it like that
Slip, Slop, Slap!
In the sun we always say "Slip Slop Slap!"
Slip, Slop, Slap!
Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat,
Slip, Slop, Slap!
You can stop skin cancer - say: "Slip, Slop, Slap!"

 
The Slip Slop Slap slogan has become institutionalised as the core message of The Cancer Council’s SunSmart program. The campaign is widely credited as playing a key role in the dramatic shift in sun protection attitudes and behaviour over the past two decades.


Some of the recent campaigns have added "Seek shade" and "Slide on some sunglasses"

[Greenbank]

"Slide on some sunglasses"

The resurgence of retro sunglasses, or even any cheap pair sold on market stalls, are also a growing problem as most don't have any UV protection.

Wearing sunglasses makes your pupils open much wider (to compensate for the reduced light) and therefore let significantly more UV in if the sunglasses don't have a filter.

Quality modern copies of retro sunglasses should be fine.

Wearing sunglasses without UV filters is the equivalent of going outside in the blazing sun with no suncream on. You'll just be asking for trouble later on in life.

Both of my prescription sunglasses (one pair of normal ones from Vision Express, and my cycling ones from Optilabs) have UV filters.

[SandyV]

Wearing sunglasses without UV filters is the equivalent of going outside in the blazing sun with no suncream on. You'll just be asking for trouble later on in life.

Good point!   

[токамак]

I thought the UV and cheap sunglasses issue was redundant now as it's easy to produce UV protective lenses at low cost, possibly I'm misguided in that. If in doubt you can quickly and easily get your shades UV tested at a high street opticians.

[oncemore]

Doubt many people of my generation even THINK of sun-block or whatever it's called. I certainly never do. Have never used the stuff. Used to work outdooors, shirt off. Did get what I assume was sunstroke once - 8 hours ditching, head down, on a shadeless hill side.
As the daughter once put it "...if over 40 years of fags ain't got you, a bit of sunburn isn't going to..."
We all have to die sometime of something.

[border-rider]

Doubt many people of my generation even THINK of sun-block or whatever it's called. I certainly never do. Have never used the stuff. Used to work outdooors, shirt off. Did get what I assume was sunstroke once - 8 hours ditching, head down, on a shadeless hill side.
As the daughter once put it "...if over 40 years of fags ain't got you, a bit of sunburn isn't going to..."
We all have to die sometime of something.

different exposure patterns though - long-term vs short intense bursts with no build up of skin colour between

[rogerzilla]

If you're follically challenged like me, I would advise a Buff rather than suncream above eye level.  Sweat and suncream mixture in the eyes would have been a pretty good medieval torture device.