What comes first? DEET or Sunscreen?
 

Just wondering what i should apply first and if I should wait a certain amount of time between applications.

Thanks!

Deet is a poison. Do you really want to put a poison on your skin?

Whether it's due to spending longer in the sun or the chemicals in the sun screen, some people using it over time have developed skin cancers.

I wouldn't use either.

Sunscreen first, DEET last. DEET will dilute the power of your sunscreen so reapply both often.

Use the DEET. It's better, much better, than getting bitten and getting Dengue Fever or malaria. Dengue fever is rampant this year, already epidemic in Singapore and likely will be in other SEA countries.

Short term use of DEET is MUCH safer and more pleasant than any of the mosquito borne illnesses. Though it can cause irritation in some people, I haven't seen anything indicating it can cause skin cancer...I'd be curious to see the studies - I looked and found no references at all to DEET causing skin cancer.

Sunscreen first. I always bring a jungle formula spay like deet to India or i am eaten alive. Short term I doubt any side effects will occur.

Where are you going that makes you think you need DEET during the day?

Must be somewhere seriously remote.

Love to know.

KimJapan. Read the post. Sun screen, not Deet.

In most areas the only place you get bitten is twlight or at night. Shut the windows and spray around and you're OK. I got NO bites in my last 3 months in Thailand by following this advice.

Kim, you are quite right, there is no data to suggest that deet causes skin cancer. Sun exposure, however does cause skin cancer. Use a deet preparation that contains 25-50% deet. The 100% deet preparations are not meant to be used on your skin.

chimani, different types of mosquitoes are active at different times of the day. The type of mosquito that carries malaria is most active from dusk until dawn. The type of mosquito that carries dengue is most active during the day. Also the mosquito that carries dengue is adapted for breeding and living in urban areas.

Thanks everyone for these responses. There is no way I am going to go outside without either (don't worry, I am not wearing 100% DEET) because I get bitten easily!

My travel doc recommended to wear DEET and also spray premetherin (sp?) on my clothing.

Another question: I know I need to reapply sunscreen often, but do I also need to reapply the DEET?

Oh, and I am going to Koh Chang...but as Kathie said, there are mosquitoes out at all times!

You don't need to reapply deet as often as you need to reapply sunscreen. That's why the combination products (repellant/sunscreen) are not recommended.

I apologize in advance if my question is ignorant - but do I buy Deet before leaving for my trip or once I get to BKK?

I always take some along, but repellants containing deet are readily available in Thailand.

Sunscreen doesn't cause skin cancer, but sun exposure does. Sunscreen reduces the risk, but does not eliminate it. It's foolhardy to not use sunscreen for fear of cancer, though. Can't find any evidence that sunscreen causes cancer either, but can find plenty that confirms that sun exposure does.

Having gone to 2 immunologists over the past 5-6 years they both support the use of 100% DEET for up to 3-4 weeks in areas where mosiquito-borne diseases are fairly common. They said showeres twice a day then reapply DEET is the best approach when we visited Cambodia, Borneo,and some areas of remote Northern Thailand. Since they were not affiliated I WILL BE GUIDED BY THEIR EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE. One of them is head of airborne diseases at Cornell Weill Medical Medical Center and Research Labs in NYC.

The CDC website recommends including use of Permethrin insect repellent applied to clothing. It repels and kills ticks, mosquitoes,chiggers, mites, and over 100 other insects when applied to clothing, tents or mosquito nets. In conjunction with Deet skin repellents, Permethrin can give the user almost 100% protection against
these disease carrying insects.

No, I don't sell Permethrin. lol I followed a link and found this info on it. :)

BTW, a man in my b-in-law's group came back last month in a wheelchair with malaria.

Permethrin impregnated clothing can be bought at REI and other travel, camping or outside recreation specialty stores. Then apply DEET only on your exposed areas. You can buy the permethrin in a spray to apply to clothing yourself but I found it difficult and bought the already treated clothings.

I do think the Permethrin is helpful. We've used it on two different trips. But even in combination with a deet repellant on exposed skin, we both still had a number of bites. So nothing is 100%, but you can certainly prevent many bites this way.

spraying behind the ears is always very important - apparently that's how the mozzies sense you (hence the buzzing in the ear at night)... that reduced my number of bites pretty quickly

Chimani, the OP replied yesterday: Koh Chang.

I'm not sure what gave you the impression that the OP was just spending time in a major city. But there are plenty of places I've visited where I've seen/been bitten by mosquitoes during the day. Chiang Mai was the most recent place. I've not had problems with mosquitoes in Bangkok (other than at the Amari at the old airport), but depending on where you are staying, some people do report problems.

I have to laugh that you think I'm paranoid, Chimani.

Article in today's NY Times about the mosquito/dengue problem in Singapore, and how mosquitos are adapting to urban environments:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/wo.../27dengue.html

Paranoid? hmm.. Pretty strong word. Disease is carried by mosquitoes. I think this is a healthy discussion about precautions & risks. Then everyone has a right to make an informed decision as to the level of concern at which they should be. It's always good to check & re-check, rather than ruin a vacation. :-p
*wink*