Dr. Betty

Dearest of Fodorphiles: <BR> <BR>Leaving soon for Scotland and am getting down to the last packing essentials. All we hear about is how rainy it can be, but in May, will there be enough blasts of sunshine to warrant bringing sunscreen? Any help would be greatly appreciated. What brand do you recommend for sensitive skin? <BR> <BR>Dr. Betty

Barbara

Dr. Betty: When I talked to my mother on Sunday, she was so pleased that the weather in Edinburgh was warm-10-11 degrees celsius (whatever that means!) with clear skies and sunshine. The daffodils are out all over the place. Apparently the hill in front of the castle is now covered with daffodils. It must be beautiful. I would only put sunscreen on my face, probably out of habit. I use Banana Boat for Faces, but my skin, although fair, is not particularly sensitive. I hope this is somewhat helpful. <BR> <BR>Barbara.

Sheila

Looking out the window at 8.30am (now)-NO CHANCE! <BR> <BR>Seriously, not before the end of May. And if it does get freaky hot inthe next fortnight, we DO have supermarkets here, you know

Bill Clarke

Sorry to disapoint you but probably the only way you would need sunblock is if you are staying until September and between now and then we may have a day that needs it, you are more likely to be bit by the midges near to water later in the year. <BR>regards <BR>Bill Clarke

sylvia

Why not buy some if you need it when you get there. The weather is very variable and it can sometimes get quite hot and sunny in the UK in May. <BR>If you visit the Highlands in the summer, what you really need is insect repellant. Those midges are no joke! May is probably a bit early for the wee beasties though.

Dr. Betty

Thank You Goode People, <BR> <BR>This helps take care of my only remaining questions. The thought of being welcomed by daffodils in Edinburgh is very exciting. I think I will take a small tube for the face to capture whatever rays may appear as soon as they appear. <BR> <BR>Regards, <BR>Dr. Betty

Ann

Dr. Betty, what Sylvia thinks is "quite hot" is not what Americans think is hot. I always have to laugh when I'm over there, and the temp creeps above 65F, and everyone starts talking about how hot and humid it is. Shirts come off (usually just the men!) at lunch time, and the next day at work, everyone's pink! We had friends over just last week, and just as my husband and I were commenting how it was a nice day, but kind of chilly (maybe around 60F), our friends from the UK said how horribly hot it was, and how they had to go inside out of the sun. <BR> <BR>Unless you have sensitive skin or simply always take precautions against skin cancer, you will not need sunscreen in Scotland at any time of the year.

Judy

Dr. Betty, in all sincerity, I really recommend DDF(Doctors Dermatalogic formula) Moisturizing Photo-Age protection spf 30(with Parsol). I wear it everyday(ATL's UV rays are unforgiving), regardless of sun, and it is truly an amazing product, IMO. I bought it at Sephoras. <BR>It helps to keep time(re. lines) in check.... <BR>Scotland/Ireland sun this August, will hopefully be a non issue.....right Sheila??? Judy

frank

I will be going cycling at the end of May in the Western Isles.Sunblock is an absolute necessity for that activity at that time,any bits you miss are agony, mind you I have red hair and am usually the colour of a pint of milk. <BR>Previously I made the mistake of buying very high factor cream (contains TiO2) but didn't realise it was like applying white makeup until I had received a lot of strange looks....I think the combo of the white makeup & the Lycra shorts were too much for these simple island people. <BR> If you are going walking etc you may need sunblock.Being caught on the moor on a sunny day without it can be damaging.Not for urban use.

janice

My dermatologist told me that, unless streetlights are on, you need sunscreen. If there's enough light to make it day, there's enough light to damage your skin.

frank

Janice, your dermatologist will be a rich man one day, but he will never make a doctor. <BR>People NEED sunlight. <BR>We know this here because we don't get any! <BR>In the early days of Asian immigration into Glasgow many cases of rickets were found amongst the young women. <BR>Turns out they weren't getting out of the house enough for the sunlight to convert their vitamin D.(a cultural thing-they do now)There was enough in India/Pakistan, but not in Glasgow. <BR>In winter it gets dark at 3:30 here, I'd love to see your dermatologist walking round with sunblock on at 3pm.What he said may be true for some places (Spain, Texas) but not everwhere.cheers!

angel

My mom (in the U.S.) has had several cancerous lumps cut from her nose. Her doctor wears sunscreen all day, every day -- no exceptions. <BR>

Al Godon

I have two questions for Frank. <BR>Where did you get your doctor of medicine degree? May I assume that you completed a residency in dermatology? <BR>Having had numerous basal cells and squamous cells carved from my face and neck, I am going to use sunscreen --period. Heat has nothing to do with the need for sun screen. You can get the worst burns possible when on ski slopes because the snow reflects the UVA ad UVB rays. The sun does help with vitamin D, but a good multi vitamin takes care of that little deficiency. <BR> <BR>As for the dermatologist, he is trying to prevent cancer. If no one had skin cancer, he would not have as many patients. So the whole comment has a built in contradiction.

glaswegian

The moisturizer I use on my face every morning has spf 15 built right into it. Why not look for that, there are numerous brands...

sylvia

My aunt lives in Thurso, right at the top of Scotland and she has had two cats that contracted skin cancer on the tips of their ears. You have to be careful of the sun wherever you are. Incidentally, I know what hot weather is and I have felt less comfortable at 70%F in London than at 110%F in the Mohave desert. The humidity in the UK is very high.

KT

I got a lovely sunburn on my face in Edinburgh in early June last year because I neglected to put on sunscreen. I'm pretty fair, but not excessively so.

Brian in Atlanta

Dr. Betty, if you plan on carrying on like Carla did on her recent trip to England, I'd recommend liberal application of sunscreen to all those exposed areas.

Sheila

It was a sunny day after the fog lifted. Freezing but sunny. I have the standard pale Scottish skin and I would not dream of wearing sunscreen in May. I may be wrong, but that's how it is. You may want some form of grease (like whale blubber, or something)to stop your skin freezing, if this goes on much longer

Dr. Betty

There seems to be some weather difference between Aberdeen area and Edinburgh. If it's 50 degrees in Edinburgh (10 celsius) what might it be in Aberdeen? I quess there is now just one remaining question... can I buy whale blubber in the local supermarket, eh Sheila ?

Bob Brown

For Sheila. You lived most of your life in Scotland if I understand your other comments correctly. Your skin has not been exposed to the DNA altering effects of UVA and UVB rays long enough to have permanent damage. I, and my Scottish skin, have lived in the Southeastern United States. As a result, my facial skin can take NO more sun. It matters not what the latitude is. I regularly have basal cells and squamous cells removed and pray that melanoma cells do not appear. Some of the damage goes back to my youth, when most of us thought sun tans were healthy. You know, gotta tan up for the beach. Well what I did was inflict irreversible damage on my skin. So when my dermatologist tells me NO MORE SUN, he means no more sun. The only place I would not use sunscreen would be in Northern Alaska in January. (or parts of Antartica in July) <BR>