Do you wear sun screen?
 

I don't think a tan is worth the chance of getting melonoma skin cancer. What do you think?

A tan is great. depends on where you are though. I live on the coast in GA. I usually get burned once per season. Not really bad though. Then once I am "glazed" over I wear sunscreen the rest of the summer. I only need SPF 15 though. But dark leathery skin from years of roasting doesn't look good in my opinion

I wear sunscreen (15+), sunhat (or some hat) and apply the cream frequently. However, I refuse to become paranoid about it. In fact when I go South especially, it's too hot to just bake in the sun but I refuse to stay completely out of the sun because that is where alot of attractions are - outside. Actually most Floridians are tan and don't even try to get sun - they just have to go on errands like everyone else, the grocery store, pick up Rx and get a tan on their arms.

Everyone should always wear sunscreen, always, and stay out of the sun as much as possible. A tan is damage to your skin. As a child in the 50's, I spent my summers at the beach , no sunscreen. Who knew then? At about age 35, I started with the first of several basal cell skin cancers. Just had another one taken off my face last week. Now I have stitches, yet another scar and a black eye. Trust me, tans are NOT worth the later cost. Young people always think that it won't happen to them. Wrong. It will.

No. I knew THREE dear people who recently DIED of melanoma.
Two of them were in their MID-THIRTIES.
They lived in "CLOUDY" Ohio.

Melanoma is an insidious disease and VERY difficult to treat.
Regardless of how much better you may look with a tan, it is NOT worth it!!!

Some nationalities are more susceptible to it. The Irish, English and Scandanavian people mostly. If I were them I'd stay out of the sun too, not much pigment (melanocytes). However, not everyone who gets sun exposure will have a guaranteed death sentence due to skin cancer. You have to go outside its a fact of life.

Always.
That tiny scar on my leg reminds me every day that I am lucky that I didn't tan as often as some people, that it was caught in time and that I look just as good pale as a leathery brown.

Of course. Anyone who doesn't wear sunscreen is not only stupid, but playing Russian roulette with their life.

A sun tanned skin is damaged skin. People who think it is healthy are misinformed.
Anyone whose skin type evolved north of 48 degrees north latitude has little melanin in the skin and, as a result, burn easily in the south and south west of the US. People have lighter and darker skins based on the area in which their ancestors evolved. The pigment, or melanin, serves two purposes: (1) it controls how much sun light penetrates to make vitiman D; secondly it protects agains skin cancer.

In those of us whose skin type evolved north of the Alps, the uvb and uva rays of the sun mess up the DNA of the cells in the skin and that leads to basal cells, squamous cells, and melanoma. Basal cells never stop growing. If one forms under the eye, the cell can in time invade the eye socket. Squamous cells don't spread like some cancers, but they rapidly become unsightly.

In short and simple terns: Melanoma kills. Once it escapes containment, the victim is done for in most cases. So people who go out and get burned repeatedly are courting diaster.

There are two rapidly increasing diseases in the USA: diabetes and skin cancer. Diabetes is increasing as a function of the huge number of obese people in the population. Skin cancer is increasing because of the depletion of the ozone layers and the fact that large numbers of people insist on getting sunburns. Both diseases in many cases are preventable. But nationally we seem to be unaware of even common threats.

Just read an article in the paper today about Vitamin D, citing the sun as the best source for sufficient amounts of it. They're finding a rise in rickets in babies who are exclusively breast-fed (b/c breastmilk contains almost no Vitamin D) because they're never in the sun without sunscreen. The idea is not to "tan"; the idea is to spend 5-10 min. per day in the sun, without sunscreen, between 11am and 3pm. (sunscreen with an SPF of 15 blocks 99% of UV rays, and, therefore, all the Vitamin D)Who knows if this will be borne out by further study, but I found it interesting...

I take Vitamin D every day, one always is out in the sun, unless you are one of the mole people ;)
So I would not look for sunshine to provide me with my daily requirement of vitamins. You also get the daily requirement of damage to your skin :(

I cannot believe in this day and age people still ask this question. I, like many others, have had skin cancer (age 29), and I've always been pretty careful (except as a child of course - it only takes one bad burn). No one says you have to live like a vampire and never see the light of day. Wear sunscreen and don't bake yourself in the sun to get your "great tan". Now at the age of 37 if I sound a little defensive it's because I'm sick and tired of people still asking me when I get back from vacation where is my tan and why I'm so white. Is this line of stupid questioning ever going to end???

I don't wear sunscreen because I stay out of the sun! When on vacation we sit under a shaded tree or canopies. My husband, however, is obsessed with looking young 8-) and always wears sunscreen. I think it's working because people cannot ever believe his age.

I've always used suncreen and I've always had a great tan regardless. I don't have any funny things growing on my skin, and I don't have any wrinkles, unlike many people my age (34). I've seen lots of 30-somethings with skin like leather jackets, I get carded all the time!

My German Shepherd had what looked to be a pimple on his head. The vet removed it and sent it in and it was melanoma. The vet said they are seeing more and more cases of melanoma in animals. No more laying out in the sun for Max or either I have to get him a hat. :-)

You can start by putting a hat on those weird emoticons. Those bald heads are a natural target for the sun.

Like this: C:)

Or look like this: :-@

I have about a 4" scar aross my chest that makes me wear 30+ SPF minimum even when driving around in a car in NoCal or Kauai.
Live and learn...luckily mine was "only" basal cell.

Mahalo,
Kal

Maybe it's just me and my skin type, but I don't think you have to make the chioce between sunscreen and a tan. I always use SPF 15 (at least) when I go to the beach, and I always end up with a dark tan, never a burn.

Can anyone else concur that you can end up with a tan even if you use sunscreen?

of course you get a tan when you use sunscreen! it takes longer but it's better than the alternative!

k, yes you can tan very darkly with sunscreen but the point is a suntan is SKIN DAMAGE!

I sailed the Abacos about 10 years ago. We were on deck from sun up to sun down for over two weeks. While I religiously wore 30SPF, I ended up with a very very dark tan. To the point where my mother did not recognize me when she picked me up from the airport.

No such thing as a healthy suntan unless it is one of the new airbrush tans or a self tanner.

No sunblock blocks more that 97% of the suns rays.

It just isn't worth the damage. I use tons of sunscreen when I go to the beach. You can use self tanner if you don't want to look pale.

My dermatologist said sunscreen can give people a false sense of security so I also try not to stay in the direct sun for many hours at a time.

You also need to keep reapplying about a shot glass full every couple of hours. Most people don't use enough. We have a canopy over the fly bridge on our boat and that's where I hang out or either in the cabin where it's air conditioned. No more baking for me.

come to Scotland..all you'll need is a raincoat and umbrella!!

some people who don't spend a lot of time in the sun need to be educated. I bartend outside at Tybee Beach in GA. Even though I am not directly exposed to the sun, I still get heat rashes and I come home and look like I've been sunning for an hour. People from out of town spend days in the heat wearing sunscreen. Then on overcast days they don't wear any sunscreen and stay out longer because it is cooler and they think if the sun is covered by clouds they won't get burned...WRONG!

I don't believe the use of sunscreen will save me from ALL forms of cancer. So I stay in the sun if I feel so, or go in the shade if I feel so. Sunscreen is just another way for a pharmacy and/or manufacturer to get into my wallet.

Thanks for your comments. I have an 8 inch scar/depression on my calf from removing muscle tissue and skin because of melanoma. A painful proceedure done without general anethisia. I thought it was the end of my life, but I have been very lucky. It has cost me tens of thousands of dollars and even the lose of a job because of medical insurance liability. I so regret my younger days of painful sunburns, trying to get a sun tan which lead to all of this.

To the post who is getting a tan while using sun screen. You are only fooling yourself. You need a higher SPF.

Jor - I have a similar scar on the back of my calf. Couldn't believe i got cancer there since I used to only get the 1/2 tan (laying on my back only). Apparently, the sun reflected off the sand and onto the back of my unprotected legs. Why put lotion on the back of my legs, they aren't facing the sun? Stupid me. Learned a lesson though. Besides that scar I have also developed sciatica from nerve damage caused by the surgery. But hey, it is the same as smoking. Plenty of people don't take that seriously either.

Now, it was completely unscientific, but I conducted an opinion survey at Surf City, and it was their shared opinion that sun block fanatics tend to be folks who never did tan well. The Farmer Tanners, if you will.

I love love love the sun but always wear sunscreen. Also a straw hat and sunglasses. Even though I know it's wrong, I still love the way I look with just a LITTLE "glow." I KNOW! I KNOW! It's wrong. I should REVEL in my pale skin. But I can't. I don't try to get a deep tan, but I love vacationing in the sun, so after a week of swimming, walking, etc. etc. (even with 30 SPF on), I'm going to get a little color.

At least I'm much better than I used to be. I lived in Hawaii as a teenager and BAKED in the sun. Tried for 4 years to get as dark as my friends (impossible), and got some terrible sunburns as a result. The damage has been done, to a large extent.

You can get a "tan" out of a bottle or go get "fake-bake sprayed" and not take any risk for malonoma. Clarins makes a pretty good fake tan gel for $24... a lot cheaper than chemotherapy or carved out skin damage scars.

My dermatologist, and the literature he has given me, states that the skin cancers showing up on our bodies now from sun damage, was done 20 yrs ago. And not all skin cancers are caused from the sun. My mom had a skin cancer caused from an abrasion from a to tight cast on her leg. My brother died from melonoma mets and he was not a sun lover at all. Granted, we need to excercise caution when it comes to the sun, but some people get skin cancer in places that never see sun.

about 6 years ago, i got together with some long lost friends from college for lunch. these are women who used to sit by the pool for hours at our dorm just baking with baby oil in hand. i noticed how much older they looked and how much damage the sun had done to their skin, esp. around the eyes.

frightened of what i had seen, i immediately drove to the dept. store that day and bought the strongest sunscreen i could find and a slew of moisturizers to boot. now i put spf 60 on daily, even if i'm just going to be under flourescent lights at work. i use an over the counter sunscreen recommended by my dermatologist. it's primary ingredient is Mexoryl which is supposed to block both long wave uva and uvb. i find it works much better than the coppertone sport 30 and high end brands i used to use.

my mother used to nag me constantly to wear sunscreen and to put a hat on when i was young. but it's hard to imagine the results when you're young and your skin looks fantastic. now i know why.

I asked the question about why I can get a tan when I use a high-SPF.

First, to 'justalittlebit': I'm not isure why you say, 'Of course you get a tan w/sunscreen.' Not everyone does.

To 'GoTravel': So, you're saying that the only real protection is to stay out of the sun entirely?

To 'jor': You missed the point. I'm not fooling myself or anyone myself or anyone else. My question was: Does anyone else out there use a high-SPF sunscreen and still get a dark tan? Lighten up, willya!

Hee, hee. Doesn't every one remember the neighbor of Cameron Diaz in Something About Mary?

Wear sunscreen. I never leave home without it, everyday, all year round. My "tan" is courtesy of Estee Lauder, and it's fabulous.

LOL Nina, i VIVIDLY remember mary's neighbor! Eeeeeks, she should be the 'poster child' for sunscreen!

BTW i use estee lauder tanner too, or clarins, depending on who has best 'gift with purchase' ;)

Surfer, I don't understand what your point is. Yes, "sun screen fanatics" use more sun screen. Sun burns are painful. But a sun burn (except for the pain) is the same as a sun tan. Both are your skin's reaction to damage from the sun. There is not difference in the eyes of the melamoma cancer.

CNMiranda -- My dr. just reminded me that staying under the umbrella will NOT protect me from sun damage. She quoted some large amount of damaging rays (maybe 60% -- but don't quote me) as coming from "reflection" -- off the water, off the sand, off metal, whatever. So, even if you're under the umbrella, it is wise to wear sunscreen to protect yourself.

How about some recommendations for sunscreens? I try to use one everyday - no problem on my body, but I hate the feel of most of them on my face. Which ones do you like?

What a bunch of us use at our club pool after golf we find works pretty alright, but might come on too strong for people with that lily ponds skins. We call ourselves the turtle moms, so you can imagine the rest. We mix up a quart of babyoil and iodine, and thrown in some #45 sunbock, and it gets our outer crust toasty but leaves what we call our inner new skin zone soft and splotch free. Hairline cracks but nothing too dramatic.

buttercup-I use Cetaphil on my face. It was recommended by my dermatologist. On the rest of me, I use Water Babies 45 or Banana Boat Kids. It doesn't seem as greasy as the regular stuff.