katsmajic

When i lived in Tunisia i kept my kids covered up, but we did live on the beach...almost...the oldest kids changed colour - their bio dad is italian so olive skin is natural for them, but youngest stayed white, her hair went very blonde tho.
However back in the uk that autumn/winter my youngest came out in freckles.
Ive always had freckles - even in places that im sure havnt ever seen the sun...not loads but their there, and hereditary...my dad has always had loads of freckles.
Since arriving here weve all been smoothered in spf30 yet lil girl has developed more freckles - quite alot more...but i know shes protected as much as humanly possible, bucket hats, spf30, stay in shade etc.

My oldest girl, now 16 had 103 moles when she was 2. Last count she had 106. Shes never been sunburnt, is olive skinned and is pretty sensible in the sun.

Our schools policies are - no hat no play. We get very regular newsletters to sunscreen the kids, older kids can apply cream to younger siblings, the saying here is slip, slap, slop....slip on a tshirt, slap on a hat, slop on the suncream.

Cheetah7

Thanks for that, I shall have a look now.

LiseM

Unfortunately I learnt the hard way growing up in Australia just how damaging the sun is there. My face has always had freckles present, along with my arms from the sun damage as a small child. Growing up, I've witnessed my father (who's lived in Australia most of his life) having skin cancers lasered or cut out of areas all over his body, so that he's always got stitches present somewhere. He routinely visits the doctors to have the cancers / suspect freckles removed every 3 months or less, and has done so for the last 20 yrs.
This made me very aware of the dangers and from my teens onwards I've pretty much stuck with staying pale! (not so trendy when the fad is to be tanned, but better to be safe in my books).
So guess it'll be back to smothering myself in sunscreen again from next year, but that's far more preferable than going through what my Dad endures...something to think about

wanderingwombat

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/s...77-954,00.html

BRITAIN has passed Australia in the number of annual malignant melanoma deaths with the British love for the cheap packaged holiday causing an alarming rise in the deadly skin cancer.

Since the 1960s, Britons escaped the drizzle and lack of sun in their home country for low-cost airline holidays to Spain, Italy and Greece.

But new figures released by Cancer Research UK has found the popularity of the holidays contributed to a massive rise in skin cancers, particularly among older people.

More than 9500 people in the UK a year are now being diagnosed with malignant melanomas with 1800 people dying from the disease. Another 500 Britons die each year from other forms of skin cancer.

While Australia has a higher rate of melanoma the death rate is lower, at about 1300 people a year, due to earlier detection and sun smart awareness campaigns.

WW

BadgeIsBack

I thought freckles were genetic and often cute. Hadn't realised they appear overnight(!)

I don't do sunbaking (at all) but put on cream and a hat for outside work. I had a skin check free with work last week and was told I have great skin.

I've noticed some locals who should know better who say things like - it's OK - it's only 30mins sitting outside for breakfast before 9am, and September - the sun is low in the sky. The basis is that the UV is *lower*, which is true I guess.

Problem is - the UV in September and at 9am is probably akin to a summer's day in the south of Europe. It could be cloudy in Melbourne, and the UV will still be getting on for 9odd nonetheless and Extreme. I think in England it might be 7 tops.

On sunny days in summer UV easily gets into double digits.

On holiday in North America our family could not believe the extent we would avoid the sun with towels around heads, t-shirts. They thought it very eccentric that all these 'Aussies' would go to such lengths.

kiwinow

Good habits to get into though. Oz and NZ have an ozone problem you can't ignore. My OH, as a teenager, used to bake himself in spf 2 oil for 10 minutes each side. He wouldn't dream of it now and even absconded with the blue zinc face cream I bought the kids which they won't wear. He looked like Braveheart - well, an older, slightly battered version.

My daughter tans within minutes of the first day of summer even with 30 on, but she rarely burns. As a consequence, even though she's only 10 I've given her day moisturiser and night cream. I have to remind them to put sunscreen on before school. However, they have to wear hats at school and without being asked they will all put on tops while swimming.

sme

My 10 year old is the same - brown all year and dark brown as soon as she starts going down the beach! She wears sun screen, rashies, covers herself up and still browns. The area I have concern about with her is her eyes as they always redden after being out in the surf during nippers when she can't wear a hat. Any ideas?

Cheetah7

I am finding it hard to get decent smart tops that cover my arms to wear to work and casual long sleeved to go outside.

I have resorted to carrying a cool cotton sarong to fold and drape over my shoulders when I go out in order to cover up.

There sure is a market here to design some fashionable cotton clothes to protect from the sun, that do not have those bloody empire lines or look like maternity fashion.

kiwinow

sme I think salt water would redden your eyes anyway, so may not be a concern, but would she wear swimming goggles?

coolerkingcooler

Sunblock and clothing are quite key in my mind for when we get to Australia. As a kid I had freckles and hated them, a remnant from a childhood in Hong Kong. When I was 12, a girl told me that you could get rid of them by using a scrubbing brush with lemon juice Fortunately, someone later in life told me that each one is half an ounce of beauty, which makes me absolutely gorgeous

Even in the UK I put on cream when going for a long walk, and golf (pretty much a long walk looking for golf balls). The advice on here will be helpful, thank you. As others have mentioned, there is a lot of sports clothing with SPF now - I only buy golf clothing with it. Hats will play a more prominent role for me as my hair has decided to leave me. That said, I am considering having hundreds of tiny rabbits tattooed on my head so that they looks like hares from a distance

Cheers,
Cooler

ray2gill

I agree with you. I am suprised that there aren't any long sleeved very thin cotton shirts or tops here. Normal cotton I find too thick and hot.

Cheetah7

I dont know what I am going to do, short of carrying my sarong everywhere to cover up my arms.

I take pride in being pale but being someone who is genetically predisposed to Malignant Melanoma, I have to be really careful

sunbather

At the primary school I work in (Perth) there is a bottle of sunblock by each classroom door and every time we go outside for either recess, lunch, fitness or a walk you will hear the command "sunblock, hat, water". If the kids on recess are not seen with white streaks on them then they are not allowed out to play, just the same as with a hat. We start off applying to the kindy kids at the beginning of the year but by the end of the year they are doing it themselves after gradual training.

sme

I think it's more to do with the glare of the sea than the salt. They don't really encourage goggles at Nippers (doesn't go with the red and yellow caps ) - but I have bought her some UV tinted ones for when she swims and she'll have to slowly get used to the red eye look !

Safin

wish mine would do that. Its on the required list to take some but they never remind the kids - let alone check!