Stephen

Do all you guys apply sunscreen every day evn if going to work, ie on face and arms?

I was amazed and slightly worried at the amount of skin cancer clinics I saw on my aussie recce.

Dorothy

Everyone applies sunscreen every day. The skin cancer rates in Australia are astronomical, so it only makes sense to try to prevent it if possible.

jad n rich

Face, arms, neck, legs, feet and any area that is only going to be covered by lightweigh or light coloured fabric, the rays get through. Apply again after 4 hours as its pretty much useless after that. And you should apply it in winter too, the sun is less hot but still dangerous ray wise. Then top with hat, protective sunnies and stay in the shade. You can buy sunblock by the litre pack its only about $12.

iPom

We get a huge amount of skin cancer in the uk and I think it topped the Aussies last year... With that in mind we should be using precautions here but not many do. I wear sunscreen all year round... no different in Australia. There's no reason to worry as long asyou take care of yourself.

Vash the Stampede

Spent 31 years in Australia, and only applied sunscreen on an "as-needed" basis.

Certainly not every day.

Bella Donna

Excuse me, I don't. Nor does my husband, nor our daughter. We use small amounts of organic, good quality sunscreen if we are going to have to be exposed to the sun for any significant time.

As many folk here already know ( ) this family is of the opinion that you're more in danger of skin cancer from the plethora of chemicals that you pump into your skin each time you put sunscreen on, than you are from careful, limited sun exposure.

Which really came first - soaring skin cancer rates or sunscreen?

ABCDiamond

Nor do I, nor does my wife, although I prefer it if my daughter does.

I've been in Australia for a total of about 15 years now, had my first skin cancer check last year, and was totally clear.

Deaths from skin cancer, although higher than the UK, are not as high as some people may think. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/news...releases/44278

The most recent figures show that in one year, deaths from malignant melanoma in Australia were 1,000 compared to 1,600 in Britain per year.
Australia = 50 cases per million population
UK = 27 cases per million population

About double the UK, but then the sun is much hotter down this way, and people spend much more time in the sun, working outside, on the beach, even just walking around, etc

suzy

Where do you get that from? Is it widely available ?

karenjc

You may be hard pressed to find sunscreen lower than factor 30.

suzy

I only use Factor 40 on body and Factor 50 for face for me and daughter anyway as we are so pale. If by some miracle I get a bit of colour I go down to Factor 30.

I was hospitalised when I was 15 in Oz with such bad sunburn I've got scars on my legs - a legacy of my stupidity

I know some people think that once you get to Factor 25-30 the sunscreen has hit it's peak but I've never suffered problems since using the higher Factor. Maybe it's psychological bit it works for me.

karenjc

Our daughter and son only use factor 30 and have never burnt, and are a lovely colour. We don't keep them in the sun for to long just a little at a time.

fraser

I hardly ever use it, except on my face and around my hairline.

Mind you I've aways got on a t-shirt and haven't been for a swim in 6 months of being here.

Ozzidoc

Due you have a link to the scientific evidence for this? On my dermatology placement last year (in the UK), the evidence was that there had only been ONE ever robust-ish study which showed a link to the use of sunscreen and skin cancer, but didnt accommodate very well for some of the potential confounders.

Agree with the careful, limited exposure. Which chemicals in particular are u interested in?

Vash - once i moved from Melb to Syd, I wore sunscreen on my face and hands everyday, and had sunscreen in my foundation as well......as did many of my friends. Horses for courses i guess.

michellemac

Hi there,

I've got very fair skin (freckles) and when I lived in Australia I wore an SPF of some sort everyday on my face at least. As a woman it's very easy to do,most of the "higher end" moisturisers (Estee Lauder, Clinique, Clarins etc) have a built in SPF, as do most foundations, so the females in your family should be OK for work, winter etc. In summer for days outside/ at the beach etc then i would cover myself in sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat and often a long-sleeved lightweight shirt as well.

For the blokes, its easy to get into the habit of applying sunscreen everyday - there are things like Clarins for Men moisturiser which would be good for winter if you are into the male grooming thing, if not then bog-standard sunscreen would be fine.

It does sound like a hassle, but one day you will forget/miss a bit and the resulting sunburn will make you never forger to cover up again.

Michelle

Bella Donna

I haven't had time to check on Pubmed yet, but will try later. For now I'll offer this link http://www.oasisadvancedwellness.com...sunscreen.html because it has some information on studies relating to adverse effects of sunscreen ingredients, and because it is one of the two brands of sunscreen that our family will use, although I think I may have to retract the "organic" reference on this one - it doesn't seem to be.

I'm concerned about any chemical that has more than three syllables and is unpronouncable! Never did like chemistry! But specifically, I believe the jury is still out on titanium dioxide in terms of carcinogenicity, along with other common ingredients such as the parabens (more from the hormone disrupting point of view) and PABA. The petrochemicals really bother me - I don't think you can find any studies that have looked at the long term effects of these chemicals in terms of safety. It's harder to find an ingredient that I do trust, tbh.

(For Suzy) The other brand we use is soleo http://www.organicsaustraliaonline.com.au/prod1303.htm - not cheap but worth it, imnsho.