Do my kids really need sunscreen?

[Barbruka]

Don't flame me without reading this first!!! I have read and know about the need for sunscreen in Florida! But I have kids who have olive skin, and tan very easily with rarely a sunburn. We are going the third week of September, and they will be (and are) very tan from the summer. Could they still burn or should I not worry? I would especially love to hear from parents of other olive skinned kids who were tan before they went. Did they still burn?

 

[ceecee]

I have never had a sunburn before, but I still wear sunscreen just because of the damage the sun can do (wrinkles, skin cancer,etc). As for my daughter...always on her. She can decide later if she wants to get tan. I wouldn't take the chance.

 

[lisakay]

Why take the chance? The sun in FL is a lot stronger as we are closer to the Equator. If they should get sunburned you will all be miserable.....

 

[KidLibNY]

Please for the love of God put sunscreen on your kids! I went to WDW the last week of Sept 2001 and I came home with 2nd degree sun poisioning! I have always tanned as I have olive skin (thanks to a Hispanic heritager) and have always been fine with a low spf sunblock. Not this time. By the time I realized that I was burning it was too late. The burn went down several layers in my skin and when it started to peel, raw bleeding skin was exposed. I had to wrap the exposed skin in sterile gauze and since the skin was oozing, when I went to change the bandages it was extremely painful pulling the gauze off. I hurt to wear the lightest of shirts and sleeping was a nightmare. On the flight home by face, hands, arms and legs swelled from the burn and I thought I was going to "burst at the seems". I had to seek emergency treatment from a dermatologist who said I have permantly damaged my skin and now I will always burn when I go in the sun. My arms are covered in freckles now (which isn't bad but it shows the sun damage) and I was never is such pain as I was when I got home from my trip. Thank goodness it happened on the last day I was in FL or my whole trip would have been ruined.

Please use sunscreen no matter how dark your skin is! Also by a hat to protect your ears and scalp from the sun. I also got burned on my ears and scalp and imagine how attractive it looked when those areas started peeling!

A great sunblock I found this year is called "BullFrog" (No, I don't work for the company) I used it this year and didn't burn once! It can be found at ULTA beauty stores and can also be found online. It's great! Whatever brand you use just make sure its atleast 30SPF and reapply it often.

Don't make the same mistake I did!

 

[Mish]

I sent my daughter in June to visit my sister in Florida. My DD (16) decided she didnt need need sunscreen and when she got home had a nasty infection on her chest from a sun burn. I told her when we go in November she was wearing it no matter what. Michelle

 

[WorknFires]

Yes, wear sunscreen. I live in the south. I am used to the sun here, I have olive skin and I don't burn. However as the person from NY warned you, having olive skin doesn't protect you from sunlight that you are unaccustomed to. (I had a slight burn from Castaway Cay in the Bahamas from not wearing sunscreen) It's different. I promise. Just as 100 degree weather at home will not be like the 95-100 degree weather you'll find here! Humidity changes everything. Don't take a chance with damaging your daughter's skin or ruining what will be a great vacation for your family.

Cheryl

 

[CindyAnn]

I read an article that said the darkest skin only provides a sun protection equivalent of SPF 8. We're all pretty fair, so sunscreen is a must for our family, but that information really surprised me. We all use a block of at least SPF 30.

 

[Barbruka]

Thanks everyone for the info! I guess my sons will be wearing sunscreen for sure, even though thy don't wear it here and don't burn. Better safe than sorry! I know I will sure be wearing it as I don't share their olive skin they inherited from their Dad.

 

[KProuty]

Please, please, PLEASE, read this study! (As a matter of fact, it would be great if the DIS put it in a special notice in every forum, it could save a life!)

People with red hair and freckles are at the most risk for skin cancer, and there are usually two genes that control this. HOWEVER, if you have only one of the genes, you won't have light skin and red hair, but YOU WILL STILL BE PREDISPOSED TOWARDS GETTING CANCER! At least in the states, god only knows what half of our ancestors were like no matter how dark your skin is now!

"Recent research shows that complex factors, such as skin type, genes, and melanin distribution -- may be as important in determining skin cancer risk as race and skin color are.

"Genetics are also critical in skin cancer risk. People with red hair, fair skin, and freckles have the highest risk for sun-induced skin cancer. They generally have two variations of the "red-hair" gene, MC1R. However, Australian research shows that people with just one variation also have an increased risk for skin cancer, even if their hair and skin color are dark. "People with only one variant copy of MC1R are at risk because they believe they can tan better than they actually do tan," says lead researcher Richard A. Sturm, PhD, a molecular biologist at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. "

Furthermore, they have found that no matter what, even if you have dark skin, after getting burned, the ability for melanin to repair damage is diminished.

http://www.skincancer.org/news/010605-sunalert.html

Please, please, please. Always put sunblock on your kids!

Katherine

 

[Tracy M]

I don't think anyone's safe from skin cancer in this day & age. It's rapidly on the rise. Always use protection! Especially with children.

 

[pajamommy]

My dd has the red hair/blue eyes combo, and let me tell you, we go through GALLONS of sunscreen a year!! And even though I slather her with it every day, sometimes she still gets a burn, unfortunately. Use the sunscreen!!!!

 

[Mary Ellen]

I saw an Oprah show once where she was STUNNED to learn that she should wear sunscreen.

 

[aec]

Several of my african american friends say they get burned by the tropical sun. And one of them is very dark skinned. I would never have guessed.

 

[candykisses]

Everyone should wear sunscreen. All skin can burn, why ruin your vacation and your skin. I tan easily and was quite dark when I vacationed in the Carribbean. I didn't wear sunscreen which was the first mistake and wore a new bathing suit--second mistake. I got sun poisoning and was very miserable for the rest of the trip.

 

[Taddy]

My Fiance is Fillipino, so in a sense he never wears sunscreen as he tans very easily, but when we were at WDW in '99, he got burnt, not very badly, but enough that he wore sunscreen the rest of the trip!

Put it on them.....

 

[mikesmom]

Use the sunscreen! You have no idea how much hotter the sun is in Florida than Wisconsin! It's even hotter than here in Oklahoma and we're used to heat! I learned my lesson 9 years ago - DS and I went to Cocoa Beach while we were in Florida. I put sunscreen on him but not often enough - it was his first time in the ocean and he wouldn't come in for sunscreen more than once an hour. I wasn't too worried as we are from a warm climate and even though he's blond, DS had never burned. What a mistake! He burned, he blistered, we had to skip our last day at WDW, they had to sedate him so I could ge him home on the plane - the pediatrician had to treat him for burns. His summer was ruined and will be at risk for skin cancer for the rest of his life.

Take it from a mother who STILL feels guilty. Use the sunblock and use it often!

 

[tink2dw]

SUNBLOK
EVERYDAY
OF
YOUR
LIFE
BECAUSE
UVB/UVA RAYS
ARE
PRESENT
RAIN OR
CLOUDY OR
SUN SHINEY
STILL
CANSER
LURKS
WAITING
FOR THE
UNWARY
FOOL!!!

 

[paras4ri]

A thousand times....YES!!! My kids have darker skin that I do and tan easily but they still wear sunscreen whenever they're in the sun. I have had basal cell cancer and that was a good warning to them....they certainly don't want stitches...and then a scar on their face like Mom has. I also know of many older ladies (now in their 60's 70's) who tanned all the time while younger...and now their faces are deeply wrinkled....and some are also dealing with skin cancer.

Sunglasses and a hat are also a must.

 

[pantherpaw]

*Everyone* should wear sunscreen whenever they will be outdoors, especially during mid-day when the sun is strongest! My friends and family call me "the sun police", but I lost my sister to melanoma (skin cancer) last year and I don't want anyone else to have to go thru what we did.