Sunscreen and kids

[Ember]

Shouldn't' the below statistic be the other way around if sunscreen were the answer? More people use sunscreen today than before, but the number of cases kept rising?

Our UV index is much higher than before, due in large part to pollution. It also has a lot to do with diagnosis. Testing moles and identifying cancer early is still a relatively new phenomenon.

Edit: There's a good article by the WHO on UV indexes here: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/who271/en/ . While there aren't a lot of accessible "bite size" articles on the effects of pollution on the UV index if you type "pollution and increased UV index" into Google and then look specifically at "Scholarly articles" there is quite a bit available, though these aren't the publications I've reviewed.

 

[2binak]

Shouldn't' the below statistic be the other way around if sunscreen were the answer? More people use sunscreen today than before, but the number of cases kept rising?

Sunscreen may be increasing the risk. Here are links to a couple of pages on the website of the EWG. I've quoted small parts of the pages. You can read the pages for full content.

http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/full-report/

EWG’s fourth annual Sunscreen Guide gives low marks to the current crop of sunscreen products, with a few notable exceptions. EWG researchers recommend only 39 – 8 percent – of 500 beach and sport sunscreens for this season.

The reason? A surge in exaggerated SPF claims above 50 and new disclosures about potentially hazardous ingredients, in particular recently developed government data linking the common sunscreen ingredient vitamin A to accelerated development of skin tumors and lesions.

http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/9-surprising-facts-about-sunscreen/

2. There’s some evidence that sunscreens might increase the risk of the deadliest form of skin cancer for some people. 5. The common sunscreen ingredient vitamin A may speed the development of cancer.

 

[NotUrsula]

Everyone here at the lake uses it - consistently.. And even though they do, the sun was so strong this past weekend my adult DD got a nasty, nasty sunburn - using SPF 60.. DGD and her dad got a bit of a burn too (using the same) and of course now I'm concerned.. They reapplied it frequently - had applied it 15 minutes to a half-hour before they went outside - and burned anyhow..

That wasn't sunscreen that was left over from last year, by any chance?
One thing that I recently discovered the hard way is that when sunscreen is a year old it is practically useless, as the effectiveness drops by about 60% when it is that old. Also, if it is stored in hot conditions (like in a boat off-season) it will go bad even faster than that.

 

[C.Ann]

That wasn't sunscreen that was left over from last year, by any chance?
One thing that I recently discovered the hard way is that when sunscreen is a year old it is practically useless, as the effectiveness drops by about 60% when it is that old. Also, if it is stored in hot conditions (like in a boat off-season) it will go bad even faster than that.

Hmmm.. Good point! I'll have to ask her.. Even I didn't know that it loses effectiveness from year to year - and under the circumstances you described.. I'll be sure to pass that info on to her..

Thanks!

 

[sunlver]

OP, this is one of those issues you'll have to trust yourself on. The short answer is, yes, even those who tan can get skin cancer as can dark skinned people. However, moles and other warning signs aren't as noticeable on darker skin which is why Asian American and African American melanoma patients have a greater tendency than Caucasians to present with advanced disease at time of diagnosis. To be fair, the risk is much higher for light skinned people, but tanning or dark skin is not an immunity by any stretch of the imagination.

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world and incidences of it are on the increase. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. (The statistics include the fact that those born in the 1990's have a three times higher lifetime risk than those born in the 1960's.) There's also a misconception that skin cancer is easily treated by removing a mole or some such, so not really anything to be worried about. While if caught early the common types of skin cancer are highly treatable it is still a serious and potentially fatal disease. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer. An estimated 700,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the US, resulting in approximately 2,500 deaths.

If all that isn't enough to wear sunscreen, how about the idea that 90 percent of the visible changes commonly attributed to aging are caused by the sun. A bottle of anti-aging cream will do nothing but moisturize damaged skin. A bottle of sunscreen will prevent many of the signs of aging from happening.

All that said, the risks associated with the sun are still a mystery to many people. And the idea that the sun can be harmful is still a hard concept for many people to wrap their minds around. Add to that the fact that sunscreen is a bother to apply and you have to pay for it, and it's not hard to see why it's easier to do without.

The only thing I would contest in your statement is the idea that "most of our skin damage occurs when we are children." This isn't actually true. Contrary to popular belief, 80 percent of a person's lifetime sun exposure is not acquired before age 18; only about 23 percent of lifetime exposure occurs by age 18.

Here's a little graph from the Skin Cancer Foundation:

Lifetime UV Exposure in the United States
Ages Average = Accumulated Exposure*

1-18 = 22.73 percent
19-40 = 46.53 percent
41-59 = 73.7 percent
60-78 = 100 percent

*Based on a 78 year lifespan

For more information try www.skincancer.org or www.canadianskincancerfoundation.com

Thank you so much for explaining all this to me. It was very helpful. I hope others find it just as helpful

 

[PrincessV]

Do you put sunscreen on your kids when they go to the pool or beach each and everytime?

With the exception of night swimming, YES, every single time, without fail. We're Floridians and I'm happy to say my 8yo DS hasn't had a sunburn yet. But we do also get plenty of sun just going from house to car, to store, to school, etc. And I'm not allowed to send sunscreen to school with my DS, so he doesn't have any on during PE, which is outdoors down here. I could put it on him in the morning, but it would lose most of its effectiveness by PE time.

Someone asked about how people stay out all day? Personally, we don't, unless we're in shade a good amount of that time. We always use an umbrella at the beach and, in summer, avoid the pool between 12-2ish pm. For a long beach or theme park day, we reapply sunscreen every hour or two.

 

[Ember]

Sunscreen may be increasing the risk. Here are links to a couple of pages on the website of the EWG. I've quoted small parts of the pages. You can read the pages for full content.

http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/full-report/



http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/9-surprising-facts-about-sunscreen/

This site has popped up before.

This is not a science based site, with no peer reviews studies to back up the claims. The site is funded from "private foundations, individuals and select corporations." It recommends select and exclusive sunscreens while rating all others as unsafe. What do you want to bet that their funding is from those top rated sunscreen manufactures? The ones that cost a lot and are only found in specialty stores... My quick look at this company and it's history also lead to some interesting financial dealings.

*http://activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/o/113-environmental-working-group

I don't care to look further, because this is enough to show me that this is not science. If there is ever a peer reviews scientific publication, I will happily reconsider the safety of sunscreen.

 

[ReneeA]

If my kids are going to be out in the sun for long periods of time - like in the pool or park - then I'll put SPF 40 on them. They run inside and out all day long - normally outside for 10-20 minutes at a time (and my backyard is pretty shaded) and I don't put sunscreen on them.

They both tan quickly and easily, so I don't worry about horrible sunburns if they aren't in the sun for long periods of time. They also don't have the super dark tans by the end of the summer like I see on some kids, so I figure they aren't getting too much sun.

Plus being very Vit D deficient myself, I do like the idea of them getting some sun daily during our few months of sunlight here in Michigan.

 

[Elmo888]

Yes. Anytime they will be outside for an extended period of time, DDs have sunscreen. If we go out into the front yard at 4 or 5 pm for an hour, we don't (a little exposure is good for Vitamin D, and we are mostly in the shade in front of a neighbor's house).

I am trying to get both DDs in the habit of putting sunscreen on their faces daily, but I haven't been very consistent (or successful). DD10 is fair and her face burns easily. She has only had one bad burn that peeled, and it was on her scalp. (It was field day a few years ago, they are outside all stinking day, and it didn't occur to me to put it on her head in her part!)

Another angle if you need one - at DD10's field day, I was appealing to the kids to put on sunscreen to prevent premature aging! Vanity is such an easy target.

 

[SaraJayne]

OP, this is one of those issues you'll have to trust yourself on. The short answer is, yes, even those who tan can get skin cancer as can dark skinned people. However, moles and other warning signs aren't as noticeable on darker skin which is why Asian American and African American melanoma patients have a greater tendency than Caucasians to present with advanced disease at time of diagnosis. To be fair, the risk is much higher for light skinned people, but tanning or dark skin is not an immunity by any stretch of the imagination.

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world and incidences of it are on the increase.

And it's no coicidence that sunscreen use has also risen dramatically in that time. Corelation? Probably...though I have no facts to back that up.

I could easily google it I guess, but that's just my take/opinion on the use of sunscreen.

 

[2binak]

If there is ever a peer reviews scientific publication, I will happily reconsider the safety of sunscreen.

http://www.stylelist.com/2010/05/26/report-that-sunscreens-accelerate-cancer-jumps-to-conclusions-s/

Looks like a peer review will take place in Jan 2011 so there should be more info then. As with most things, we look at both sides of the story & try to find a good middle ground. That's why we use sunscreen, but limit the use of it.

 

[Ember]

And it's no coicidence that sunscreen use has also risen dramatically in that time. Corelation? Probably...though I have no facts to back that up.

I could easily google it I guess, but that's just my take/opinion on the use of sunscreen.

If you find any reputable facts, let me know. I'd be interested to read them. Everything I've read to day indicates the contrary, although there was an interesting study done on sunscreen and the bleaching of coral in the ocean. (Although the methodology on that one was questionable and there has been nothing to follow it up.)

Really, though, this is one case where it is individual preference. Another person's non use of sunscreen doesn't have the slightest affect on me, in the same way my daily use of it doesn't affect others.

 

[Elmo888]

And it's no coicidence that sunscreen use has also risen dramatically in that time. Corelation? Probably...though I have no facts to back that up.

I could easily google it I guess, but that's just my take/opinion on the use of sunscreen.

a) This is one reason that I try to stick with physical sunblocks. I just question the chemical ones a bit (not for effectiveness).

b) I don't know where I was reading, but I read something about how you are more likely to get skin cancer if you are in the sun infrequently - like if you take a beach vacation and are in the sun for a week, and you have an office job. I can't remember the exact reason. It was explaining how this is why people like cowboys, who are in the sun all day every day, don't have a high incidence of skin cancer. With our society inside more and more with computers, tvs, kids with gaming systems, etc., if this is true, it makes sense that skin cancer would be on the rise.

I will see if I can find where I read that.

Things aren't always as clear as they might seem. There can be a lot of factors that have changed in the same time period.

 

[gymboqueenkaylee]

I put sunscreen on my daughter EVERY time she's out in the sun. I even put sunscreen on this week when she was at VBS just in case they go out.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

a) This is one reason that I try to stick with physical sunblocks. I just question the chemical ones a bit (not for effectiveness).

b) I don't know where I was reading, but I read something about how you are more likely to get skin cancer if you are in the sun infrequently - like if you take a beach vacation and are in the sun for a week, and you have an office job. I can't remember the exact reason. It was explaining how this is why people like cowboys, who are in the sun all day every day, don't have a high incidence of skin cancer. With our society inside more and more with computers, tvs, kids with gaming systems, etc., if this is true, it makes sense that skin cancer would be on the rise.

I will see if I can find where I read that.

Things aren't always as clear as they might seem. There can be a lot of factors that have changed in the same time period.

Just speaking anecdotally, but I don't think that's true. My family are farmers. They spend their lives in the sun. I started counting relatives who work and piddle around with gardens and cows and do farmly kinds of things on a consistent basis and have all their lives, then started thinking it through and they've ALL gotten skin cancer. Both parents, my brother, my aunt, uncle, every cousin who does the big garden and cows thing. . .

My brother had to have a LARGE divot taken out of the top of his head 2 years ago and he spent most of his youth and adulthood before becoming disabled out in the sun.

I think it might have more to do with diagnosis and care. Poor farmers and poor cowboys don't go to the dermatologist very often.

 

[LuvLDM]

We are fair skinned & live in Az so we use sunscreen everyday.

 

[*JoGo*]

I am very fair (blonde, blue eyes), my 10yr old ds is like me, my younger son will tan... We spent 8 days in Florida 2 weeks ago... 8 days, 7 cans of sun screen. We didn't put sunscreen on the 8th day b/c we were traveling.

My oldest is very sensitive and can only use few types of sunscreen. And he always wears his rashgaurd in the pool.

At home, when they're in and out, I don't put sunscreen on them. If we're going out to the family camp where they'll be playing in the sun, I put it on us.

I'd love to read more info concerning sunscreen causing cancer...

But until it's proven, I will continue to put sunscreen on me and my kids b/c sunburns are painful. Sunburns aren't good for them either.

 

[natenapril]

And it's no coicidence that sunscreen use has also risen dramatically in that time. Corelation? Probably...though I have no facts to back that up.

I could easily google it I guess, but that's just my take/opinion on the use of sunscreen.

I never used sunscreen as an adult or a child and I recently had a large area of basil cell carcinoma removed from my face

Just speaking anecdotally, but I don't think that's true. My family are farmers. They spend their lives in the sun. I started counting relatives who work and piddle around with gardens and cows and do farmly kinds of things on a consistent basis and have all their lives, then started thinking it through and they've ALL gotten skin cancer. Both parents, my brother, my aunt, uncle, every cousin who does the big garden and cows thing. . .

My brother had to have a LARGE divot taken out of the top of his head 2 years ago and he spent most of his youth and adulthood before becoming disabled out in the sun.

I think it might have more to do with diagnosis and care. Poor farmers and poor cowboys don't go to the dermatologist very often.

This was my family. We grew up on a farm and NEVER did my parents put sunscreen on us. ANd we are light skinned, blonde hair, and blue eyes

I am very fair (blonde, blue eyes), my 10yr old ds is like me, my younger son will tan... We spent 8 days in Florida 2 weeks ago... 8 days, 7 cans of sun screen. We didn't put sunscreen on the 8th day b/c we were traveling.

My oldest is very sensitive and can only use few types of sunscreen. And he always wears his rashgaurd in the pool.

At home, when they're in and out, I don't put sunscreen on them. If we're going out to the family camp where they'll be playing in the sun, I put it on us.

I'd love to read more info concerning sunscreen causing cancer...

But until it's proven, I will continue to put sunscreen on me and my kids b/c sunburns are painful. Sunburns aren't good for them either.

At first I was concerned and considered stopping buying the neutrogena sunscreen for my kiddos but decided I will continue until I see better substantial proof I will keep on with it. I do not want them to go through what I did.
I

 

[enigmaticorange]

I have always seen sunscreen as a preventative measure against burn. Burns are what can cause such massive damage to the skin. My kids tan differently and I apply sunscreen to them differently. My older son tans very easily and is golden brown by mid June. I put sunscreen on him for long stints in the sun like a Disney day or a pool/beach day. My younger son got more of the Irish/Norwegian genes, so he needs more coverage until later in the summer. I don't see the sun as the enemy; nature is very, very smart. We need our vitamin D and before we lived inside so much for working and living, our bodies adjusted very well. Countries with lots of cloud cover tend to produce fairer skin, and nature adjusts for sunny countries. As a nurse, I think osteoporosis is a very serious issue, and drinking milk is not the solution. Not everyone is stupid or a bad parent for disagreeing with you, but I respect that you are concerned about the very damaging effects of skin cancer. (I actually have a dermatology nurse friend who runs after people at outdoor events yelling at them to put sunscreen on, so even with us nurses opinions differ!)

 

[dislaney]

Yes I put sunscreen on my children whenever they are out in the sun for an extended period of time.