S/O Sunblock and still getting dark...

[kayte]

DD is one quarter Indian (India, not American). She wears sunblock (physical not chemical, CB spf 30) everyday. Even so, just a few minutes in the sun and she has a tan line that matches whatever she is wearing.

My husband gets darker just thinking about going outside. We experimented with him once--tied a ribbon on his arm and he went outside for 5 minutes. Sure enough, back inside we untied the ribbon and he was darker around it.

A few posters in the sunblock thread mentioned that using whatever sunblock they didn't get burned but still got tan. In my daughter's case---is this a bad thing? The other posters worried it was insufficient protection. She is still half Scandinavian so I worry about skin damage and cancer, especially considering a recent article I saw about African American's getting skin cancer in rising numbers.

[Joolsplus2]

I read that people with darker skin are at higher risk of cancer mainly because they may not be making/eating enough vitamin D (particularly those in northern/darker climates). If her skin is naturally dark, I wouldn't worry. Tan is a sign of damage, but it's way worse to burn, or for a person with light skin to be tan, I think. One of my best friend's kids was half italian and would tan no matter what, I still think she was at less risk of skin cancer than my pale freckled kids, even though they were all slathered with sunscreen :)

[lizajane]

i tan no matter what i wear. i am a teeny bit native american. my kids are the same way (as is my mom.) when i took my toddlers to the ped totally tan and promised that they ALWAYS wore sunscreen and i reapplied, the ped said, "as long as they don't burn." clearly, roasting in the sun all day every day is not going to be good, even if they don't burn. but she meant that taking them out for a few hours a day and using safe practices was definitely acceptable.

i also expect that some of the darker skinned people who are getting skin cancer may have NOT used sunscreen as much as those of us with lighter skin because their dark skin did not technically burn and they thought they were safe. but the fact is that people of all skin types need sunscreen, or shade, shirts, hats, etc. it may also be harder to spot suspicious moles before it is too late on darker skin as they do not stand out like they do on lighter skin.

so... in short... use sunscreen, hats, shade, but enjoy the outdoors and get fresh air, too.

[hellokitty]

DH and I are Asian American, and it doesn't matter what type of sunscreen we use, we tan (although my DH DOES burn, b/c he is lazy about sunscreen). As long as we don't burn, I'm ok with it. I'm one of those ppl who tans in less than 15 min, whether I wear sunscreen or not. I've only burned maybe twice in my life when I was a kid and not diligent about sunscreen. Even with SPF on, we usually try to wear sunhats too. My kids have never gotten sunburn before.

As for skin cancers, African Americans and Asians are *supposed* to have a lower rate of skin cancer. HOWEVER, as someone else already pointed out, it also depends on how diligent they've been about wearing sunscreen. I had a cousin who died in her early 20's from a very rare skin cancer, non-related to sun exposure, but to be quite honest, I also do not think she ever used any sunscreen during her lifetime either.

[mamicka]

I tan no matter what - DS2 does too. We all wear the same sunscreen at the same times & are outdoors together.

[AngelaS]

My girls are 1/4 Japanese and they turn very brown--with or without sunscreen.

[Globetrotter]

I have light brown skin, and I (and my kids) also tan the minute we go outside, regardless of sunscreen application.

However, I think I tan less than I did when I was a kid and didn't wear sunscreen! Back in junior high, one summer my best friend from school walked right me. She didn't recognize me because I was a completely different dark brown color!! I also used to get white splotches on my skin. DD got a couple this year after a day or two without sunscreen, when I forgot (back in the spring on unusually sunny days). I've only gotten burned once, on the nose, during a one day cruise. I don't even remember using sunscreen until much later in life, maybe grad school??

A lot of darker skinned people don't wear sunscreen because they don't burn, and people in hotter climates have adapted to withstand sun damage, relatively speaking. Now we know that everyone needs protection to be as safe as possible, even on cloudy days.

I wouldn't worry, as long as you are using sunscreen properly.

[BabyMine]

I am so glad you wrote about this. I was wondering the same thing. DS1 tans like no ones business. I worried about it all the time. Then I worried when I saw 2 freckles. I was smoothering in sunscreen but it never mattered.

[Pennylane]

I wrote this same question last summer!

I apply 50+ on my children and 2 out of 3 of them still tan. Not burn, just turn brown.

Ann

[ahrimie]

Ohhh.... hmm, I thought changing brands would help. Maybe not. But I think I'll still try something different. [I've been using Mustela.]

[s7714]

My younger DD has my DH's Italian skin coloring. She gets golden brown even with tons of sunscreen on. My older DD has my coloring which is pasty white and we burn in a millisecond. Even if I put the same amount of sunscreen on all of us (enough to keep my older DD and me from burning), my younger DD will still end up with a tan line every time.

[tnrnchick74]

I asked my ped about this as DS does the same thing. It's just your coloring! IF you tan easily there isn't a lot to do about it besides stay inside. As long as you are wearing sunscreen, taking reasonable precautions to prevent burns, and wear hats, etc then don't worry too much about it!

I'm not one who tans easily - I usually burn before tanning, so my ped recommended that I use the same sunscreen as the kiddos and if I'm burning then its obviously not working...if I tan (or less) then we are as safe as you can be outside in fl durring the summer!