G'day, from a fellow Aussie. We have the highest skin cancer rate in the world, on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Why? Caucasian skin, extreme UV radiation, middle-class demographics, with enough money to get out and enjoy the outdoors on the weekend.
In Australia (particularly, because we are under the ozone hole) it is important to protect our English skin. We are just not built for these conditions. There is a reason Aborigines have a dark complexion. :)
I will also say, I am more a fan of appropriate clothing to prevent sun damage, than topical sunscreen applications, which may itself be harmful, but that is a heated debate for another time. :)
Also, you mentioned Aloe Vera, great for sunburns. Have you ever tried extra virgin coconut oil? This stuff works wonders for a sunburn as well!
:)
Trust me @darknet I am wary of sunscreen too. I hear you. I feel in a bit of a tricky place with young twin daughters, but I don't always feel comfortable lathering their skin with sunscreen. Porous skin, chemicals.... I appreciate the heated debate factor with this one! I too prefer the appropriate clothing approach. I remember as a kid, Mum made me wear a t-shirt in the water. I used to hate it, because it was cold.
I have actually never worn sunscreen in my entire adult life, I used to surf literally ~8hrs a day, and would come home roasted. My mother has been getting small melanomas removed from her nose over the past few years (she is 75), she used to spend all day at the beach back in the 60s. We really need to be careful here in Oz, and I will probably pay the price in the future.
Yes, tough decisions re your children. I too would opt for the clothing on the kids. Would prefer not having my kids soak up all those crazy chemicals in sunscreen. Here is a shortlist of common chemicals found in sunscreen, which may help others in making the decision to 'slip slop slap' or to 'slip + slap' only. :)
Bi-annual skin cancer checkup should become standard procedure for anyone over 30, especially in Australia. Also, the check-ups are free (some of them).
Thanks for that list. Oh I just re-read your comment and saw the part about extra virgin coconut oil. Someone got me on to this a few years ago. It is amazing!!!! Really bad sunburn, the sort of burn that I thought for sure was going to peel, disappeared to a gentle tan overnight. Yes more people need to know about Coconut oil and sunburn! Thanks for reminding me @darknet
That is my experience using it as well, magic stuff. Needs to be the extra virgin variety though. :)