Time to abandon this outdated view on staying out of the sun

One of the things my father died of was melanoma.. spread throughout he was in the Navy during WWII - Sea Bees ... Some say what sun we take in when young will show when one gets older... in the form of wrinkled skin..it is an accumulative process..I've been burned to where I couldn't walk for almost a week..did a stupid thing..fell asleep after a few beers had to be carted off by rescue and now at my age I have noticed that my arms and legs from the sun are wrinkled..like lines along a dessert .. dried out..and I have a couple of questionable spots that are being watched by my doctor for melanoma.. plus I have smoked for 50 years..(desperately trying to figure a way to quit short of admitting myself in a hospital where I could be put to sleep for a week or so)

As you mentioned Carloz.. Moderation .. it is the key to everything in life.. a little of this and that...do not become obsessed over it.. It really doesn't matter how high the lotion is in protecting you unless it can protect you 100%.. all of it adds up over the long run..

I still believe in sunscreen, etc. I also don't jump on the bandwagon saying everyone should be taking Vitamin D pills. You could spend a little time in the sun without sunscreen and you would be able to make the vitamin D you need--it doesn't take a lot of sun, so it is not as if you have an excuse to go start baking. But people tend to not follow the sunscreen guidelines right, so even if they do stay out of the sun during the middle of the day, wear sunscreen all the time, etc, they are still making vitamin D. I guess don't be overzealous either way and don't be afraid if you find yourself outdoors and you forgot to slather the sunscreen on, but also don't burn yourself to a crisp and you should be fine.

I agree with java, I dislike direct sun but like to be outside. I do fine on vitamin D with the little bit of light that comes though the trees and brief excursions from one bit of shade to another without sunscreen.