Looks like it's only the mad dogs left...

At least if we follow the latest guidance from the Church of Public Health:

There is no safe or healthy way to get a tan from sunlight, new guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has warned.

The health watchdog's latest guidance also says an existing tan provides little protection against sun exposure.

It recommends using at least factor 15 sun cream, with adults urged to use 6-8 teaspoons (35ml) per application.

Benefits from building up vitamin D from the sun have to be balanced with the risks of skin cancer, it adds.

You remember all those years ago when the merest glimpse of watery sunshine resulted in us stripping layers of clothing off to bask in its glory? When your mum, spotting the opportunity to get some peace and quiet threw you out into the garden with as few clothes on as possible (and sun cream - what is sun cream)? Those days are gone, the midday sun is left solely to the mad dogs.

What absolute frothing lunacy is this - rickets is on the increase and over 90% people with skin cancers survive but the Chief Medical Officer, NICE and the assorted fussbuckets prefer to scare us about cancer while not giving a damn about kids getting deformities from being kept in a dark room in case a ray of sunshine should accidentally splash onto an unprotected portion of skin.

The guidance goes into contortions that are more reminiscent of the hokey-cokey to describe how we can expose skin to build up Vitamin D with first one arm, then another exposed for a 'short period' to the evil rays or the dreaded sun.

It does seem that it's not the dogs that are mad but the entirety of the public health profession.

.....

The lunacy that is Australia...

****

It's a joke surely? A silly joke...

The state government is preparing to ban solariums and the private sale of sunbeds.

Government and opposition MPs supported a motion in Parliament for the bans, introduced by Greens MP Colleen Hartland in the upper house on Wednesday night.

This is Australia right? Where it's sunny all the time? So first, why are Aussies using sunbeds? And second isn't the burning hot sun more of a problem for the skin cancer?

You see those 447 sunbeds in the State of Victoria were wandering the land shooting people with their skin cancer rays.

People know the risks - they're on the label so to speak. Yet they still prefer to be brown. Their choice.

.....

Skin Cancer UK: does he who pays the piper call the tune?

***

In amongst other news, the BBC and others have reported extensively on a report from a charity - Skin Cancer UK - calling on schools to slap loads of suncream on kids the minute a watery gleam of sunshine breaks through in our English summer:

All UK schools should be required to have a comprehensive sun safety policy to protect children from skin cancer, a charity campaigner says.

A recent survey of 1,000 parents, commissioned by MPs on the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Skin, found almost 40% of pupils have suffered sunburn while at school.

Richard Clifford of Skin Cancer UK says this is "entirely unacceptable" and wants mandatory sun rules for schools.

Now this may be a good idea (I am unconvinced) but why did nobody think to checkout who funds Skin Cancer UK? The funders include:

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global BioPharma company firmly focused on its mission to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.

This firm also manufacture suncreams.  And there's Croda:

Recognised as the world leader in the provision of specialist ingredients used by most of the major suncream manufacturers to produce their sun care products.

And The Deb Group:

The Deb Group aspires to be the world's leading away from home skin care system company — the supplier of choice for companies and organisations that value employee and customer well-being. For over 65 years, they have been establishing skin care regimes for all types of workplace and public environments.

Plus Schuco:

Experts in and specialist suppliers of skin technology and equipment to the medical industry.

The list concludes with San Tropez, Sunsense and Suntogs - all manufacturers of suncare products.

I don't know about you folks but the findings of the 'research' and the reports recommendations do seem to be in the interests of these businesses.

It just might be the case of "he who pays the piper calls the tune"?

....