Skin Cancer from Long-Term Sun Exposure

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by lolarose

you aere reminding me of those britons around me. 20,21 centigrade and it is SKORCHING for them. i saw some, even in march they alredy looking like cooked lobsters...in england. ahaaaaaaaa

Yeah... us Brits do tend to stand out from the crowd...

[lolarose]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Yeah... us Brits do tend to stand out from the crowd...

good man. i like to se this. not like some others when they are going on the beach they are bringing tent with them like gadafi.

i know that you have to be careful and that some people are mor prone to get (skin) cancer, but those people would get skin cancer even if they switch 100 w light bulb in their living room.

[DeepFrz]

I seldom used sunblock and no issues yet.

The operative word above is "YET". Good luck.

i know that you have to be careful and that some people are mor prone to get (skin) cancer, but those people would get skin cancer even if they switch 100 w light bulb in their living room.

Is that an informed quote or just a smart @ss remark? If an informed quote what is your source?

I have had one tumor removed from my nose (luckily no skin graft, surgery and topical medication) and my brother has to now see a skin specialist. His has suddenly grown to the point where he will likely need a skin graft.

I have also had numerous lesions frozen from my face, hand and knee.

A quote from wikipedia:

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer. Melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers combined are more common than lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer.[1]

[mikereed100]

Originally Posted by lolarose

...and this is my sun cancer protection, last summer. (54 years "old")

The only part of you getting "sun cancer" protection in that photo is your tallywhacker. The brown stuff covering the rest of you is your body's best attempt at limiting damage that has already occurred. As someone pointed out earlier, "your body never forgets a sunburn", keeping in mind you don't have to burn for damage to occur. I did a google search and I think I found the missing photo of your face:



Although you are looking good at 54 you may look more like this at 64:



One thing to keep in mind concerning sunscreens is that SPF ratings assume you are re-applying every hour(!), point being that greasing up in the morning is not enough, as the link above(Sunscreens | aad.org) suggests, sunscreen needs to be reapplied throughout the day.

Mike

[DeepFrz]

Does Sunscreen Really Prevent Skin Cancer? | Healthland | TIME.com

Make sure your sunscreen blocks both uva and uvb rays and re-apply frequently.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by lolarose

smart ass or not smart ass, i am 55yrs old (on that picture 54) been sunbathing since i was one month old, and have spotless skin. can not wait for this sumer. take my crabber out, +35 in the shade. 45 on the deck.heheheeee

enjoy your tent and nivea cream. (and and how many suny days in winnipeg)

ignore at your peril,even black people and south american indigenous indians

are getting carcinoma from the holes in the ozone these days.........

its quick and easy to have the tumors cut out,but a bit of a bummer if they keep coming back......

[lcrider]

I lived in the high desert and I am now a live aboard....Can't say enough favorable things about make for gals. also there is a powdered sunscreen available.

[sck5]

My wife is Irish and uses neutrogena sunblock because she says others irritate her skin. It comes in spf 80 and 100 - After a season in the Caribbean she looked just like she did the day we left. That stuff really works and my wife would be the first to show it if it didnt.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by atoll

ignore at your peril,even black people and south american indigenous indians

are getting carcinoma from the holes in the ozone these days.........

its quick and easy to have the tumors cut out,but a bit of a bummer if they keep coming back......

Simple... scrape it raw.. apply Tumeric powder... cover with Band Aid and dampen..
repeat daily for 1 week... should be gone..
Don't worry about the burning sensation 1st coupla days.. thats the bad guys dying.. lol
PS; side effects may include rapid spread of tumor and death... depends on ones system...

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by atoll

its quick and easy to have the tumors cut out...

If you catch them in time. Ignore them at your peril.

A dear friend of my mother's died rather suddenly a few months back. Turned out that she had a stage 4 melanoma that she was completely unaware of. She had seen the nasty, splotchy, ever-growing mole on her back, but didn't think it was anything more than an "old age spot" and so ignored it.

Then her overall health suddenly took a turn for the worse. The doctors ran a battery of tests, including a biopsy on the mole. That's when they discovered that it was actually a serious melanoma that had spread throughout a large portion of her body. She died about two weeks later. There was nothing the doctors could do but to try to ease her pain in her last few days.

Those who choose to ignore the damaging effects of the sun are simply playing a very long, slow game of Russian roulette.

[Piglet]

Originally Posted by lolarose

wrinkles, clad ladies, old saddle bag.ahahahaha, i like that. what about fatty greasy pale skin you can see broken capillaries all the blue veins on the legs, on the arms, on the chest, on the breasts, looks like dead person.when i see it, make me womith. look like they have some skin deseise.

this reminds me of Aesop fable "the fox and the grapes"

I'm pretty new here....is it acceptable to call someone a jackass here?

TIAF.

[mikereed100]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Simple... scrape it raw.. apply Tumeric powder... cover with Band Aid and dampen..
repeat daily for 1 week... should be gone..
Don't worry about the burning sensation 1st coupla days.. thats the bad guys dying.. lol
PS; side effects may include rapid spread of tumor and death... depends on ones system...

Not saying it doesn't work, and wouldn't it be great if it did, but if you want to use a topical you are better off going to a dermatologist and getting a proven remedy like Imiquimod or 5-fluorouracil. Basal cell carcinomas don't normally metastasize but they can spread so it's best to get rid of them early on. They do occasionally resolve on their own and I think this is how kitchen remedies get started. When I was traveling in Southern Africa folks swore by the fruit of the sausage tree. Again, maybe it works, but if you live in a country that provides access to health care it is best to do it right. If you live in the US you may have to resort to your spice cabinet.

Mike

[boatman61]

Although among Western researchers curcumin has only recently been studied in humans, it has been widely studied in animals for its protective effect on the liver, anti-tumor action, anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to fight infections. In contrast, in Ayurvedic medicine turmeric has been studied and used as a medicinal agent for thousands of years. A teaspoon of turmeric poweder in a cup of warm milk used three times daily has long been considered an effective Ayurvedic treatment for colds and influenza.
Because of its ability to induce bile flow, curcumin helps break down fats and increases the production of stomach acids. For this reason, turmeric should not be used in people diagnosed with gallstones or obstruction of the bile passages unless prescribed by a qualified practitioner.


Read more at Suite101: Turmeric: Anti-inflammatory and Other Medicinal Properties of Turmeric | Suite101.com Turmeric: Anti-inflammatory and Other Medicinal Properties of Turmeric | Suite101.com


There's only one person gonna experiment with my body.... ME...

[hogfighter]

I just had a small carcinoma thingie removed from my shoulder. I was surprised to learn from the doctor and reading studies that sunscreen isn't as protective against skin cancer as I thought, and actually might give a false sense of security and lead one to spend more time in the sun than they would otherwise. Covering up is much more effective.

[Bill_E]

I haven't read all of the literature on sun exposure and cancer but the little that I've read indicates pretty strongly that it is the burns and serious overexposures that are a big problem. Some tanning might be OK.

I think it's also worth noting that this is a statistical discussion. There are so many contributing factors that one can't say that x or y is the cause. And genetics is certainly a major contributing factor.

I also wonder how much of the urban legend is hype by the cosmetics companies and even the dermatologists. (Maybe subconscious) Note that the chemical composition and claims about sunscreens keep changing. And, the FDA has issued new labeling standards that we should see in effect this summer.

I've never understood how they make claims of SPF 50. SPF 50 means that you'll get as much sun exposure on your skin in 50 hours as you would have gotten in one hour without the sunscreen. How do you measure something like that? It isn't a linear phenomenon so just adding 50 times more active ingredient doesn't get you 50 times less sun exposure. Anyway, the new FDA rules will only allow ratings as high as 50, no higher.

And then we get to the question of UVA and UVB. If I understand it, most sunscreens are rated for UVB exposure but it is the UVA part of the spectrum that is implicated in serious skin damage and cancer. So, under the new rules the manufacturers will have to take that into consideration in their ratings and claims.

Having made all of those comments I'll say that I usually cover up and use some sunscreen but I'm also usually a little tan. And, I go see the dermatologist once a year. I grew up at a time and place where we got lots of sun and lots of bad burns.

On a related topic: (maybe this needs its own thread) Does anyone have a good technique for removing those ugly looking brown stains that come about when you get sunscreen on your clothes and then wash them? I've got some clothes that I just don't want to wear when I'm using heavy sunscreen.