Practicing Sun Safety on "Don't Fry-Day" (May 23)

DamnitAll · May 22, 2014

Melanoma is something I take very seriously since my cousin passed away from it six years ago. So I'm taking this opportunity to share some information with you all, because I care.

Practicing effective melanoma prevention

Effective prevention of melanoma is two-fold: First, reduce and limit UV (ultraviolet) exposure both from natural sunlight and artificial (e.g., tanning beds) sources; Second, identify and diagnose melanoma as early as possible.

Take note: although the majority of melanomas are considered to be preventable, current research indicates that neither mucosal melanoma nor ocular melanoma are considered preventable.

Primary prevention – the first line of defense
Following and combining the guidelines below will greatly reduce your risk of developing melanoma.

Generously apply sunscreen to all exposed skin — even on cloudy days — year-round

Follow these tips:

Use a sunscreen that provides broad spectrum protection from both UVA and UVB rays and has a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30

Use approximately one ounce of sunscreen (a shot-glassful) and apply it approximately 15 minutes before sun exposure - then reapply every two hours and after swimming or sweating

Sunscreen is just one component of sun safety. Remember, just because you’re wearing sunscreen, doesn’t mean you can spend unlimited time in the sun.

Download the MRF’s handy guide: Sunscreen: What do I need to know?

Wear protective clothing
Wear a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, when possible.

Seek shade when appropriate
Remember that the sun’s rays are the strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Use extra caution near reflective environments
Water, snow and sand reflect and magnify the damaging rays of the sun, increasing your chance of sunburn.

Do not burn
Severe sunburns, especially during childhood, increase your risk of developing melanoma and other skin cancer. Just one blistering sunburn can double your chances of developing melanoma later in life.

Avoid intentional tanning and indoor tanning beds
Current research indicates there is no way to get a tan through ultraviolet exposure without increasing the risk for skin cancer. Not convinced? Read the MRF’s statement on why tanning is dangerous.

Get plenty of vitamin D
Replace vitamin D safely through a healthy diet that includes vitamin supplements if recommended by your doctor – don’t seek the sun.

Be aware of your medications
Certain prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs can increase your skin's sensitivity to sunlight.

Secondary prevention – skin checks can save your life

Secondary prevention focuses on the early detection of melanoma. This includes both monthly self skin examinations and yearly skin examinations by a dermatologist.
Research has shown that patients, not doctors, are most likely to spot a melanoma, reinforcing the importance of thoroughly checking your skin each month. Early detection could save your life. Use our Guide for Self-Screening during your monthly skin exams.

Would you like to help spread the word on monthly self-skin exams? Request the "Who is the most likely to SPOT your melanoma?" booklet from the MRF and help us spread the word!
Click to expand...

Maybe this will help boost some accountability for myself, since I know I'm not as vigilant as I should be with using sun protection while I'm out riding.

Stay sun safe, everyone!

snowy · May 22, 2014

Thanks for posting this, DamnitAll. It's a great reminder; my grandfather had early stage melanoma twice, and I don't want to have the same trouble. I'm proud to be pale, and try to keep myself as protected as possible, though my coloring means I will still get a light tan by the end of summer, even after wearing sunscreen religiously all summer long (and I do, SPF 45 every time I go outside, with regular reapplication). I'm also very vain when it comes to my skin, and the upshot of being vigilant about sunscreen use is fewer wrinkles I don't remember the last time I had a sunburn.

My regimen: SPF 45 (which I keep in multiple locations--one in my car, one in my go-bag, and a tube in my purse), a hat (I have a visor and a sun hat), and big sunglasses. I wear these bad boys:

And here's my cool sun hat:

They're a little dorktastic but I don't care.

Herculite · May 22, 2014

If you are in your 20's or 30's lets me tell you something.

LIVE IN SUNSCREEN. I got my wife who used to tan every summer doing the same at about 18 years old. At least if you are a Whitey McWhitey like I am. I did my whole life because I know I burn easy and I didn't care if I looked pale. I got comments growing up about it all the time. My lack of image consciousness saved me though. I look easily 10-15 years younger then most of my peer group because of it. I have people younger than me telling me "when you get as old as I am".

We were once at a table of strangers for an event and someone asked how long we were together. I said 21 years and everyone just went quiet and looked uncomfortable. I then said "I'm 42" and one of the women said "Oh thank god, I was going to ask if you guys met in grade school".

Borla · May 22, 2014

Thanks for the reminders. I tan easily and usually only use sun screen at the beach. But I have a long ride planned for Saturday (400-ish miles) so I'll be sure to use sun screen, then bring it with me to reapply.

snowy · May 22, 2014

Herculite said: ↑

If you are in your 20's or 30's lets me tell you something.

LIVE IN SUNSCREEN. I got my wife who used to tan every summer doing the same at about 18 years old. At least if you are a Whitey McWhitey like I am. I did my whole life because I know I burn easy and I didn't care if I looked pale. I got comments growing up about it all the time. My lack of image consciousness saved me though. I look easily 10-15 years younger then most of my peer group because of it. I have people younger than me telling me "when you get as old as I am".

We were once at a table of strangers for an event and someone asked how long we were together. I said 21 years and everyone just went quiet and looked uncomfortable. I then said "I'm 42" and one of the women said "Oh thank god, I was going to ask if you guys met in grade school".
Click to expand...

Seriously. My mom worked outside for most of her career, didn't wear sunscreen, and it shows on her face.

Charlatan · May 22, 2014

I can't wait until we find out that all this sunscreen is also causing melanoma...

Herculite · May 22, 2014

Charlatan said: ↑

I can't wait until we find out that all this sunscreen is also causing melanoma...
Click to expand...

They did a multi-year (think 20) study in Australia where they gave one town free sunscreen and compared to another town in the same area. Melenoma in the sunscreen town was cut in half if I recall correctly.

Charlatan · May 22, 2014

Make no mistake. I live on the equator. Sunscreen and I are good friends.

rogue49 · May 23, 2014

Actually, you just reminded me I need to see the skin doc.
While I'm checking on other things...I'll have them do a check on this...just to be in the know.

GeneticShift · May 23, 2014

My mom's dad died when my mom was 15 from malignant melanoma. My entire family is religious about sunscreen. I also have a wonderful mix of pale ancestors, so I attract burns on rainy days. Even going to school where it's winter 8 months of the year, I learned about sunburns from reflecting snow the hard way. I constantly have SPF 45 on my face, so that rarely gets burned. There are days I'm bad at arms, so my shoulders do occasionally get pink if I forget about it. My worst burn was in college where I was working a booth for what was basically the student activities fair. I had SPF 80 on, but since I was so busy and not paying attention, it never got reapplied. I ended up with second degree burns on my upper back where my shirt ended. I still have some scars.

DamnitAll · May 23, 2014

Fuck melanoma. I hate it so much.

Baraka_Guru · May 26, 2014

When I went to Cuba for a week, I think I came back whiter than when I left.

I used to tan as a kid, and I've had a few burns back in the day, but as an adult I avoid sun damage.

Cayvmann · May 27, 2014

I get farmer's/driver's tans mostly. I tend to stay out of direct sunlight, except for a few minutes here and there. Gotta make the vitamin D, ya know. I remember many burns as a kid, let's hope my skin forgives me. Funny, when I was young I only remember commercials for tanning products, not sunblock. We had hats and umbrellas though.

snowy · Jun 2, 2014

Keep those kids slathered in sunscreen:
5 or More Bad Sunburns While Young Tied to Higher Melanoma Risk – WebMD

FRIDAY, May 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- White women who get five or more blistering sunburns between the ages of 15 and 20 have an 80 percent increased risk for melanoma -- the most deadly form of skin cancer, new study findings indicate.
Researchers also found these women have a 68 percent greater risk for two other forms of skin cancer known as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
"Our results suggest that sun exposures in both early life and adulthood were predictive of non-melanoma skin cancers, whereas melanoma risk was predominantly associated with sun exposure in early life," according to Dr. Abrar Qureshi, professor and chair of the department of dermatology at Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.
"Parents may need to be advised to pay more attention to protection from early-life sun exposure for their kids in order to reduce the likelihood of developing melanoma as they grow up. Older individuals should also be cautious with their sun exposure, because cumulative sun exposure increases skin cancer risk as well," Qureshi said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research.

In conducting the study, published May 29 in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, the researchers followed nearly 109,000 white female nurses for about 20 years. When the study began, the women were aged 25 to 42. They were asked about their medical history. The researchers also assessed their risk factors for skin cancer, such as the number of moles they had, if they had a family history of the disease and the number of blistering sunburns they had in their late teens.
Over the course of the study, the investigators collected more recent information from the women on their skin cancer risk. Specifically, they were asked for updates on their family history as well as their use of tanning beds, alcohol and cigarettes.
The study participants lived in 14 different states. The researchers took this into account and calculated each woman's total ultraviolet (UV) light exposure, depending on how long they lived in any given place. The women were placed into three categories based on this UV exposure: low, medium and high.
Roughly one-quarter of the women experienced painful blistering sunburns at a young age and one-quarter admitted to using tanning beds. The researchers also found that about 10 percent of the women had more than five blistering sunburns when they were between the ages of 15 and 20.
Nearly 7,000 were diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma affected 880 of the women and about 780 were diagnosed with melanoma. Of the women who developed melanoma, 445 had invasive cancer, the investigators found.
The study authors pointed out that the women who had the greatest exposure to the sun's harmful UV rays when they were adults did not have an increased risk for melanoma. These women, however, had a roughly 2.3-fold greater risk for basal cell carcinoma and a 2.5-fold increased risk for squamous cell carcinoma.
"Pattern of sun exposure was not uniformly associated with the risk for all the three main skin cancers we see in the United States, suggesting that there are some differences in the [development] of these skin cancers," noted Qureshi.
"An individual's risk of developing skin cancer depends on both host and environmental risk factors. Persons with high host-risk traits, such as red hair color, higher number of moles and high sunburn susceptibility, should pay more attention to avoid excessive sun exposure, especially early in life."
Click to expand...

Log in or Sign up

Practicing Sun Safety on "Don't Fry-Day" (May 23)

DamnitAll Wait... what?

snowy so kawaii Staff Member

Herculite Very Tilted

Borla Moderator Staff Member

snowy so kawaii Staff Member

Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

Herculite Very Tilted

Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

GeneticShift Show me your everything is okay face.

DamnitAll Wait... what?

Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

Cayvmann Very Tilted

snowy so kawaii Staff Member

Log in or Sign up

Practicing Sun Safety on "Don't Fry-Day" (May 23)

DamnitAll Wait... what?

snowy so kawaii Staff Member

Herculite Very Tilted

Borla Moderator Staff Member

snowy so kawaii Staff Member

Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

Herculite Very Tilted

Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

GeneticShift Show me your everything is okay face.

DamnitAll Wait... what?

Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

Cayvmann Very Tilted

snowy so kawaii Staff Member

Useful Searches