As summer comes

[Robster59]

With the hot weather we are having I just thought I'd post to enhance the importance of good sun protection.
Now in my late sixties, I come from a time when people would use oil to tan and the highest factor I could get was 15.
My skin does not tan and never has so I have to be careful.
Nevertheless, some days I missed and others I didn't apply enough.
Over the last 8 years I have a carcinoma the size of a 50p piece removed from below my right eye, and had two treatments for Actinic Keratoses (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/actinic-keratoses/).
Not fun treatment as it lasts for 4 weeks. This is daily treatment with a cream called Efudix which kills off the pre-cancerous cells, becomes incredibly itchy and by weeks 3 & 4, your face is the colour of a baboons backside. After 4 weeks most of the dead cells fall off and you are left with fresh skin with needs extra protection.
I now put on Factor 50+ sun screen every day, even when it's cloudy, and wear wide brimmed hats whenever I go out.
I'm sharing this so that maybe I can make people more aware of the dangers of over exposing to the sun.
- Always put sun screen on in weather like this. Your skin is getting damaged even when you think it isn't.
- Never underestimate the power of the sun, even when cloudy.
- If you see anything on your skin, get it checked. Mine looked like a skin tag the size of a pin head.
- Prevention is far better than any of the cures.

 

[irip]

Thanks for being brave and posting mate, must of taken great strength.

We are all here if you ever need to talk or type.

All the best for the future

 

[Tashyboy]

This thread is up there with dementia, prostate and other medical issues

Take a bow Robster

 

[Oops!]

Just an alternative for those who don‘t love the feel of creams, lotions or other sunscreen products :
I bought myself a broad-brimmed hat and 2 long-sleeved polo shirts with SPF 50.
May be it looks a little bit odd, but works just fine for me without any creams, lotions etc.!

 

[Hobbit]

I fully endorse @Robster59 post above, we hear and know of a lot issues here in Spain for us Northern Europeans. I would also add that eye care is very important too. Cataracts are too common over here, and again it’s the blue eyed Northern Europeans that suffer.

Something to be aware of in the evenings & winter time is when the sun it a little lower in the sky, it catches the eyes easier.

 

[Bazz]

Social media is being littered with people claiming that it's not the sun that causes cancer but the sun creams. So dangerous, we're a factor 50+ family, and i make sure I have a bottle in the bag too.

 

[Robster59]

Social media is being littered with people claiming that it's not the sun that causes cancer but the sun creams. So dangerous, we're a factor 50+ family, and i make sure I have a bottle in the bag too.

It's frightening what people post and others believe on social media. People don't believe the specialists but believe uninformed people they've never heard of.

 

[Bazz]

It's frightening what people post and others believe on social media. People don't believe the specialists but believe uninformed people they've never heard of.

I see some of the comments on Instagram and they have 200+ likes. So that's at least another 200 morons.

 

[Orikoru]

It's frightening what people post and others believe on social media. People don't believe the specialists but believe uninformed people they've never heard of.

Social media is designed for people to create their own echo chambers now, telling them exactly what they want to hear all of the time. Then when that's all they hear they think it's the truth.

I am ginger with freckles so 'tanning' has never been a thing for me. You could say I'm lucky in a way, because that means I'm basically forced to put factor 50 on otherwise I simply burn. I've never thought tanned skin looks good either, I don't know why some people like it. Even putting fake tan on to look like they've been left out in the sun like a gone-off piece of meat.

 

[irip]

Social media is designed for people to create their own echo chambers now, telling them exactly what they want to hear all of the time. Then when that's all they hear they think it's the truth.

I am ginger with freckles so 'tanning' has never been a thing for me. You could say I'm lucky in a way, because that means I'm basically forced to put factor 50 on otherwise I simply burn. I've never thought tanned skin looks good either, I don't know why some people like it. Even putting fake tan on to look like they've been left out in the sun like a gone-off piece of meat.

I was agreeing with you until you said Gingers were lucky, that’s a spin Phil would be proud of.
I like to think of you as African Sunset mate.

I remember when the kids were little every summer the struggle of trying to lather them in sunscreen only to see them jump in the pool or sea 30 seconds later.
I think I went about 15 years thinking that sausage rolls all tasted like Sunscreen

 

[Orikoru]

I was agreeing with you until you said Gingers were lucky, that’s a spin Phil would be proud of.
I like to think of you as African Sunset mate.

I remember when the kids were little every summer the struggle of trying to lather them in sunscreen only to see them jump in the pool or sea 30 seconds later.
I think I went about 15 years thinking that sausage rolls all tasted like Sunscreen

I'll tell you what - for all the micky-taking endured in my youth, I'm now nearly 40 and still have a full head of hair with not a single grey. Not a bad exchange in the end.
Yeah, the worst sunburn I ever got was in Egypt - had full sunblock on but we got in the pool and were playing some kind of water polo (with baskets/hoops instead of goals). Dipping in and out of the water without realising, and my shoulders got burned to a crisp, it was about 38 degrees. That was last day before flying home too so sitting on the plane back was agony, so was wearing a shirt when I went back to work! Nowadays I wear a thin t-shirt if I go in the pool on holiday. I make sure my daughter has long-sleeve swimming costumes too.

 

[irip]

I'll tell you what - for all the micky-taking endured in my youth, I'm now nearly 40 and still have a full head of hair with not a single grey. Not a bad exchange in the end.
Yeah, the worst sunburn I ever got was in Egypt - had full sunblock on but we got in the pool and were playing some kind of water polo (with baskets/hoops instead of goals). Dipping in and out of the water without realising, and my shoulders got burned to a crisp, it was about 38 degrees. That was last day before flying home too so sitting on the plane back was agony, so was wearing a shirt when I went back to work! Nowadays I wear a thin t-shirt if I go in the pool on holiday. I make sure my daughter has long-sleeve swimming costumes too.

We do joke about it but how many people still get burnt even with just a bit of sun and going about our daily lives.
Good on you for keeping your daughter covered as much as possible.

 

[Red devil]

I fully endorse @Robster59 post above, we hear and know of a lot issues here in Spain for us Northern Europeans. I would also add that eye care is very important too. Cataracts are too common over here, and again it’s the blue eyed Northern Europeans that suffer.

Something to be aware of in the evenings & winter time is when the sun it a little lower in the sky, it catches the eyes easier.

Shades for me all the time when the sun's out. Was told by my optician that the older I get the more I need to protect my peepers from UV light