Dermatology visit & sun exposure & proper clothing

[bobdugan]

My Dermatologist told me that since I was a sailor, I should probably make an annual appointment to visit him to check for melanoma. He also told me that that sunblock was great, but there is clothing specifically designed to help protect against skin cancer... he recommended clothing by a company called Solumbra http://www.sunprecautions.com/.

Wearing lightweight, cool, sunblocking clothing instead of lots of sticky gooey sunblock that I always forget to put on makes a lot of sense to me.

What do other folks do?

[Paul Grecay]

I go every six months...been on boats and in the sun for way too long. The long term sun damage is catching up with me so that is why I go twice a year. I will certainly spend some monay on sunblock clothing...I have heard good things about it. Normally I sail in cotton long sleave shirt, big hat...block on the face and neck...but all those years on the water since the sixties are taking a toll. I only recently learned that on my mother's side, I am of Irish extraction....had I known that earlier, I would have been much more careful!

[Paul Grecay]

And thank you for the tip on the sun block clothing! I will certainly be visiting that link you supplied!

[Russell]

I have been going for yearly melanoma checks for the last 5 years. I dont do the sunblock clothing though, I do wear a brimed hat though when out in the sun all day (spots on the tops of my ears is what caused me to start getting checks).

[Jdpmus]

I too see a dermatologist twice a year. He specifically requires it of his skin cancer patients.

I've had two melanomas removed from my face and upper arm and two large ones cut out of my back. His opinion is that a lot of these start when you are in your teens and out in the sun (I'm 66) and show up later in life. Fair skin people like me should take extra precaution.

A family member recommended clothing by Coolibar. They have an extensive line of shirts, hats, pants, and other items to block out the sun. They rate most of their products as SPF 50. They're stuff is pricey ($30 for a t-shirt) but it holds up well and seems to do the job. I also found t-shirts made by Adidas at Costco for about half the price of Coolibar that are rated at SPF 50.

My layman's opinion is to get the clothes you are comfortable with and cover all the problem places, add a Tilley hat (SPF30 or so) and dope up with a "sport" sunscreen like Coppertone or Banana Boat that is rated at SPF 50. And, as the earlier post says, don't forget to re-apply when you are out on the water for an extended period of time.

Trust me. Having a surgeon remove quarter-size cancerous blobs from your body is a PITA.

[Jeff and Sarah]

Clothing is rated in UPF, not SPF. If you see clothes marketed with SPF steer clear as they are not using the recognized standard. Also, I've heard some people say they think SPF clothes allow for tanning through the cloth as opposed to normal clothes that naturally block all UV rays. That is completely false- cotton clothes block very little UV light. My brother always gives me a hard time for wearing long sleeve shirts in the sun... I've never thought much of his opinion!

[RIKanaka]

LL Bean, REI and other outdoor-oriented stores all carry assorted "sunshirts", some very nice with pockets to carry extra gear. I wear a pretty basic and kind of fugly yellow paddling shirt made by Xcel that I picked up a few years back in Hawaii at a kayak rental shop. I think it's SPF 50 (something like this one). I also wear a wide brim hat and should be wearing sunblock on my face to block reflected UV.

[Duncan]

A point worth mentioning is to watch out on your neck, under your chin.
A friend got a nasty one there, from sun reflecting off the water.

[mmckay]

Go twice a year and see a very thorough dermatologist. Cover up as much as you can stand. Had two areas of skin cancer removed and I am only 52 !. Avoid the mid day hours in the sun as much as you can.

Skin cancer can hit almost anywhere ... One of mine was inside the elbow fold of my upper and forearm ... Who would think that ?.

[ronkberg]

I have been wearing LL Bean shirts for some years now and wonder if the material loses it's UPF blocking ability over time and washing? I wear the shirts and apply sun screen in the 50-70 range but have not found any products that do not sting my eyes when I sweat. Drives me nuts and makes me very uncomfortable as I sail on with my eyes closed! Any suggestions for facial sun screen?

I also have a product from "Sun Guard" (https://sunguardsunprotection.com/) that claims "Add one inexpensive package of SunGuard to a load of laundry, and you wash a skin-saving Ultraviolet Protection Factor of UPF 30 into every garment — and protect against damaging rays for up to 20 washings."

These are preventatives but the doctor visits should also be continued.

Happy 4th of July to all and stay safe.

Ron