Gentlemen, wear your masks and your sunscreen

Today’s public service reminder!

I’m missing the first week of decent surf in months thanks to the twenty-some-odd stitches acress my temple, and across a two-inch incision on my forehead, as they had to go deep to get out the roots of a couple of aggresive squamous cell tummors. And I get to go back Wednesday to get another very fast growing one removed from my left ear (always the left side with me…). This after a heavy session of photodynamic therapy ten days ago to treat around my lips and another section of forehead… PDT around your lips, now that’s a treat! Margaritas with salted rims are certainly out of the question.

The moral to this tale? Keep yourselves protected. From the sun of course, but also during building - which both of my doctors state was clearly an influential factor in my case. Those years of glassing in small, poorly ventilated shops? A very bad idea. Especially if you’re of Irish extraction. Geez, just wear the mask and good gloves already. I hope I’m preaching to the choir.

Anyway, life is good and I’m looking forward to surfing with my kids in May. But please do take this shit seriously and take care of yourselves.

And, as always, if anyone’s got any good tips to share, please do chime in. Diet? Lifestyle? I’m looking to stay in the game for a lot of years yet and am always welcome to suggestions!

Jeffrey, I’m in the same boat. I had my first removed when I was only 17. I had a pretty bad one removed from my left temple few months ago. Most people don’t realize how much sun damage they get while driving in their cars!! I always put on the sunblock when I’m spending much time behind the wheel. Good luck, sounds like you are doing what it takes to beat it! Most guys on here should at least see a dermatologist every year. I’ll never forget when mine told me “you’re going to buy my next Lexus.”

Sunblock is all chemicals ever wonder if the sun block is part of the problem?

go to the dermatologist every year for an exam, every year he burns (liquid O2) pre-carcinogenic keratoses off my face, occasionally cuts out some new suspicious black/brown spot off my body for a pathology scan.  

Nearly every week he has someone come into his clinic, always a new patient who waited too long to see a dermatologist, with an advanced form of melanoma.  Farmers, road construction crew, loggers, commercial fisherman, outdoor runners, surfers, folks who spent a lot of time outside.

Many of them will be dead within 6 months to a year.  All from that one spot that didn’t look right, that they waited too long to have seen, that metastized throughout their body without them ever feeling a thing.  

 Use a good sunscreen, a broad brim hat, UV clothing, and most importantly, see a derm yearly.

May save your life…

Eat plenty of Organic blueberry I heard they rock !

I’m 42 and have been going at least twice a year since I was 26. I tried to remember earlier today with my wife the last time I had even a light sunburn - maybe 15 years ago?

Sunscreens vary a lot from maker to maker and in composition - the old standby total screens like zinc oxide are pretty neutral in terms of what they can do to your skin besides protect it.

Most people where I live (in the Southwest of France) are about twenty years behind as far as skin goes - even knowing that I’ve had some major issues, a lot of our friends think its really weird that I wear long sleeves in the summer - and hats and sunglasses all year 'round.

Any excuse to go and pick blueberries is fine with me!

The Lexus line cracked me up. I might have to mention that one to my dermatologist next week.

It is true that most “mainstream” sunscreens contain mutagenic and estrogenic chems that promote cancer. Zinc/titanium dioxide (NOT nan-particle size though as that is problematic) does the trick. Also, many essential oils have some SPF value.

Once it is cancer not so sure but there are several of the essential oils that work wonders on sun damage/keratosis. I had twin, super gnarly patches on cheeks, right where i had terrible multiple burns many years ago. A woman turned my on to Burt’s Bees Carrot Day cream of all things. I had tried tons of other alt.stuff some did nothing, some seemed to make it worse. The Day Cream stuff has carrot seed essential oil in it and after a about 18 months of worry and dinking around, a few weeks of the Burt’s stuff used daily as aftershave did the trick and made it all vanish back to normal skin. That was about 14 years ago and no trouble since! Still use it though since I only shave about 3-4X/week use it less. I did just have a keratotic “knob” taken off my scalp but that was inside the hairline where I the Burt’s never goes…

I have zero affiliation w/ the company, no kick back, nada. :wink:

That is in a ton of food if it’s not good on you imagine what it does in you.

While we are at it Petro chemicals muy malo.

Sodium Floride even worse and they put that in out water cause they say it’s good for the teeth to bad they don’t bother to tell you it’s calcium Floride that is good.

lessons learned,…the days of baby oil and iodine

Aloha, Randy


Just another to make my point

Sorry but calcium fluoride is also NOT good.  Our bodies can deal w/ a tiny amount of fluoride but regardless of its sourse, when the ions separate they participate in the same reactions as iodine only much more strongly (same w/ bromine) and displace the iodine from the tissues where it is required for health.  Over time that that translates into greater risk for hypothroid, and cancers ofr thyroid, breast, and I think maybe colon (not sure on the last) and also likely PMS in women.  When you use fluoride toothpaste or mouth wash there is no way to avoid swallowing and absrobing a bit and it adds up over time.

Also fluoride likely either causes or greatly contributes to calcification of pineal gland though no one knows for sure what that means in terms of health it just can’t be beneficial 

Looks like we’ve got matching temples… although mine’s got a bit more curve to it.

So, an hour and a half on the table this morning as they removed the last of my squamous tumors from my ear. It took so long since they did the reconstructive surgery at the same time - I’ll see how I look in ten days!

Two glasses of wine are a nice complement to the painkillers. Actually a third is starting to sound good. Bordeaux does have some advantages on that subject.

But, the doc said I can be in the water in two weeks.

That and some balsa shaping and I’ll be a happy camper. Took my first “commercial” order in a long time last week for a 9’6" balsa double ender - a neat project. Needless to say, one of my friends will be glassing it. Those days are over for me. The client first contacted me two years ago, let the project settle in, and then drove up from Guethary to talk and order his board. I laughed and told him he could have spared himself the two and a half hour drive, and had Balsa make him a nice one, but he was stoked.

 

there are numerous  disscusions on the net on commercial sunscreens some with very toxic effects not only to the person but can you imagine how much has been left behind in the ocean and sand toxic brew i am sure, take it for what its worth.If you have ever gone to a beach where no tourists tread breath the air smell the sand feel the water it might suprise you what you dont smell.there are alternatives due your homework.We need to tread more softly on and in what we love so much???  Aloha…

Aloha Jeffery,…

Being in my 60’s put’s me ahead of your curve, but your track on getting check-ups at least twice yearly and whenever anything is noticed early is right on my friend. Stay on top of the situations and have a great Dr.

The photo’s I showed are just a few of the challenges that I faced–I’ve got more laces than a baseball-- ;),…I think it worries those closer to us than ourselves.

Live in the ocean rest on the land.

Spread Aloha, Randy

“The client first contacted me two years ago, let the project settle in, and then drove up from Guethary to talk and order his board. I laughed and told him he could have spared himself the two and a half hour drive, and had Balsa make him a nice one, but he was stoked.”

I should have known you were stealing customers from me all that time.

Seriously, best wishes, my friend. If you need something, I, too, can make the two and a half hour drive up north. Actually, it takes me only two hours at the most.

I’m not impressed with the easily available well marketed “sport” sunscreen I’ve been using. I am doing some Online Shopping. Lots of choices. Perhaps too many.

I’d prefer an All in one. I don’t really want one for face and one for body. One of my favorite brands from long ago, Bullfrog, is still available online, but I fear it is old tech, old stock.

Can’t make my eyes burn in the lineup,
Can’t cost 20$ for a 3 oz tube.
Can’t change me to different colors.
Can’t believe advertising.

Looking for info from those who have a dog in this hunt.

The Daylong Actinica brand sunscreens have worked really well for me. Most of my friends who surf here have become converts as well.

That’s what my dermatologist recommended three or four years ago, and I’ve had no issues with it. Lasts long, not too expensive, and I don’t get burned. Ever.

I commonly hear how the sunscreens available to us in North America are quite inferior to what is available in Europe.

 

The Daylong appears to be one of them.  Having a hard time finding distributors on this side of Atlantic.

A quick search on Amazon show one Daylong product called Daylong Extreme Sun Lotion SPF 50+ 100ml, for nearly 70$. plus 8$ more for shipping from EU.

 

Guess I’m gonna have to rescind my 20$ 3oz requirement.