Fun in the Sun???? Skin cancer risks

[luvthatdisney]

Hi guys,

I usually dont post on this board - usually on the budget board!! - but I wanted to send out a warning since most of the population of the US will be out in the sun more due to the time of year.

Please be careful in the sun - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!

Also please have any funny looking moles or things that might show up on your skin that you are not sure of checked by a doctor. There are 3 major kinds of skin cancer - all of them can kill you - especially melanoma!!!

My ds age 15 - was dx in February with melanoma and it has been a rude awakening for us. I had no clue what this cancer can do - just removing it does not always solve the problem!

Please understand that in older folks sun can play a major role in development in skin cancers, but anyone can get it even without sun exposure - the real causes are not really known yet.

If you see something on your skin that you are not sure about HAVE IT CHECKED. Just a warning!!!

 

[crs7568]

Kristin, that is a great reminder for everyone. I am a teacher and a 9th grade boy where I teach was diagnosed with melanoma. I hope everything is going well for your son.

 

[Disney Hot Mama]

I found a mole on my knee a few years ago. They did a simple biopsy thinking it was nothing. Well................ it was a maglinant melanoma and required surgery ASAP. We belong to Kaiser and they moved quickly - I was in the OR in a matter of days or a week max. They had to remove all the skin around the mole area down to my muscle - about a 7" circular piece and sew it back together. Since it was a needed surgery they don't bring in a plastic surgeon and don't worry about what the scar looks like. They just want to save your life. Since then I have had 3 other moles removed. Only one was 'bad' after the tests and I went back to have more of the area removed.

Now growing up I was never a sun worshiper like my sisters. I do not lay out to get a tan. I use SPF and try to be careful much more so now than before. I lather my kids up before we head out in the summer though I know I should wear SPF on a daily basis all year long.

I agree - keep checking your moles for size, shape and color. If something looks funny have your doctor check it out.

 

[MAKmom]

I had a melanoma removed from my face this year. I insisted on a plastic surgeon...thank God. I let the Dermatologist remove a mole from my stomach & the scar is horrible.

I have my new hats with a wide brim ready. They are straw & are kinda cowboy looking. They are Corona hats from Walmart. Very cool looking. Dh took the Corona Patch off the front & I put a Ying/Yang Mickey pin 0n one & a American Flag Mickey on the other.

 

[txaggiemomof3]

I have also had skin cancer (a basal cell carcinoma removed from my cheek a few years ago). I had a red spot on my cheek that suddenly changed when I became pregnant. Went to the dermatologist who biopsied it and confirmed skin cancer and then went to a plastic surgeon and had it removed when I was 3 weeks out from having my son. I have had two close friends who have also had basal cell skin cancer. All of us were in our late 20's, early 30's.

Wear sunscreen and put it on your kids! I've also seen the swim shirts for kids that I think are a great idea. They provide more protection from the sun and are water-friendly - unlike just wearing a regular t-shirt in the water. This is reminding me that I'm overdue for my annual skin check with the dermatologist!

 

[Loves Disney]

I am addicted to the sun you could say...I have never really worried about skin cancer thinking it could never happen to me. Seriously, I am extremely nervous now after reading this thread! AH! lol. Since as far back as I can remember, I have been a lover of lying down and soaking in the sun. I have a naturally darker skin tone and over the many years of sunbathing, nothing ever showed up on my skin, I have always figured that was a good sign. I have found the best tan comes from being in the sun without any sunscreen. I haven't used sunscreen since I was VERY young when my mother would put it on my sister and I. As soon as I was old enough to do it myself, I didn't. I don't burn easily AT ALL. I can't even remember the last time I had a sunburn (even after being in the sun for well over 5 hours without sunscreen). I pray nothing happens to me later in life, and now I wish I had payed more attention. I will certainly be a LOT more careful now, especially after hearing a 15 y/o has it....it scares the socks right off of me! (as I am 17).

 

[TeresaMc]

Even having 4 tanning salons I preach moderation, moderation, moderation!!!!! There is nothing wrong with a tan, it is your skins natural barrier to the sun. Getting a base tan helps prevent burning when outdoors. But I have a nice base tan and ALWAYS use SPF outdoors. Whatever you do don't ever let yourself burn, that is horrible for your skin. Alot of people don't tan at my salons because we preach and enforce moderation and good skin care/hydration but there are plenty that do. Take care of your skin....it is your largest organ and protects all the rest of your body.

 

[LVSWL]

I just had a basal cell removed on the back side of my forearm. It was the size of a pencil eraser and just looked a little red and occasionally itched. After the surgery I was supposed to clean and dress the wound twice daily. The first time I saw my stitches I was floored.I knew that there were more than a few, but to see the three inch plus incision in my arm with well over 35 stitches really shook me. They said my body had probably been growing that basal cell since I was a preteen-38years! Anyway, it is still sore,and has a ways to go before it will be healed and much longer before it won't be visible. I don't want to go thru that again. Bring on the sunblock!!!

 

[Mrs.Milo]

Being able to get a nice tan every summer is no protection against melanoma. I was always the fair-skinned one in the family, my younger sister always had a nice tan without even trying. Well she's the one who found out she had melanoma at age 50. Actually her OB/Gyn found it at a check up, just below her knee, and insisted she get tested. I always felt it would be me, lots of bad sunburns as a kid, so I plan on being very careful.