Jerseygirl

A few days ago my husband had an annual skin cancer screening test. The doctor noticed a suspicious mark on his lower arm. It was a small red blemish, looked a little like new skin when a scab as come away. He then went to the dermatologist who removed the blemish for biopsy. When the result came back it had been found to be a pre-cancerous growth. This has really been a wake up call for us. My husband doesn't spend a lot of time in the sun and usually always applies sun block to his face and arms as he is fair skinned. We are just thankful that it was found in its early stages.

I would urge everyone to get a skin cancer screening test every year.

Sarah

Wow that must've been quite a jolt to your system. I'm glad they caught it so early though. I am fair skinned as well, I look like a blonde tomato in the sunshine
I'll have to check this out as it will probably be a good idea for me to get looked at.

Jerseygirl

Thank you Sarah. Yes it was quite a jolt. We actually know quite a few people who have died of this...one being a doctor who had melanoma on his leg.

ladyofthelake

My husband has had quiet a few of those on his face. They're easily recognisable now since he's had so many. He has a cream to put on them, it actually makes the areas look worse for a while, I guess it's killing the cells, before it clears up. He doesn't spend much time in the sun either, works in an office all day, he should put sunblock on, but still doesn't. It's something that really worries me.

Russ&Jayne

The message here is to not only get checked but use sunblock to help prevent this happening. People who spend most of their time stuck in an office are most likely to get these problems. The UV over here is seriously high and it seems hardly anyone bothers with UVA/UVB protection You should wear sun protection all year round, no matter what the weather is like.

Glad your hubbie was one of the lucky ones

Jerseygirl

My hubby always uses sun block. When he told the dermatologist this the doctor said the problem is it lulls people into a false sense of security. They think because they've applied it they're OK this is not the case. Keep out of the sun between 10 am and 4 pm. Wear sun block but it needs to be reapplied frequently.

Thank you for your kind wishes.

franc11s

I am an extremely tanned person and I still use factor 30 and lots of it. I tan real fast and rarely burn. I apply cream all the time. In my teens, I remember spending 2 weeks "sun-bathing" on a holiday to Tunisia. I was black as night

Age 40 - I went to the Doc and had a couple of suspects removed which were VERY slightly pre-cancerous. I go for check-ups once a year. These guys know how to spot anything and it's very re-assuring. I put these down as using no cream as a kid.

The best cream on the market has to be the NO-AD (and I've tried them all). recently we tried one of the easy-on sprays from coppertone. Factor 30. I burnt like a hot coal. SO did the wife. We felt like sueing them. Just read this weekend that there is a lawsuit!! Strange!! Anyway, we have brought our kids up for the last 10 years on N0-AD and none of us ever burn any more. Other stuff we've tried (when we forget the no-ad), we nearly always burn... No-AD goes on real thick.

Remember, for most skin cancer, it's not always the obvious ones you should be worried about.

Angry White Pyjamas

Approxiamtely 1 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer (including melanomas) in the USA each year.

Jerseygirl

I have heard recently that most skin cancers are a result of sun burn in childhood. I suppose this is accelerated by sun exposure in adulthood. When my daughter was young I used to use Mothercare sunblock, it when on like a thick white paste so you could see areas that you had missed or rubbed off.

Jerseygirl

Scary isn't it?

Angry White Pyjamas

Makes me wonder exactly why it is all these people want to move down here where its sun index 10+ for 9 months of the year and never less than 6+ (except when its night time, duh). I see all these snowbirds and tourists laying out on the beaches and wonder if they really know what they are doing to their skin.

Jerseygirl

After living in dreary old England I have to say I love the climate here. Don't forget you have to protect yourself from the sun on a daily basis not just when you are sunbathing.

geordiegirl2

The figure used to be you were 10 x more likely to have a skin cancer in adulthood if you were burnt as a child, for lots of us our parents weren't aware of the dangers and the damage is already done.
I'm sorry about your OH but glad it was caught at such an early stage but it is very scary, living in AZ i'm neurotic about my kids but particularly the youngest whose fair skinned.

Jerseygirl

Thank you. My sister who is olive skinned used to use olive oil when she sat out in the sun. I am fair skinned and until my late 20's I used to burn, peel then go back to white. Now I tan quite easily and have to admit rarely use sunscreen....until now.

Celsius

If that's an official statistic, I'd say that some people are going undiagnosed....