Get your Factor 50 ready

[MoodySabre]

Yesterday I had some sun damage removed from my face. Be correct - basal cell carcinomas. Three on my nose and one on the side of my head.
This was the most painful thing that I could imagine. 7 shots of local anaesthetic in the face. 2hours and 45mins of chopping things out, taking and stitching in skin flaps. I also have low blood platelets so a further three hours stopping the bleeding (not quite there yet). I have swollen and black eyes, blood stained dressings and have to keep my head upright for a minimum of 48 hours AND NO ALCOHOL.
All for sake of Factor 50. A cap is not enough.

 

[NealB]

Sorry to hear this, and I hope the short term pain is paid off many times over by the long term gains.

Good news about the alcohol: life is better without it.

 

[mjcoon]

Full sympathy, and I don't want to dilute your Awful Warning. But years ago I visited my GP and saw a locum. She was suspicious about a small mole on my cheek and I was sent off to a surgeon. Who warned me that I might end up with a scar. I just thought it might be street cred; I'm no model! It felt odd with local anaesthetic and being pulled about, but not painful, and the biopsy was clear. The experience of local anaesthetic was a gentle introduction to a larger operation of pacemaker insertion years later, but that was not so bad, either. Hurrah for the NHS...

 

[RunAgroundHard]

All the best for the recovery and wishing you well. I burnt my back badly windsurfing as kid and have had 3 growths removed from my back, so I have some degree of understanding. Also have had a couple cases of quite bad solar keratosis removed with Efudix cream from the top of my napper. The scaling and drying of the UV damaged cells is quite unsightly.

I also now wear a hat all the time when outside, usually a baseball style cap, but on the boat a wide brim cap; sunscreen as well. Excellent point about a cap not being good enough on its own.

Safe sailing everyone.

 

[rwt]

Started thinking about Factor 50 yesterday - absolutely no need today!

 

[Porthandbuoy]

I had warty growths removed from the tops of my ears using liquid nitrogen (didn't half nip!). Decades of wearing a hard hat in the desert gave no protection!
Squamous cell carcinoma according to the dermatologist, a pretty young lass, who went over my not-so-pretty aged torso with a large magnifying glass.
I now keep a very close eye on my moles, freckles and other skin blemishes. Any changes and it's off to see her again.
Factor 50 is now always to hand.

 

[Frank Holden]

Running a close second to Australia for skin cancers is, I believe, southern Chile including Tierra del Fuego . Just because it’s not very hot doesn’t mean the sun isn,t out to kill you.
When my Australian doctor checks me out she also checks the feet esp between the toes.

 

[Hot Property]

I had a BCC removed from my ear and the surgeon recommend a Tilly hat which has a wide brim.

Great for high speed boating. It has an adjustable chin strap and if that fails it floats.

Not cheap, and I'd rather buy a UK made one so will continue to look as I'm sure I'll lose it before it wears out.

 

[nicho]

Three years ago, I had a tiny mole on my calf change colour and shape. My GP wasn’t sure, so sent me to a Consultant Dermotologist. He wasn’t sure either, but decided to remove it just in case. The tests showed stage 2 cancer, so I later had what is called a wide excision, where the surgeon carved out a beef burger sized lump out of my leg and took a skin graft from my other leg. Shaving off the skin graft was the most painful bit. Took around two hours and followed by twice weekly visits for dressing changes. I am now three years into a five year programme of 3 monthly follow up lymph node checks…….clear so far. Take great care in the strong summer sunshine, it can be very dangerous.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Three years ago, I had a tiny mole on my calf change colour and shape. My GP wasn’t sure, so sent me to a Consultant Dermotologist. He wasn’t sure either, but decided to remove it just in case. The tests showed stage 2 cancer, so I later had what is called a wide excision, where the surgeon carved out a beef burger sized lump out of my leg and took a skin graft from my other leg. Shaving off the skin graft was the most painful bit. Took around two hours and followed by twice weekly visits for dressing changes. I am now three years into a five year programme of 3 monthly follow up lymph node checks…….clear so far. Take great care in the strong summer sunshine, it can be very dangerous.

Having lots of brown blemishes and marks and now living in the SE of France I have an annual check up with a dermatologist as does my wife. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[mjcoon]

Three years ago, I had a tiny mole on my calf change colour and shape. My GP wasn’t sure, so sent me to a Consultant Dermatologist. He wasn’t sure either, but decided to remove it just in case. The tests showed stage 2 cancer, so I later had what is called a wide excision, where the surgeon carved out a beef burger sized lump out of my leg and took a skin graft from my other leg. Shaving off the skin graft was the most painful bit. Took around two hours and followed by twice weekly visits for dressing changes. I am now three years into a five year programme of 3 monthly follow up lymph node checks…….clear so far. Take great care in the strong summer sunshine, it can be very dangerous.

The "

The "beef burger sized lump" does rather suggest The Merchant of Venice and the half-pounder of flesh! (Sorry!)

 

[38mess]

I don't want my cat to be blacker than your cat but I have had 5 BSCs removed in the last ten years, also a stage 2 melanoma.

The worse and most painful was a bcc on my left eyebrow. The whole eyebrow was cut out along the length and two inches above the eyebrow. My head had to be clamped into a box thing because as the surgeon explained most of the nerves that control smiling and mouth control pass in this area and to nip one would make my face permanently droop on one side.
But although factor 50 can stop burning now most of the damage was done when I was in my early years sunbathing and getting burnt.
There is a school of thought now that factor 30 is better as 50 stops skin breathing and vitamin d getting in

 

[ashtead]

I invested in a Tilley hat last year and have found it invaluable on recent trips while boating abroad -tend to favour a cap for Solent boating . The Tilley also has the advantage of keeping rain showers off better and the neck strap-you do feel a bit like Dora the explorer but for trekking around foreign ruins etc certainly the thing . I have a beige version but we’ll worth the £70 odd even if not perhaps so much use in Gosport.

 

[Frank Holden]

I reckon Tilley hats are a rip off. You can buy just as good a hat for half price or less - the likes of this Outdoor UK Equinox Sun Hat Flint [OUTDOUK1086] : Outdoor Research Caps: Performance, Looks, Versatility on Outdoor Research UK, Outdoor research gloves with a timeless look and the performance of a technical layer | Outdoor research bivy uk.

I was asked once - when wearing my OR hat- if it was a Tilley knock off. Yep, for sure, brim and crown - just like a Tilley.

I also hold strong opinions regarding baseball caps. Waste of time for sun protection - buy something that looks like this Outdoor UK Coldfront Insulated Cap Black [OUTDOUK0931] : Outdoor Research Caps: Performance, Looks, Versatility on Outdoor Research UK, Outdoor research gloves with a timeless look and the performance of a technical layer | Outdoor research bivy uk. and keeps the sun off your ears. Insulated also... just the thing for those sunny January days on the Solent.

 

[Rum_Pirate]

Yesterday I had some sun damage removed from my face. Be correct - basal cell carcinomas. Three on my nose and one on the side of my head.
This was the most painful thing that I could imagine. 7 shots of local anaesthetic in the face. 2hours and 45mins of chopping things out, taking and stitching in skin flaps. I also have low blood platelets so a further three hours stopping the bleeding (not quite there yet). I have swollen and black eyes, blood stained dressings and have to keep my head upright for a minimum of 48 hours AND NO ALCOHOL.
All for sake of Factor 50. A cap is not enough.

Having some local anesthetic surgery on Thursday. Plus will be treating some locations on right forearm with Efudix cream.

The sun is NOT to be trifled with.

I my thread ‘post a pic of your yacht’ I state what I wear. Sun rash shirt, snood and Tilley hat.
Also factor 50+ on exposed areas eg hands, feet and face(not all is covered).