Skin Cancer

[Grooter]

Just do a search for "skin whitening sunblock " there are plenty of interesting results.

Many sunscreens which are not advertised as skin whiteners also have skin whiteners in them.

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Very popular in the sub-continent. Shops and pharmacies are full of skin bleaching creams, some of the ads feature Indian actresses which are paler than me.

Pale skin is very desirable over there, a very dark-skinned Indian is seem as someone of a lower social status/caste

[roy Stewart]

Yes I'm aware of that, muscular physiques are also looked down upon as evidence of physical work and thus lower caste. A Brahmin friend of mine Dr Sankar Rao ( a wonderful man ) was so frail in middle age that he couldn't lift his own leg higher than about 6 inches. His son has broken the mould and does physical as well as academic work.

It's obviously misguided to bleach one's skin. . . very unhealthy !

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[oldman]

Thanks for weighing in. .. .

( I'm actually sober and sane by the way )

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Yeah, I know Roy, you're just different.

The good lord loves the eccentrics Roy. Shalom.

[maraetai]

I'm 49 and get a skin check once a year after having a lot of sun exposure when I was young. Have had quite a few bits and pieces cut/scraped off over the years but last year the specialist at royal North Shore prescribed a cream called Aldara for a precancer I had on my jawline beside my ear. Said she didn't want to cut it out because it would leave a scar. Personally I am old and ugly enough not too be too worried about a scar. Anyway, started putting this cream on and with in days I had a constant headache and this cream started eating a hole into the side of my head. I then carefully read the literature that accompanied to discover that this (possibly) is a sign that it is working although the manufacturer (3m) happily admit they don't know how it actually works. A little concerned , I googled "aldara bad reactions" and spent the next 4 hours reading story after story about people who had far worse short and longterm side effects to this cream. By this time I had a big ugly wound on the side of my head and decided to see a gp. She advised me to stop using the cream and put me on antibiotics to clear up the infections etc.
It eventually cleared up but I will have to wait until my next annual skin check to see if it removed the precancer.
Bottomline. If you are prescribed this stuff. Check it out carefully before you put it on your body and be very carefully when applying it.

[Chillin]

I once had two older brothers...sadly one died of leukemia in the 80's. Ever since then iv allways said to my wife that if i come down with some disease/cancer, don't take me to hospital or let me get therapy, let me go and move on. There is no way that what he went through was better than dying.

[OddaP]

Sheesh, a bloke has a bit of time away setting himself up in a new pad and I miss this...

Take it from me, someone who you NEVER want to see in a professional setting.

Wear a hat, wear sunnies, stay in the shade, especially peak sun time time (10 till 4, wear long sleeved rashy/wettie and otherwise lather up.

Vit D is essential, but surfers get plenty anyway so you can forget about that 1, whack the cream on if you have to go out and get yourself checked if you see anything suss on your skin.

And love the zinc, a proper barrier.

[eMpowered]

Maybe we havent done this subject before after all.

But as Trev asked? What is the bottom line? We all surf, What should we do (In laymans terms).

Sunscreen or no sunscreen? I am so confused and please dont say "balance".

I do go brown, but also burn and have many freckles on my back. I was also exposed to alot of sun when younger, and many times burnt.

I just wanna wear boardies!

I have always been very carefull over the last few years (I am 38 now) and always put on sunscreen, Usually out of fear of cancer though. Can I relax on this?

Also, What is the diference between skin cancer and melanoma?

[eMpowered]

For example...

2 weeks ago I surfed for 6 hours, I put on 30+ sunscreen every 2 hours but still got burnt.

I just want to relax and go surfing.

Will my skin adjust to exposure if I use less sunscreen. It seems I get just as burnt (If not more sometimes ) when I use sunscreen.

[dUg]

You know perfectly well that you can do some online research yourself, but you want me to do it so that you can scoff at my sources. . .. it's an old tactic.

No, it's called providing supporting evidence.

As rightly Trev pointed out, YOU made the somewhat sweeping claim that "the whole thing is a scam", therefore YOU must have a means to back it up, or humbly accept further pasting. This whole X-files "the truth is out there" sh1t ain't gonna cut it.

You seem to be labouring under the illusion that there is some kind of court case going on. In fact I'm just offering my opinion as food for thought, take it, leave it, complain about it, or research it as you choose.


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You seem to be labouring under the illusion that I am the enemy of free thought and opinion.

In fact, you are absolutely right Roy, people should research and form their own opinions. Problem is, we are drowning in a sea of misinformation and vested interests... multibillion dollar big business on one side, and deluded conspiracy theorists on t'other. I am not suggesting that either's position warrants consideration. The problem is that these days, people are often more easily swayed toward the "it's all a scam" view because they think holding such an opinion is the lesser of two evils. It isn't... but that's just my opinion.

Raising nanoparticles was an interesting deviation, but as far as I can tell there is just not enough long term study into their effects. Stuff like this is food for thought though:

Test tube studies have shown that nanoparticle ingredients in sunscreens produce dangerous free radicals and damage DNA, especially with exposure to UV light. Shockingly, Blue Scope Steel has found that colour bond roofs that have come into contact with nano-sunscreens age 100 times more rapidly than those that have not.

http://nano.foe.org.au/node/291

( If anyone can find a link to the actual Bluescope study that would be interesting too... apparently the effect was first noticed as finger shaped patches on colourbond, where tourist's sunscreen coated hands had touched them )

In terms of sunscreen "causing" or "increasing" cancer, there have been several quite good studies including this one:

A study published in 1999 examined the incidence of two types of skin cancer in 1621
residents of Nambour, in southeast Queensland. Participants were randomly assigned
to either apply SPF 15+ sunscreen daily or not for four and a half years. No harmful
effect of daily sunscreen use was reported. Participants who used sunscreen daily
experienced a significant decrease in squamous-cell carcinoma, and no change in
incidence of basal-cell carcinoma.

http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/16 ... l.pdf+html

http://www.cancerwa.asn.au/resources/ca ... ancer-myth

I am not aware of any similar studies that have produced violently opposing results, but like you Roy, my thirst for knowledge amidst the drought of ignorance remains unquenched... the more I know, the less I know.

[eMpowered]

Maybe we havent done this subject before after all.

But as Trev asked? What is the bottom line? We all surf, What should we do (In laymans terms).

Sunscreen or no sunscreen? I am so confused and please dont say "balance".

I do go brown, but also burn and have many freckles on my back. I was also exposed to alot of sun when younger, and many times burnt.

I just wanna wear boardies!

I have always been very carefull over the last few years (I am 38 now) and always put on sunscreen, Usually out of fear of cancer though. Can I relax on this?

Also, What is the diference between skin cancer and melanoma?

[eMpowered]

For example...

2 weeks ago I surfed for 6 hours, I put on 30+ sunscreen every 2 hours but still got burnt.

I just want to relax and go surfing.

Will my skin adjust to exposure if I use less sunscreen. It seems I get just as burnt (If not more sometimes ) when I use sunscreen.

Can we please move away from sunscreens as the topic and go back to the big picture.

[Davros]

Australia has the highest skin cancer incidence rate in the world.

Australians are four times more likely to develop a skin cancer than any other form of cancer.

Approximately two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer before the age of 70.

It kills you dead

[Animal_Chin]

http://www.cancerwa.asn.au/resources/ca ... ancer-myth

Nice find Dug. Puts Roy's arguments to rest. Although he will come back with his conspiracy theory about Cancer Councils having a vested interest in people getting cancers.

The common theme amongst all the anti-sunscreen information out there is that most of it is originating from the natural therapies industry. Now there's a vested interest!

[OddaP]

Maybe we havent done this subject before after all.

But as Trev asked? What is the bottom line? We all surf, What should we do (In laymans terms).

Sunscreen or no sunscreen? I am so confused and please dont say "balance".

I do go brown, but also burn and have many freckles on my back. I was also exposed to alot of sun when younger, and many times burnt.

I just wanna wear boardies!

I have always been very carefull over the last few years (I am 38 now) and always put on sunscreen, Usually out of fear of cancer though. Can I relax on this?

Also, What is the diference between skin cancer and melanoma?

Empowered, Melanoma is a skin cancer, its a type of skin cancer, just like an Squamous Cell carcinoma (SCC) or Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) of the skin. Melanoma is the least common of the 3, but the most deadly-why? Because it has a tendency to metastasize (spread) quicky to other parts of the body whereas as BCC and SCC are less likely to rapidly metastasize. See the link I have attached foe an explanation. HOWEVER, if you are unlucky enough to get any get any the 3 the best bet is to take the doctors advice re treatment.

http://www.cancercouncil.com.au/editori ... ageid=1315

I would always wear a shirt, stay in the shade wherever possible, wear a hat (yes broad brimmed) and when out in the water apply sunscreen and if you can use a barrier cream like zinc because all the others just filter rather than block. As surfers we spend plenty time out in the sun, remember the ears, the nose and lips (zinc!!!)don't forget the top of the hands either when putting on the cream and either have a good handle on your body yourself and what moles look like or go get a baseline check done and follow up as per the recommendation.
You might think you look funny lathered in the sunscreen with hats and long sleeves in the surf but its better than being a man with no nose, or 1 ear or a whopping hole in his back. Its also way better sight than a young bloke on his death bed from metastatic melanoma.

Bottom line SLIP, SLOP, SLAP.

[eMpowered]

Thanks OddaP,

So, Without getting over the top again on sunscreen.

Which is the best one?

No I am not covering my whole body in Zinc.

[OddaP]

^^ Anything 30 plus, I am currently using a Cancer Council 1 that I got back west (not sure if it will be the same product here) and I would probably not use it again, just a little too thick when putting it on, but no complaints from me of the screening factor.

And zinc on the nose/face and lips. And i forgot to mention that if your follically challenged don't forget the top of your scone either

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[RickyG]

Finally had my appointment last week. the guy was thorough and didn't mind me bombarding him with questions whcih was great.

Found out two interesting things:
apparently melanomas flourish on dry skin, so he receommended moisturising the more sun-affected areas every morning and night (never heard that before);

melanomas on the feet are particularly aggressive, so it's best to pay close attention to the tops and soles of your feet (apparently I have too many moles on mine so have to keep an eye on them).

He found something on my temple and burnt it off and took a sample for a biopsy. Didn't think much of it (ie if you don't hear from them it's OK and you just go back next year) but now I've got to go back in for further treatment in a few weeks. It's a little concerning but I guess I'm just glad I did finally get around to it.

The Moral - don't put it off, go and get checked now if you haven't in the last year or so!