I wish i had listened to Mum

[horseboy]

I think alot of people on this site would have had some sort of exposure to skin cancer. I have been getting cancers cut out since i was 21 I am now 31 and some what resemble some sort of frankenstien experiment. I went in yesterday and had 4 more removed and a couple of biopsies done There goes my start to the Barra season cant cast a net or a rod for a week then will be back at work.
I grew up in the Kimberleys on the water everyday i was at the beach or out on a boat everyday my mother told me dont get sunburnt use suncream etc, but fishing and surfing was to important to interupt for suncream. Now i am paying for it, I now work underground and fishing is a luxury but now when i go out i put more cream on every 30 mins wear thick work shirts and a akubra but it is to late the damage has been done. My children are 3 and 1 and they get educated about the sun already when i get cancers cut out i cant pick them up or swim in the pool and they ask why i tell them i didnt listen to Mum i only hope the doc and i keep getting them while they are still small. Please guys dont think that anything is more important than not getting sunburnt they say getting burnt just once does enough damage to cause cancer let alone every time we go fishing.


Take Care

Wade

[TheRealAndy]

I am one of those pale pommy pricks, so I learned the hard way when i was young. I burn, i blister and i hurt. I dont like pain, so I will go to great odds to avoid sunburn. Even still, those few times i get sunburn have surfaced (I too am 31) and I was diagnosed with a fairly harmless skin cancer on my face about 6 months ago. Its enough to make me more cautious, even though I feel I am already careful. Obviously I am not carefull enough.

[Lovey80]

I have to say mate I am like you. Am always getting burnt but never blister until recently i got burnt real bad. Now I will be much more prudent with the sunscreen.

Cheers Chris

[artesian]

I agree, and like a lot of Aussies over 40 got too much sun as a kid

But believe it or not, there is such a thing as too little sun.

Too little sun increases the chance of a range of cancers as well as rickets.

[horseboy]

i Know about to little sun leaves you with a vitamin d deficiancy but we have to teach our kids good sun responsibility. I feel so much better when i feel the sun on my skin but i now know how to be careful and just how much damage a full day in sun will do.

[Tangles]

had my first checkup 2 weeks ago, ended up being age spots;D

mike

[disorderly]

Good thread,horseboy.
I sometimes worry because skin cancers are very common in my family and yet when I was younger I used to spend summers cotton chipping at Moree and never wear a shirt all day....used to be a cycle...get sunburnt..go almost black,then peel all over and start again.What an idiot and sooner or later I'm going to pay for it.http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/sad.gifhttp://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/embarassed.gif

[castlemaine]

I know how you feel, my father-in-law, has been working in the sun all his life. Now in his 70's his skin is like tissue paper.
A mate of mine who is a doctor advises, to keep a check on your skin for any suspicious moles, itchy lumps, etc and get them checked out. In his experience if you keep on top of it you'll get to a point when you'll stabilise and get less or hardly get any treatment.
Another thing is to stay away from those skin check clinics. Best to stick to your GPs and get refered to dermatologists. Some of those skin check doctors used to be into erectile disfunction till viagra came on the market. Looks like money making schemers in all trades.
Cheers

[charleville]

This topic has come up a few times on Ausfish and the thing that gets me every time is how young many of the guys are who have to get cancers cut out.

At 31, you are just a boy but you are by no means alone with the problem.

I now shudder every time that I see someone on TV out in the sun without a hat.

I live behind a school oval and it is really great to see how the school polices their rules on hats for kids playing on the oval. Hopefully the kids of today will have received a good grounding in hat habits that will carry them through to an uncomplicated old age.

[samsnap]

Yes!! Do not go to any "bulkbilling" or private for that matter- skin clinic - they are on budgets and will hack out anything to make their bonus! (TRUE) They have no further training than a normal GP (just a desire to make more $$$) Most GP's are more than trained to identify problems and if they cant handle it, the bigger specialist centres (dermo) are the places to go - I should know I'v managed all of them along the way - PLEASE I BEG YOU - EVERYONE GAT A SKIN CHECK EVERY YEAR and don't go to a "skin clinic" - PM me if you want a decent referal within the Brisbane area if you are worried Sammy

[pommy]

Greetings all!

As a Pommy I was amazed how strong the sunlight is when I first came over here 8 years ago. I've largely avoided sunburn in my 46 years but have had to get 2 moles cut out of my back since I've been here. Cotton and nylon shirts don't have a very high UV protection rating!

The amount of sunlight reflected of water is also very high. It tends to hit you on the neck and under the chin. The areas that you often don't take much care in putting sunscreen on, or where it has wiped off on your shirt.

Regards, Rob
Ballina

[Keechie]

hi thanks for that now you have scared me into wearing sunscreen when i go fishing and play golf on every sunday;D . as a 14 year old i have no time to run out and grab sunscreen before i play cricket, golf, go surfing or go fishing so thanks you for reminding me about sun safety.

regards,
keechie

[samsnap]

The Best sunscreen on the market is "SUNSENCE" - a "ego" product. In Australia we can only market/advertise 30+ even if it is over that - these products are up in the 90 spf range - dont forget INSIDE your ears & the top part of your ears and creases - this is the area that the 30-50 year olds seem to be getting problems with lately - very nastly to fix - Sorry to sound like your mother but I see people all time who have to have parts of their body cut up or off - or even worse get the big "m" diagnosis - It is scary!! No more ...will give myself nightmares. Ta sammy

[horseboy]

I have never been to a skin centre for the reason listed above i had recently seen a dermatolgistwhich is very expensive and had a trend to try and treat with pdt which didnt work on the ones he used it on and a $200 a treatment it left a sour taste in my mouth. I have started seeing a gp who has hired more doctors so he can spend more time treating cancers and being in Townsville i think it is needed. He is the first doctor to check my scalp between my toes and on the soles of my feet he asked me on how i wanted to be treated. I have done lots of research and keep upto date on latest treatments through the cancer fund(family history of cancers of differing varietys). He made feel confident no rushing me through and had a sense of humour no trying to make me feel bad for something i didnt do in my teens.

Wade

[samsnap]

Stick with him - he is doing everything right - good luck - hope he finds nothing!

sammy

[horseboy]

Sam i Have one m removed we got it early but it scared the crap out of me we got it early and only neaded a small amount of extra treatment but in that time i met others not as lucky as me and since then i have been so freaky about any mark that apears i give it 6 weeks to see anychanges then book in as soon as i see it change if it does not change i weight till my 6 month visit. i use suncence and banana boat when i cant get it for a while.

wade

[BaitThrower]

I have been taught suncare from early age and can probably count the number of times I have been badly sunburnt still on one hand! 8-)

I always whack on the sunscreen, a good wide brim hat (the $10 bunnings ones - good hats) and always wear protective clothing.

But I think I suffer more from not getting enough sun these days than overexposure. I need to get into the sunlight a little more. Fishing will help that :)

[charleville]

or even worse get the big "m" diagnosis

Please explain, Sammy.

"m" ?


It is probably a dumb question but I cannot even spell "medikal". ;D



Thanks in anticipation.

[artesian]

Charleville, Sammy may have meant Melanoma.

there are solar keratoses, basal cell carcinomas, squamous (?) cell carcinomas, and then melanomas.

you should speak to your doctor etc, but from memory that is in increasing order of seriousness. Melanomas can lead to/are associated with, other kinds of cancer

[charleville]

Charleville, Sammy may have meant Melanoma.

Ah - yes - of course. Thanks Artesian - clearly you're no boor. ;D ;D ;D

I see my quack for a check-up every six months (due later today, in fact) and one thing that he does after the blood pressure measurement and the usual lecture on my weight is to have a squizz at the marks on my face and every now and then at my torso and arms.

I get a lecture on sun-protection and take his advice on that pretty seriously.

If you ever see a big bloke in a Quinnie out in the middle of Moreton Bay with blue zinc cream covering his entire face and 50+ gloves, a long sleeve shirt, sunnies and a stained, faded bright green adaptacap, it will be me. It is a frightful sight but people like bigbrian47 can attest that that is what I wear, after meeting up with me in the middle of the Bay recently when I have been adorned in such a way.

BTW, the greatest thing that I have discovered lately is that those baby wipe things will clean off zinc cream very easily at the end of the day. Cheap brands work just as well as "Wet Ones". They are nice and cool on the face as well after a hot day's fishin'.

:)


.

[PinHead]

been there done that..first one on arm..age 32..squamous cell..15 stitches later..all gone. numerous burnt off..last year on on my temple..another scc...gp referred me to a skin clinic..actually a surgeon..did a great job..7 stitches and no scar on the temple...and I still rarely put sun cream on..I loathe creams etc on my face.

[MyEscape]

I can only imagine the skin cancers that people will get in the future. I'm 45 and haven't been in the sun a lot in my life, but have grown up in an age where a good tan "looks good" With the amount of people that spend time lying in the sun, let alobe working in it I think it will just about be the number one killer for some.
Now in my job I occassionally see older folks in nursing homes. It makes you realise how savage the sun can be when you see people with cancers cut out of their faces, noses and ears. All people should see the rsults of this. You will not leave the house witout a hat I guarantee.

Good thread by the way.

Steve

[tigermullet]

Perhaps it depends upon skin type. At age 65 there aren't any sunspots or cancers that I am aware of. And that's after a life time of exposure with some of it pretty extreme. We didn't know back in the early days nor was sunscreen even thought of.

As for hats - after getting out of uniform at age 24 I made God a solemn promise that I would never again wear a hat, cut my hair short, wear sunglasses or polish shoes.

No problems but I have oily skin, bushy eyebrows, deep set little piggy eyes and must have the necessary genes for living life on a beach.;D

[fishingbarry]

Yeah I go every 12 months to a dermo dude referred by my GP cost $150 for the check up and its the best $150 I spend each year , I just look at it as part of the fishing/camping budget, He even looks between toes,under your nails , under your feet so its a good going over and well worth the money. I to was a no sunscreen,shirt young hippie/surfie bloke that now in my mid forties am showing the results of a nice tan when i was young. Now I'm the bloke with the big straw hat and sun shirt on at all times even in the water and dont forget the sunnies.
Cheers
Barry

[Poodroo]

Thanks Horseboy for this thread because those are words of wisdom and words I drum into my kids. I too was very lapse when it came to covering up and as a youngster found myself deliberately getting burnt to tan up. That was considered the norm in those days. The only thing different to you is I have never had a skin cancer so consider myself very lucky considering how many times I got burnt when I was young. I had a spot that came up fast on my forehead some years ago when I was in my late 20's but it wasn't a cancer. The doctor gave it some fancy name but because it was on my face he said "When in doubt,cut it out!" Apart from that I go for regular skin checks with my local Mole Scan Clinic and this is the best advice I can give to all of my fellow Ausfish members. Locate a Mole Scan Clinic and get checked out for the peace of mind.
Early detection is a life saver.

Regards,

Poodroo

[PADDLES]

Top thread horseboy, I hope it all comes good for you. This thread hits pretty close for me because my old man came out on the boat in the early 60's, did his trade down the pit in the east midlands of the uk and then worked as a sparky in the mines and industrial plants of qld and the nt in the 60's and 70's. Mad dogs and englishmen in the midday sun was the saying and it was right. He never looked after himself and wished the level of education on the subject we get now was in place back then. Anyhoo after a series of sunspots being cut out over the years we got the dreaded news last year, melanoma. Did you guys know that melanoma can show up anytime as a sunspot, your immune system can defeat it and then it can send it's spores throughout your body waiting for a rainy day. I didn't and we found this out from the oncy. 3.5 weeks from a confirmed diagnosis he was dead, it was on his lungs and his liver. This is real gentlemen, live your lives as you wish but look after yourselves in the sun, when it attacks the right sort of person it kills them quickly. At least it's better than a car accident, you still get to say hooray and thanks to your mates and family.

[Rocket01]

I'm a pom still living in England, but soon to move to Oz, my kids know the danger of the sun, and they never ever go out without cream on etc etc.
I'm still 1 of those stupid fools that think it will never happen to me, but after reading this thread, it has really made me think much more about the dangers of skin cancer, even so most of the time I do protect myself, now I realise most of the time isn't good enough.

[Luckless]

I was diagnosed with a stage 1 melanoma on my ear last year at the age of 31. Fortunately I had a very observant GP who recognised it when I went on for a MC for the flu. It was only a couple of months prior to this I had been checked up for any signs of skin cancer. Was able to resolve through a surgical solution, but being sent in for an X-ray, CT scan, ultrasound and consultation with an oncologist scared the crap out of me. Now I am only allowed out on the boat by my wife if I am wearing a big hat and heaps of sunscreen. Also means that my boys have never been burnt as we are both so aware of the damage that can occur when you are younger.

[FNQCairns]

Bucket loads of genetics involved in this area, got a mate who will not do anything to cover- up or wear sunscreen, sometime a hat - yet coffee is too unhealthy for him to drink (rolls eyes), by the odds he will probably get away with it, but he may not also.

Not much for doctors myself but had my first skin cancer check 2 years ago -was an age spot:) better go again ..thanks thread!

cheers fnq

[Peter4]

You should not only get skin checks but a full medical every year! I go to a doc in Cleveland. His full medical includes all "men's" problems plus a skin check, urinalysis, blood & stool examination.

Its 40 minutes out of your year, costs around $30 (after Medicare), gives you complete peace of mind and will detect any early problems.

I am 45 now and discovered over the last two years that I had high cholesterol and elevated blood pressure (despite running over 50 kms per week as well as being an AFL Boundary Umpire). Both are now under control thanks to early detection.

BTW check out my avatar. Wrap around 50+ head gear, long-sleeve 50+ fishing shirts, 50+ sunglasses (polarised), plenty of sunscreen and very long shorts!

I want to fish for at least anther 30 years!!;D ;)

Regs

Pete

[Little grey men]

Thanks for starting this one horseboy, I must admit that I am very sun conscious only because I fish with my little boy every weekend....If we took our shirts off it would be like looking at two fluro tubes. I have my checkup every six months.
Before we fish I put sunscreen all over the both of us, and we wear big hats. We never fish between ten and two.
One thing I've noticed in magazines, DVD's etc is the amount of people wearing baseball caps fishing, it bothers me when I see high profile fisho's wearing them, I know they like to advertise and big floppy hats are a bit daggy, but they should remember that young people are impressionable, and having the tops of your ears removed later in life may also look pretty daggy:-/ .
Our sun is just far too strong to wear something that just keeps the sun of your nose. A wide brim hat that protects your face, ears and the back of the neck is the bees knees, and thank god for long sleeve columbia fishing shirts.
I was also a kid who spent way too much time in the sun, and have had a few suspect ones removed, which were thankfully not melanoma's.
Once again thanks for bringing this up horseboy:)

[Dirtysanchez]

My Son takes after his mother with his pale skin, so we cover him up and put on block out each day before school. At the beach it's the long sleeve rashy type shirt and a hat that can be worn wet.

I have been lucky and am like my dad, he is 73 and has never had a skin cancer. I am 41 and after much cajouling from my wife I went to her dermo specialist in clayfield and the guy looked me up and down and picked at one mole on my forearm and said I didn't need to see him for a couple of years.

Still, I am more sensible now and cover up, but an hour of body surfing at the beach in just the boardies is the best thing, all those shirts feel like gladwrap to me

As for the advice on the other medical check ups, 100% agree, I get blood tests, prostate check ups annually and other more invasive tests due to a family history of bowel cancer, which I won't go into details on, and have at this stage a clean bill of health

Thanks for the thread, a great reminder

[webby]

Fellas listen to what is being said above.
I was one of those who though i was superman and the sun wouldnt effect me.
WRONG, in the last 10-12 years i have had 6 trips to the plastic surgeon, just on the face alone, missus reckons i go back every few years to have a trim and tuck ???
Have had the whole nose de skinned and re-skinned by pulling the face skin back over.
The arms and legs have also had their fair share of treatment.
Luckly so far only one melanoma, the rest have been BCC"s.
regards

[charleville]

...all of which adds another good reason for fishing at night, of course. ;)

[Oh Gee]

Redheaded, Fair skin and 45 years old. Starting to get things biopsied, scraped and frozen. Get to see the skin Doc bloke every 6 months ( In reality he get to see me, nearly naked, but ya gotta expect that.)or whenever somthing looks sus. He tells me to put s'screen on every day before even stepping out the door. (i do). I dont pay nothing, all bulked billed, gives good peace of mind. Its in Cabulture if ya need more info.

g