It’s that time of year again…
WARNING…..WARNING…..this may be a soap box post!
We’re all here because we love to sail – right? That’s definitely my case; and I want to spend as much time out on the water as possible. It’s even better if the sailing is on a warm sunny breezy day. However, I’m also REALLY fair skinned with a lot of freckles. So, I make sure that I go to the dermatologist once a year before sailing gets going to make sure that I’m keeping a look out for signs of skin cancer.
I’ve had a few non-cancerous spots removed myself, and it hasn’t been that big of a deal. However, I sail with multiple people who have had cancerous spots removed. Straight up — it left scars. Some of the scars are not small. What’s worse is that those people now live in regular fear of the sun.
So, I’m hoping that this quick reminder will spur you on to make sure that you’re getting checked regularly.
As a reference, The Skin Cancer Foundation has a web site at http://www.skincancer.org/. Please use this reference. They have a bunch of information and resources for things like:
- Prevention
- Skin Cancer Information
- Getting Involved / Events
- Giving / Donations
- and more, and more…
The American Cancer Society also has resources and skin cancer facts presented in an easy to read way.
Originally, I was going to post some pictures of different skin cancers as a reference. However, it seems like there are so many different symptoms and warning signs that the post could last forever. I want to be realistic and cautious about skin cancer, but I don’t feel the need to find overly graphic photos just for dramatic flair.
To make a long story short, I can’t really explain to you all of the types of skin cancer or what they look like. What I do know is:
- I always wear sunblock when I’m outside.
- I believe in re-applying sunblock regularly (but I’m not as good as I should be — still working on this).
- I wear a hat as often as possible (yes, I know it’s a pain when you’re trimming spinnaker).
- I don’t feel like I have to remember every little fact about skin cancer, or even stress too much about it — because I have a good relationship with my doctor — who I see at least once a year for a skin cancer check. So, I count on the doctor to know all of the specifics about skin cancer.
Please make smart choices as far as the sun is concerned. That way we can all be out there racing with each other as long as possible.
I have found that spray sunblocks sometimes turn clothing yellow, and can make the boat slippery if sprayed on the boat. I usually put regular face lotion on before I put sunblock on my face so that my pores are less likely to clog. I typically wear Coppertone Sport on my body and Neutrogena or Aveeno sunblock on my face. Here are some links if you need to stock up:
