Got Your Sunscreen?

As the days get longer and warmer around here I start my annual quest to find the perfect sunscreen. You see, I’m a skin cancer survivor and Colorado isn’t exactly kind to us fair skinned individuals who need to be careful out in the sun. Neither is growing up in California for that matter. You can see from this picture that my over-exposure to the sun started at an early age.

Unfortunately, in 2003 I was diagnosed with Melanoma. I’ve been extremely lucky so far and have had no recurrences.  I’ve been wanting to write about this for a while but I just haven’t really found the right way to share. Last week, blog reader Frances, sent me a link to this video.It captures perfectly what I have wanted to say about this.

Watch it…PLEASE.

 

I was going to show you gory pictures of my leg after surgery but I thought I would just leave you with my note to my sixteen year old self.

Dear Sixteen year old me,

Here’s a little advice that you probably won’t listen too.

That guy you have the CRUSH from HELL on…he’s never going to feel the same way about you. But, that’s OK because you are going to meet and marry the best guy ever...and have two great kids.

Don’t lie out in the sun, you are never going to get a tan…NEVER. And it’s not worth the huge chuck of skin they are going to remove from your leg when you are 42. And it’s not worth the worry you are going to feel when you think about not being there for your kids.

Also, don’t stop drawing…you are going to really like that someday!

Love,

Your 50 year old self

p.s.Wear a hat and sunscreen!

Comments

[Eileen Keane]

I started young and progressed to baby oil with iodine on a tar roof.
Mine was basal cell on my face. It was a tiny bump about the size of a pencil eraser before Moh's surgery; ended up a hole the size of a quarter.
Looking back, it definitely wasn't worth the angst of a 16 yr old.

[Lynette]

I'm going to pass this video along for all my teen friends here on the Gulf Coast who are starting their summer fun in the sun. I'm so glad you've been recurrence free!!

[Norma]

thanks for sharing Erin. I always worry about about my DH who hates wearing sunscreen and often gets sunburns :(

[Vicki W]

Oh top of the cancer risk, there's a vanity incentive. In some ways I am very fortunate that I developed incredibly severe allergies in my 20's. Because of that I have had almost zero sun exposure in 30 years. No one believes that I am 50. Just last week someone told me she thought I was 35. By the time I get to the retirement home I am going to be the hottest chick there!
Nothing ages your skin like the sun.......well, that and smoking.

[Vicki W]

Oh, and I designed this wide-brim sun visor pattern specifically to keep the sun off my face, ears and neck when I am in the sun. It works great. The pattern is a free downloadable PDF. http://3creativestudios.com/freeprojects/visor.pdf

I don't usually leave links in comments but I thought this was pertinent to your topic.

[Darlene Staley]

Thanks for sharing. I have posted this to my facebook page!

[Sew Create It - Jane]

Powerful video and powerful message...I've passed it on to my 17 year old daughter.

Thanks for sharing

[Marian]

I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face. I am a volunteer driver for cancer patients and have met a few with melanoma. THANK YOU Erin for posting this. I am going to forward it to everyone I know.

[jen]

Thank you for posting this video...I'm not one of those who "lays out", but I love the sun, it literally makes me happy easing my depression and lifting my mood. I frequently "forget" my hat and living in TX the weather is so very hot that I sometimes I can't bear to cover up....I'm off to walk the dogs with my hat and my long sleeves, thanks for the reminder.

[Debbie in Alaska]

Thanks you so much...I posted it to my FB and asked my sons (both pasty-white) to watch this.

[Sharon]

I'm the girl at the beach with a long sleeved shirt, big floppy hat, sunglasses AND 45 sunscreen. And I love when my friends comment on how beautiful my skin is and how young I look. THanks for sharing, awareness is the best prevention.

[Cathy B]

Wow!! That was powerful. I have a mole I am having checked next week. Thank you so much for sharing the video. Hugs

[Rita]

Thank you for sharing this Erin. My father has been battling melanoma and I sent this link to my whole family.

[Nancy]

Bravo!!! Hugs....

[Michele]

Very informative. I'm linking to your post. This Florida girl gets it. Let's help spread the word.

[Patricia Ottem]

One of my daughters is the "white" one who never tans. It's from her father's side. I have continually stressed sun screen to both of my kids from the time they were little.

On a more cheerful note, I saw that you were named by Quilter's Home mag. one of the top 50 quilting blogs. Congratulations! You are definitely on my list. You should be shouting this out to everyone. I'm so proud of you

[Cindi]

Excellent video. Excellent. Just posted it to my facebook. Everyone should see this.

[Loralynn]

Wow. Thanks for sharing this...I will definitely be passing this along to EVERYONE!

[Toddy Sumsky]

THANK YOU

[Jennifer O'Riordan]

My husband is also a melanoma survivor -- 23 years and counting with one tiny dot on his earlobe also removed 2 years ago. He slathers himself with sun protection even in winter. For years with limited products available he smelled like a beach even in January!

Remember the white noses of the lifeguards at the beaches and pools? That white stuff is zinc oxide, a great protection against the sun. It comes in a clear formula and my husband buys it in large tubes and wears that all the time -- highly recommended by his dermatologist. (No beach-y smell, either!)

The downside of constant skin protection (in addition to clear zinc, my husband wears long sleeves, never wears shorts or sandals, and always wears a wide-brimmed hat outdoors) is that the sun makes vitamin D on the skin. Vitamin D plays a role in bone health, colon and breast health, and lots of other things. So, along with the clear zinc, he takes vitamin D supplements.

I'm a 7-year ovarian and uterine cancer survivor myself.We're looking forward to many more years of life together.

[Peggi]

On a lighter note - can I just state from experience that the perfect sunscreen is living in Portland? hee, hee.