Fwd: [at-l] Re: ATML Sunscreen?

[wb4pan@mindspring.com (Chase Davidson)]

HI Gang,

	My skin Doc told me that: 
Melanoma , any way you spell it:-) is an accumulative condition. Each
individual has a different trigger point at which a skin cancer
develops. For example to put it very simply without regard to elevation
or location, maybe my trigger time is, that 5000 hours of sun will cause
a melanoma to form. That means during my life time all the hours I am
exposed to sunlight add up, except the hours that I use sun block. This
is the reason left arms are the most common place for them to form.
While driving your left arm receives exposure more often. Since most of
us grew up before this information was available, we probably have spent
a good deal of our life unprotected. As a child we spent much time at
the beach. Our sun block was a home made mix of baby oil and iodine.
	Since I really do not know how many hours of sunlight exposure will
trigger a skin cancer or actually how many hours I have already been
exposed. I try to be a bit more careful these days. When I am not in the
trees on the AT I try to remember to wear some sort of hat to cover that
shinny spot on my head! One other thing my skin doc suggested is to use
a sun block that contains a UVB/UVB block. She also stated that there is
only one ingredient that does this evectively it is Parsol 1789.
Neutrogena sells a sun block that contains that ingredient.
	Of course there is some controversy over the effectiveness of Parsol
1789 and who knows we may find it causes some other malady LOL. Folks
often ask me "How do you STAND the cold while winter hiking" I reply I
do not stand the cold, I dress for it. Same thing in summer hiking you
need to dress for it and I choose to wear a sun block. I choose to avoid
certain chemical additives in my food too. It may not help but I do not
think it will hurt me to make these choices.


chase

Jim and/or Ginny Owen wrote:
> 
> Mags wrote:
> >Hiking back east, never bothered with sunscreen. I
> >sweat a fair amount when hiking so the sunscreen
> >always wears off. I also tend to tan very well due to
> >my complexion.
> 
> One of the most common afflictions in Georgia in March and April used to be
> sunburned ears.  Before I started in Georgia, I was forewarned about that by
> other thruhikers, so I used sunscreen.  I also wore a hat that covered my
> ears.  But after the first couple weeks I never used the sunscreen again on
> the AT.  That may have been a mistake because unlike Mags who apparently
> burns and tans, I burn and peel - and I ended up with severe sun damage on
> both ears and my head.  I've had to have a dermatologist take the damaged
> spots off twice - and it's back again.  Some people an get away without
> using sunscreen - and some of us need to ask ourselves how much long term
> damage we want to live with for the rest of our life?
> 
> >But, now that I hike out West, I almost always wear a
> >wide brimmed khaki hat. The UV radition is very
> >intense once past 10k feet, and having a red nose and
> >a red face (even if it browns over in a day or so)
> >can't be too healthy...
> 
> I wore a standard military boonie hat on the CDT - and it worked fairly well
> -- until we were in New Mexico (in October/November).  Then the sun was low
> enough that the brim didn't shade my face and even with sunscreen, my nose
> burned -- and burned -- and burned.  To the point that it burned the skin
> off the tip of my nose.  Painful - extremely painful.  Take Mags seriously -
> if you're gonna hike high altitude trails, carry the sun screen (and USE IT)
> and a wide brimmed hat.
> 
> Walk softly,
> Jim
> 
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