The damage of Sun

[georgegeorgia]

Can I ask you older guys did the Sun damage your skin when you were younger and now you are paying the effects?

 

I sat in the Sun 🌞 yesterday for about 30 minutes to get Vitamin D 

 

I'm thinking is it better just to take vitamin D 

I had a blood test recently,I have one every month but this time I asked to include vitamin D

The doctor said it's middle range at 95 apparently goes up to range of 145

And he said it's ok but I sampled the Sun yesterday and I had no idea how long to sit there to get the vitamin D 

 

The Australian Sun is known for skin cancer which luckily I think I don't have but I may have to get checked 

 

A guy at my work in his 50's was a Surfer in his 20's he lost part of his nose to skin cancer his skin makes him look old 

[EVENKEEL]

Monthly blood test? Are you monitoring a serious illness, sorry to hear that.

[georgegeorgia]

9 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Monthly blood test? Are you monitoring a serious illness, sorry to hear that.

No I have nothing wrong so far 

But I need to get checked just in case something could happen 

Both my parents died of cancer 

[KhunBENQ]

Recently read a rule of thumb.

(from Europe)

While your shadow is shorter than you, sun is strong enough to build Vitamin D. About 15 min in the sun is enough.

Don't take Vitamin D for no reason!

Too much risk with overdosing. 

As the sun in Thailand can be so high up you might have to sunbath/lie down or you just burn your skulp 😊

[save the frogs]

15 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

 

I'm thinking is it better just to take vitamin D

 

Based on my research of the sun and vitamin D, I find it to be one of the more perplexing issues in health. 

 

So I will refrain from giving you any advice.

 

But it doesn't seem like a black and white issue at all. Too much sun could give you skin cancer. And no sun at all could also cause health problems. I just recently met a woman diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She said sth about her doctor saying it's more prevalent in countries that get less sun. 

 

 

[flyingtlger]

19 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

I had a blood test recently,I have one every month

 

[novacova]

Fair skinned individuals probably shouldn’t spend too much time in the sun, especially laying out half clothed baking like a lobster. 

[EVENKEEL]

23 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

No I have nothing wrong so far 

But I need to get checked just in case something could happen 

Both my parents died of cancer 

Monthly blood work seems obsessive, that's all. Me, I feel so much healthier getting sun. I don't just lay in the sun, that's boring. But playing in the ocean and beach walks is my way of keeping some color.

[HighPriority]

I doubt you need 30 mins in Oz or Thailand.

There is an age where skin cancer becomes less of a concern medically (at some point, something will cause your demise…)

I have no objection to getting 30 mins of sun whilst exercising early morning or late evening but cover up and avoid intense midday sun when possible.

[nausea]

As with most things, "dosis sola facit venenum" (Paracelsus 1538) - the dose makes the poison. I believe some natural sunlight is essential for good health, so c. 15 mins a day for me here in Thailand . Always wear a hat (shaved head). My back doesn't like the sun, I put that down to it getting sunburnt a lot when I was a kid in the UK. My Dad had this ridiculous maxim (knowing what we know now) that you have to get red before you get brown. Definitely ages the skin, I only have to look at the back of my hands to verify that. 

[georgegeorgia]

26 minutes ago, HighPriority said:

I doubt you need 30 mins in Oz or Thailand.

There is an age where skin cancer becomes less of a concern medically (at some point, something will cause your demise…)

I had no idea about that 👍

 

[HighPriority]

9 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

I had no idea about that 👍

 

My father died at 83 yrs from a melanoma on his face.

My Dr wasn’t concerned by this, stating that at 83 they don’t consider it relevant to “family history”

I myself had a melanoma 2 years ago at age 55.

It was an unusual location as it was on the side of my foot, but we got it early and we’ll have yearly checks from now on. 

[Denim]

1 hour ago, georgegeorgia said:

Can I ask you older guys did the Sun damage your skin when you were younger and now you are paying the effects?

 

Yup. Fair skinned and paying the price now for not using sun block from the get go back in 1979. Big mistake. Although I never sunbathe or sit out in the sun I have caught enough incidental sun on my head to give me a few rounds of skin cancers ( squamous carcinomas ) and keratosis.  I have it under control now but it cost a lot of money in hospital visits ( including a plastic surgeon )

 

It is surprising how many Thais get cancer of some sort and it is one of the bigger killers in our neck of the woods.

 

My worst experience of sunburn occured years ago whilst working in Bangkok.

 

I managed to find myself in a relationship with the companies beautiful and educated head secretarry ( Asian but not Thai )

We decided to go to Cha am for a weekend break and I was looking forward to plenty of gratuitous hanky panky. After checking in at the hotel we went to the beach. Aware of my fragile skin we hired an umbrella and 2 chairs and I also wore a very light shirt most of the time ....and a hat.  However , we were there a few hours and I did venture into the sea for a grope.

 

Back at the hotel the evening came on and I pretty soon found myself spreadeagled on the bed with the air con on full blast looking like the red cross on a nurses uniform. Goodbye hanky panky hello misery and lost opportunity.

 

If you are new here my advice is use sunblock and plenty of it.

[homeseeker]

If you are older and spend a lot of time in the sun there is a risk of getting Actenic keratosis.

I had this condition on my head and needed treatment. If untreated it can develop into skin cancer.

Now i try to avoid the sun and if outside in the day I wear a hat and other protective clothing.

[freeworld]

Yes, lots of damage from the sun mainly from work and being in sunny climes.

 

If I had to go back in time and knowing what I know now, would have taken many precautions but too late now.

 

Now coverup and always wear a hat when outside.

[Denim]

23 minutes ago, homeseeker said:

If you are older and spend a lot of time in the sun there is a risk of getting Actenic keratosis.

I had this condition on my head and needed treatment. If untreated it can develop into skin cancer.

Now i try to avoid the sun and if outside in the day I wear a hat and other protective clothing.

 

Regarding keratosis , on another forum I came across a very useful tip for treating this condition. Apparently an Australian doctor discovered that Diclofenac Diethylamine gel is a very effective means to quickly bringing keratosis under control. It has not been peer tested but I can vouch for its effectiveness.

 

In Australia they can get this in upto 5g strength. In the UK I managed to get some at 2.32g

In Thailand the local generic types available only come in at 1g strength but is just as effective as the stronger ones. I swear this product although designed for giving muscular relief REALLY WORKS on keratosis is you apply it daily. Once after morning shower and once before bedtime. Takes about a week before you begin to see the results. Here is what I am currently using. One tube lasts well over a month.

 

 

There are other brands as weel that are just as effective. 

 

This is a lot safer and cheaper to use than what the doctors recommend whish is mostly Aldara cream which is very expensive and works like a flame thrower .....burns everything not only the keratosis and takes months of use.

[HighPriority]

10 minutes ago, Denim said:

 

Regarding keratosis , on another forum I came across a very useful tip for treating this condition. Apparently an Australian doctor discovered that Diclofenac Diethylamine gel is a very effective means to quickly bringing keratosis under control. It has not been peer tested but I can vouch for its effectiveness.

 

In Australia they can get this in upto 5g strength. In the UK I managed to get some at 2.32g

In Thailand the local generic types available only come in at 1g strength but is just as effective as the stronger ones. I swear this product although designed for giving muscular relief REALLY WORKS on keratosis is you apply it daily. Once after morning shower and once before bedtime. Takes about a week before you begin to see the results. Here is what I am currently using. One tube lasts well over a month.

 

 

There are other brands as weel that are just as effective. 

 

This is a lot safer and cheaper to use than what the doctors recommend whish is mostly Aldara cream which is very expensive and works like a flame thrower .....burns everything not only the keratosis and takes months of use.

So, you spot it on for a week ?

[Denim]

4 minutes ago, HighPriority said:

So, you spot it on for a week ?

 

No. I use it just about daily now , just once though before bed time. Once it had my keratosis under control i stopped applying it in the morning. If I miss a few days my keratosis does not immediatly flare up.

[KhunBENQ]

36 minutes ago, Denim said:

Australia they can get this in upto 5g strength

It's measured in mg/gr or percent.

2.32% is 23.2 mg/gr of cream.

Usual "Difelene" brand in Thailand is 1%.

As far as I know OTC stuff in Germany is limited to 1%.

Pills can have up to 100(!) mg of Diclofenac. Be aware of the side effects particularly on the liver.

[gargamon]

1 hour ago, HighPriority said:

My father died at 83 yrs from a melanoma on his face.

Did he die FROM it or WITH it? Totally different scenarios. I don't know how a melanoma on the face could kill someone without the cancer spreading elsewhere. 

[jvs]

When i was young i never covered up and payed the price for it.

I remember blisters from sun burn in my neck from driving an open tractor in the hot sun all day.

Now i mostly cover up .

The other big danger is your eyes,i have very light colored blue eyes and the sun has done some damage to them as well.

Not only this happened because i was stupid but in those days the danger was not recognized as such.

 

[HighPriority]

50 minutes ago, gargamon said:

Did he die FROM it or WITH it? Totally different scenarios. I don't know how a melanoma on the face could kill someone without the cancer spreading elsewhere. 

Yeah, true.

The cancer went secondary, spreading into his lungs etc.

 

[gargamon]

1 hour ago, HighPriority said:

Yeah, true.

The cancer went secondary, spreading into his lungs etc.

 

A friend of mine passed a while back. When I was informed they said he died of brain cancer. He was a heavy smoker. After some discussion it we decided he died of lung cancer that had moved to his brain. 

 

Much better to give the whole picture. 

[WhatMeWorry]

I have major sun damage to my skin and I never go out in the Sun now. I always cover up when I must be exposed. This is rather difficult living in Thailand. Most of the damage to my skin happened when my girlfriend and I lived at a nudist resort on the island of Crete. It was a wonderful time but I over did it. I take a vitamin D tablet every other day, 1000IU. I am still having spots on my face,  back and chest frozen at times per my Dermatologist.

[BigStar]

Sunlight's good for you, as google will tell you. Yes, better than Vitamin D from supplements in a number of ways. Needs to hit 30% of your skin area. Sunscreen cancels out the good effect. WOT??? I'm talking about modest exposure time, and of course NOT enough for any sunburn whatsoever. You can overdo anything, like die from drinking too much water, as did a woman in the news recently.

 

No matter what you do, unless you can afford the Cher makeover, your skin's gonna get old, wrinkled, and spotted anyway, if you live long enough.  

 

Skin cancers develop in people who don't have that much sun exposure and on areas of the skin not exposed to the sun. Besides your own loving self-examination, I'd recommend regular skin checks by a dermatologist (like Dr. Anna at BPH). Most here should probably be a lot more worried about a healthy lifestyle to avoid early CVD, diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, and cognitive decline.