I’ll keep it simple. Be it melanoma or basil cell carcinoma. Mine was basil cell thankfully! I ignored it. Why? That’s another discussion.
I don’t like showing my image but I feel this is important.
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Dang Sinker –
That doesn’t look good.
You doing OK now?
Scar from skin melanoma from 12 years ago. 6 more spots removed within 3 years after that, all benign.
Sunscreen on the face in the boat. Hate the stuff. My Dermatologist recommended Bullfrog brand.
Long pants, long sleeve shirt, fingerless gloves, and cap with neck cover EVERY time I go in the boat. All spf rated clothing. Did I mention I HATE sunscreen!
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Thanks for this post. I started wearing sunscreen and covering up a few years ago and I’m glad I did
Good post and reminder to take this $hit seriously.
I have a funeral to go to for a friend who passed away over the weekend. It started out as skin cancer, but ended up getting far worse.
Fuk cancer
Thanks for this post. I started wearing sunscreen and covering up a few years ago and I’m glad I did
For years I was the same way. I’d wear a hat and apply a little sunscreen. My wife made me visit a dermatologist a couple years ago and the dermatologist said I already have damaged skin in various locations on my forehead and neck from UV rays.
That appointment was an eye opener. I’m much more cautious about it since then. I apply sunscreen liberally and limit my exposure during midday in the summer.
I have my yearly dermo check next week. 
I just read an article. A young lady at a Seattle Kraken game was beating on the glass yelling something to the visiting equip manager. Not uncommon. But she was in her last year of medical school. Had done training in Oncology. Finally typed a message on her phone. ” The spot on your neck is cancer, you need to get it checked out.” Ends up it was small, but one of the worst kinds of skin cancer. Dr. said let go a few years would have killed him. Kraken gave the gal $10,000 toward here college loans. I had half a dozen spots harvested last year. All came back clear, thankfully. Most fisherman have had “too much fun in the sun”. So, get checked.
I’ve fished at night for the last 20+ years. No need to worry about skin cancer…until the dime size sore on my shoulder wouldn’t heal. Few years later the took a chunk out of the side of my nose.
Hats and sunscreen normal for me know.
Thanks for the post. It reminded me to set up my annual scan.
I hope things are going better for you now, I am sure your family is very grateful.
I have had two basil cell “procedures”, one was in the corner of my eye. Go in next week for my twice a year check.
I do the same cover up when out in the sun, big hat, cover face, arms, neck, gloves, even when mowing grass. To think of all the times out in full sun when younger and not even thinking about wearing anything but a ball cap.
Wife used to go to the electric beach almost daily, until she had to go through a few nasty procedures, and I mean nasty.
Please get checked by a dermatologist.
I too had two spots of melanoma taken off my arm a few years back. One was stage one and the other had just crossed over to stage 2, if I remember right. Now I carry sun screen in the boat and in my golf bag. I now wear hats, long sleeved tops in the summer, and neck cover. I’m checked every year, with my next visit coming up on Feb. 7.
I always think it’s extremely unselfish of people to share these experiences with others, thanks for doing that. Always a great reminder.
Question for anyone out there who, like me, has a natural sweater they wear 24/7: Any tips or tricks for better screening? I’m so damn hairy it’s tough to see any weird freckles or anything that might pop up.
My nose after melanoma removal. Fortunately the plastic surgeon was great. 63 years old and when we were kids we never heard of sun screen, it was get a good sun burn and then after your skin peels it would tan up. (Shout our to the nurse for taking the photo so I could share it in situations like this)
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Whoops, photo is upside down, but you can get the drift.
I just read an article. A young lady at a Seattle Kraken game was beating on the glass yelling something to the visiting equip manager. Not uncommon. But she was in her last year of medical school. Had done training in Oncology. Finally typed a message on her phone. ” The spot on your neck is cancer, you need to get it checked out.” Ends up it was small, but one of the worst kinds of skin cancer. Dr. said let go a few years would have killed him. Kraken gave the gal $10,000 toward here college loans. I had half a dozen spots harvested last year. All came back clear, thankfully. Most fisherman have had “too much fun in the sun”. So, get checked.
This was pretty amazing and I saw the video of when the two met face to face when they rewarded her. Such a nice story. Turns out she is actually a Canucks fan who lives in Seattle and her dad has season tickets. This was the first home game for the Kraken so she wore the Kraken jersey. She has done other selfless things in the past too, like offering to go shopping for people where she lived during the Pandemic if they were afraid to go out. Wonderful story.
I do the same cover up when out in the sun, big hat, cover face, arms, neck, gloves, even when mowing grass. To think of all the times out in full sun when younger and not even thinking about wearing anything but a ball cap.
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Whoa, hope you had more on than just a ball cap? 
I wouldn’t want skin cancer on some of my body parts below the waist. 
Question for anyone out there who, like me, has a natural sweater they wear 24/7: Any tips or tricks for better screening? I’m so damn hairy it’s tough to see any weird freckles or anything that might pop up.
I really like the sun shirts, or whatever they are called, super light weight with wicking and are actually cooler in the sun than not wearing a shirt. Good post, I just had a dermo appointment recently and got the all clear!
I’ve had a few basil lesions frozen off and two more serious ones requiring chemo cream.
I now need to wear spf shirts, gloves, and gaiters along with wide brimmed hats and sunscreen for most outside activities.
Hopefully 1hi&’s message gets more people doing this before they have skin cancer.
I really like the sun shirts, or whatever they are called, super light weight with wicking and are actually cooler in the sun than not wearing a shirt. Good post, I just had a dermo appointment recently and got the all clear!
That was a real eye opener for me when I heard that you could still get bad rays through your clothing. I since changed to those “fishing shirts” too. I never take my shirt off I look like and albino without it on, but somehow I have these two moles on my back. I had the doc look at them a couple years ago because I was worried about them as they are raised and strange shaped. She said they were nothing to worry about and did nothing about it. Now I want them checked again. I cant remember what she called them, but its apparently a hereditary thing.
That was a real eye opener for me when I heard that you could still get bad rays through your clothing.
I went across the Mojave Desert in ’77 on my motorcycle wearing a tee shirt. Besides learning that a person doesn’t want to do that in the afternoon, I realized how burnt I was at the end of the day.
I’ve absorbed my fair share of the sun over the years. Had a basal cell cut off my upper lip, below my nose in 09. Been to a few follow up dermo appointments since then and now they just tell me to keep an eye out for anything strange and then come in. I suspect I’ll have more down the road, I’m sure.
I do need to get better about putting on sun screen still (I’m better than I was, but still forget it from time to time). Over the last few years I have begun wearing the lightweight SPF clothing and I always have a ball cap on. Wish I find a fishing sombrero to wear though.
62 years old. Same as others. No sunscreen as a kid. About 5 years ago had a pre-cancerous spot on my left cheek (face, not bum) frozen. I needed to be frozen again. The dermatologist said it happens sometimes on men because the hair follicles are deeper. I was wearing sunscreen most of the time. After that I started wearing long pants, shirts, neck/face buff, and wide-brimmed hat.
Just got checked in December. Saw a suspicious mole where the back of my neck meets the shoulder. We agreed to be conservative and remove it. Pathologist said it’s the highest level of abnormality but not-cancerous. They still suggested removing more tissue from the area. Schedule that for Feb. 11. Have a follow up with the dermatologist in June.
Get checked each year!!
Also I think people should start getting annual check-ups with a primary doctor each year starting at age 35-40. Can catch things early which is always a good thing. My doctor said if you don’t take care of yourself things start showing up in the early 40s.
OK you have my full attention here. I have always worn cut off t shirts for years and look like a leather saddle by the end of summer. Wear a baseball cap have long hair so my neck rarely sees light or my face full beard. You speak of shirts that are cooling long sleeve? never heard of them. Just found out my dad had some of his nose and hands with skin cancer. He was a farm kid and construction worker me farm kid with sitting on a lake forever. This really struck me. I get very over heated fast in summer. How on earth can a long sleeve shirt be cooler please enlighten me because after seeing this well to be honest scares the HE$$ out of me now the days of looking cool with a tan look to be over not that I did it for that but just grew up that way. Thanks
My wife had a spot on her leg between her calf and ankle. Went to the primary care dr. He wasn’t worried about it and froze it off. Even when she asked him several times to send a sample in he did not. Well it came back within 6 weeks. It was probably the size of a pencil eraser. We got into a dermatologist and they removed it. Turns out it was melanoma . She had to go in and have a huge chunk removed. Like the size of a baseball. They had to place a skin graft on it. They also removed some lymph nodes. She had some melanoma cells in one of them. Her melanoma is a fast growing one. I cant remember the exact terms they used. When you look up the statistics on here stage the 5 year survival rate is low 60%. She has to go in every few months and have several tests and scans to make sure it does not come back or spread. They say she will never be safe from it now that she had it and it got to lymph nodes.
So be careful and if you have a concerning spot go in asap and get it taken care of. Time is of the essence with melanoma.
They said to us women usually get it on the back of the lower legs, like she did. Men normally get it on their back or shoulders. All from sun burns and damage.
My dad died 25 or so years ago from Melanoma. Started out on the back of his head and spread through his entire body. It still took me a number of years to get smart about it… I was 12 when he died so the sunscreen thing didn’t really register with me until I got older. But now I’ve purchased a number of those SPF fishing shirts, and if i’m not wearing one of them, I apply sunscreen to anything exposed. Hoping to be around longer for my kids than he was able to be.
Great topic and reminder. I’ve got to get better about sunblock, shirts, etc. In July/August there are many days where I don’t have a shirt on from about 9am – We eat at 6:00pm whether it be fishing, cruising on the tritoon, or working outside. My wife has been really hammering this home.
For me, the more convenient something is the more likely I am to follow through with it. I don’t see myself ever spreading on globs of sunscreen every hour or 2 that I’m outside. I’ve learned to put the Bimini top up daily and always wear hats. The SPF wicking shirts are something else I’m growing to tolerate. I wish they were just more durable…one day handling lumber and they’re shot.
OK you have my full attention here. I have always worn cut off t shirts for years and look like a leather saddle by the end of summer. Wear a baseball cap have long hair so my neck rarely sees light or my face full beard. You speak of shirts that are cooling long sleeve? never heard of them. Just found out my dad had some of his nose and hands with skin cancer. He was a farm kid and construction worker me farm kid with sitting on a lake forever. This really struck me. I get very over heated fast in summer. How on earth can a long sleeve shirt be cooler please enlighten me because after seeing this well to be honest scares the HE$$ out of me now the days of looking cool with a tan look to be over not that I did it for that but just grew up that way. Thanks
The little I understand is the wicking fabric of an SPF shirt speeds up the evaporation of sweat and that helps cool your body. I sweat a lot and with a cotton shirt I can wring the water out of it after a few hours on the water. With an spf shirt I’ll just have a few damp spots on the shirt.
I have a few questionable spots on my shoulders and neck, I will be going in now. I keep pushing it off and this thread made me change my tone about the seriousness involved
Thanks all for the input!
Doing great on my end.
Being young that I am at the age of… Took this long to catch up to me.
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