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[cool][#0000ff]With all of the rain and cloudy weather we have been having, it doesn't seem like we need much protection from the sun. But, anybody who has fished on days this year when the sun is out has experienced what the sun can do at this time of year. Even worse than the sunburn is the long term damage to your skin. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I recently found out that a former friend and fishing buddy had died of melanoma (skin cancer) last year. That is always a wakeup call.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There is a writeup on the channel 2 news site about Utah being the number 4 state in the union for skin cancer, and ways to help protect yourself. [url "http://kutv.com/utah/UT-BRF--Utah-Melanoma-en/resources_news_html"]LINK TO ARTICLE[/url][/#0000ff]
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I've been in the sun all my life and never get burned... I would recommend a baseball hat with sunglasses. They work great. I also have never used sun protection, and neither has my grandfather who is a plumber and a beach bum all his life, he was always golden brown and never burnt. He wears a baseball hat while doing outdoor work.
However this is in sunny California, and I keep hearing about how Utah ranks very high in melanoma because of its high altitude. What is the difference if your surfing on a real bright day where you get reflections off the water everyday for 28 years and then you come up to Utah where it is the skin cancer capital? Well I am a hard-core sun worshipper and I love being outdoors. Should I invest in SPF lotions? I never liked being greasied up...
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My paternal grandfather, grandmother, and all of my dad's siblings have all had skin cancer cut off of them. My dad just found a growth the other day. As far as I'm concerned, it is just a matter of time for me. However, I'm usually too excited to get out fishing to remember to put on some sunscreen. Thankfully my wife won't let me go anywhere without some protection.
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THIS ONE HAS CHUCKS NAME ALL OVER IT... HE WILL SHARE HIS EXP WITH SUN DAMAGED SKIN.. USE THE BLOCK PAUL USE THE BLOCK...
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[cool][#0000ff]Your personal genetics play a large role in your sensitivity to sun too. People with more "melanin" (skin pigment) tend to be less affected by lots of sun. Those with fair skin can sometimes sustain skin damage by only a short exposure to the sun.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]"Rolling the dice" with melanoma is like the people who smoke "because they enjoy it"...and "can quit any time they want"...but who can't quit even after developing emphysema (or worse). That's another subject, but the same philosophy. We would all like to think we are immortal and something like that could never happen to us. Read the obituaries. I'll bet a lot of those folks were "surprised" too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sorry to be so morbid. Just offering some reality.[/#0000ff]
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Where I previously worked we had a man who worked outdoors all of the time. During the summer he always went without a shirt and sported a nice tan. He retired in his early sixties and appeared to be in excellent health. Less than three months later he was dead from skin cancer. For as along as I can remember, my father went into the dermatologist every couple months to have the skin cancer cut off of his face. His was a result of being out in the sun so much as a child, and also because of the intense heat from working near the blast furnaces at Geneva Steel. I need to find some sunblock that I can put above my eyes and not burn them when it eventually runs into them.
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Don't forget that it is also possible to get sunburned even when it is cloudy outside. You might not think about this much because when it's cloudy it is often cooler and people wear long sleeves. But if you are out with short sleeves and it is cloudy, yes the clouds do reduce somewhat the amount of UV rays that hit you, a significant amount will still get through. Just think, when you are swimming, snorkling, etc, you still get sunburned (and can get burned very badly) and this might be through a couple of feet of 'solid' water. Clouds are made up of tiny droplets and you can still get burned through them. Just another FYI.
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I've had my share of spots being burt off my arm and the tops of my ears. I have a friend at work that has had 1 in. of the top of his ear removed from the sun. I use spf 45 sun block and I haven't had any problems so far. later chuck
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Must be something to the whole Utah and higher elevation resulting in more burns, skin disorders, things like that. I used to just get a real dark brown when I lived in Northern California and I never burnt until I came here.... I guess the rays are still the same but it really kinda freaked me out when I got my first sunburn and now on the really bright hot days, I'll go out with lotion and do my arms, face and the back of my neck.... I don't worry too much about my legs but I guess I should start taking care of those too..... hard to fish without em....
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