Hope you fell better soon Spink. Not one of the items on our bucket lists of thing to do but sometimes we don't get a choice. Things will get better.

Thanks for posting guys. It keeps the sunscreen application top of mind for me anyways. I'm as pale as rice, red headed and work inside of an underground complex. Hell, I even sneeze when I get out in the sun...

Derm apt. next week. I kind of look forward to it. My Dr. was a runway model through med school and I make sure to always have her check my feet. Not that there's anything wrong with my feet, its just a really great view :)

Thanks for your thoughts. I had another Basal taken off the front of my left thigh Wednesday (5/4) with a skin graft...general anesthesia again !! OK...just one more of thos e next week on right shoulder...then the rest are small enough to be excised with local deadening.

Damn it all...three General Anesthesia in 3: weeks is a serious energy zap !! I didn't think it would tire me out this much but live and learn. I'm a real Genuine Scar-face from last week !! This will heal though...I have a good Plastic Surgeon.

SUN SCREEN, SHIRTS AND HATS !!!

You guys are scaring me ... :eek:

good !!!

Wow OK My Turn. Age 61.

Houston, TX, born, raised, lived/boated/fished/waterskied/sun baked/swam/distance bicycling January - October every year. I began to be "smart enough" to put something on my face, SPF high as you could get at the time, since I was about 18. But all those years as a pale white kid with Finnish/German heritage and Beach Boy blonde hair has gotten to everywhere else. Shoulders, chest, back, and upper arms since age 25 when I had my first biopsy proven BCC (basal cell carcinoma) removed from just over the head of my left collar bone, with a "Z Plasty" that left a pretty good conversation piece. Then every 6 months to 2 years thereafter one of the above mentioned areas. Since about age 35 I really got serious about sunscreen and use only Coppertone Kids in the pink bottle or spray as my dermatologist said it is the best at blocking and staying effective after sweating or short dips to cool off. My wife or daughters know the ritual of slathering Daddy all over before we spray them with some sissy sht like Neutrogena Ultra Shear 50.

So last year I get some bleeding in my left ear when toweling off after a shower and I think I must have scraped my self with a fingernail, etc. It won't heal. I'm busy at work and wait for months, 6 to be exact before seeing the dermatologist. Of course - a BCC INSIDE my ear, that requires MOHS surgery to avoid a serious disfigurement. I thought all was well until - it CAME BACK. Now I need the plastic surgeon, because it has gone deep towards the cartilage and more MOHS surgery. Then, another on my ear on that little bump at the top of the earlobe. My ear!!! The dermatologist said oh yes, you only put sunscreen along the top and not on the inside of your ear. A common problem! Then another last month just behind the angle of my jaw on the left side, and yes he says, you forgot to put sunscreen there too. So now, I sunscreen and wear those long sleeve shirts the bass holes use around here with a hat not a visor but now I'm so damn old I wonder if it really makes any difference any more!!!

On Time...the one thing I realize is this skin cancer is as serious as any thing we deal with in boating...if not more so.It eventually affects all of us regardless of race, ethnic back ground or where we live.

Almost ten years ago I lost a good friend to lung cancer that was Squamous Cell Carcinoma that had metastasized from several lesions on his face and back that he ignored for years. He was an avid boater, South Florida Native and was on his boat every weekend. He made the Bahamas crossing from his water front home in Port Saint Lucie several times a year. SC took him at age 51...that one really hurt me....but it was a wake up call.

I just had another BCC cut off the front of my right shoulder this past Wednesday requiring a skin graft and General Anesthesia....the 4th one this month...and hopefully the last major. Anything else remaining can be done in the office with local anesthesia. I have casually met some interesting people in the waiting room...lots of boaters and we compare notes. Similar stories and experiences.

I hope a lot of guys read and think about this thing...it's serious $hit !! That being said I can only blame myself...looking back I have spent much more time and money keeping my boats up with wax and UV Protection for the interior, corrosion resistant coatings, bottom paint, etc....than I even thought about spending on protecting myself !!!

The more people that read this thread the better!!! Boating is a Family Sport and we always make sure that we have proper safety equipment on board and take responsibility for their well being and that of our guests as "Captains" of our vessels. We build confidence in those that are on our boats with our knowledge of boat handling, navigation and seamanship. Our knowledge makes them feel at ease.

I have made a pledge to myself to add Sun Protection a vital part of what I provide on my boat...just as much as that VHF Radio, water, flares, First Aid Kit, etc. If we take charge of our destiny regarding this Skin Cancer issue we can possibly save someone else from experiencing this Pain In The Ass later on.

After only 3 weeks this thread has had not quite 1000 views...which is damn good for a topic that we historically avoid !!!

Thanks for all the contributions to this thread!!

I'm starting to stock up on some of this stuff: http://www.sportfishingmag.com/bigfish-gear-shirts

Looking for anything you guys might recommend or have experience with.

Exactly. Spot on. I am an older Daddy and we now absolutely NEVER cut short our sunblock ritual before we go out even if it just for a short while. If a short ride is planned, I will use the easier stuff to apply like the Neutrogena Ultra Shear which is really quite comfortable. But our sweet little blonde daughters are being indoctrinated that going without sunblock is the identical thing as not wearing a seat belt in the car.

Thanks Sprink for this thread.

You are welcome !!