Sunscreen..The 11th essential item

It goes without saying that we should all protect our skin from the sun. Like many others, when I was younger and invincible...so I thought, I did not heed that advice and now years of being outdoors in the sun, especially in the high country where the affects of UV radiation are much higher with no protection has now, unfortunately caught up to me.

Today after a visit with a specialist, I learned that:
a) I waited too long to see any Doctor about my skin problems
and
b: Surgery is the only option (I have been booked on a priority basis).

We often think that being Equipped To Survive is about having all the latest gee whiz gear and kit. I know from reading through endless posts here, suncreen is very seldom mentioned, yet I now firmly believe that sunscreen should be 11th item of the 10 essentials that we all should carry. Wearing sunscreen (and a proper hat) can be the deciding difference in your health. Not wearing either can prove to one of the worst survival mistakes you can make. It changes your life and now it certainly has changed for my family and I...

Good idea - I use sunscreen everyday I'm out, and pack extra. A $5.99 bottle lasts a good long time ( and keep another in the car.) Each "kit" has a small 1-2 oz bottle. Add a hat and sunglasses.

You are absolutely right. I'll bet very few of us cover up adequately.

Best wishes with your upcoming procedures.

May the Force be with you!
-Blast

Sunblock is not an essential survival item. IMO a hat, long sleeved shirt, and pants are absolutely essential. Most people I've seen who work all day in the sun wear full body protection. Sunblock is nice for recreational activities, but for serious protection you have to use clothing. Hope your procedure goes well and you have a quick recovery.

Technically I think LED is right that sunblock is not absolutely essential. This coming from a Florida native who has seen more than his share of Yankees get themselves seriously hurt when they fail to understand that the southern sun is not the gentle, warm friend they are used to up north.

Frog-belly-white skin can turn beet-red in a shockingly short amount of time. I've carried several people to doctors for 'sun poisoning' and observed the painful debridement of a child's skin required by traumatic sunburn. They essentially peeled off the upper layer of skin using a scalpel and forceps while the poor kid screamed.

Sunscreen may not be absolutely essential because you can get over 90% protection from appropriate clothing. Hat, sunglasses, long-sleeve shirt, long pants are effective.

But, you knew a but was coming, even with appropriate clothing there are gaps. It wasn't a huge deal but I have had a rough time occasionally with burned spots. The sides of the head, lower parts of the ears, tops of the feet and backs of the hands can get painfully burned.

Because of this, and the simple fact that sometimes hats and items of clothing get left behind, or lost, or I simply forget to use them early enough, a little sunscreen is mighty handy to have around.

While a conventional tube or bottle of sunscreen will work the biggest bang for the buck - and so cheap and compact you can buy them in quantity and scatter them among kits, packs, and pockets - are the sunscreen rated lip balms. You can use them on lips, of course, but they can be smeared on ears, the back of hands, top of the feet and make things a lot more comfortable. There is also just enough in a standard lip balm tube to cover a forehead, upper shoulders, back of the neck and nose a couple of times. Enough to get you through a day in reasonable shape if you found yourself without a shirt and hat.

Another case where a little bit of something on you at a critical time can be more effective than huge amounts of material resources that get left behind.

Best wishes on an uncomplicated procedure!

Sunscreen has an expiration date and it really does lose effectiveness with time. (seen it on my skin).

SPF only applies to the UVB part of the spectrum.I consider this almost criminally misleading information.
Inexpensive sunscreen works on only UVB.
More expensive stuff (read the label) also screens UVA.

I wear longsleeved shirt, wide-brimmed hat and gloves plus sunscreen on face and neck when out on the prairie in summer.
There was a reason that cowboys wore really wide-brimmed hats.

I reapply good sunscreen frequently at high altitude.

(I like Coppertone Sport)

I have been hemming and hawing on my reply to this, and my conclusion is this:

Sunblock is NOT it's own category of "essential" any more than bug dope it. Instead, I would include them in the catagory of "proper spare clothing", along with a wide brimmed hat, long sleeved shirt, long pants, gloves, sunglasses, et al. And, a head net to go over the wide brimmed hat.

UV protection, like insect protection, is important, but it is part of a family of protection.


And on a less technical note, good luck man. Hopefully you've caught it early enough.

+1 on sunscreen lip balm / chapstick- small enough for a kit and can be used on lips, nose, etc.

+1 to what Ironraven said. My mom is red-haired, pale skinned, and has had pretty much every inch of her skin removed one square at a time due to skin cancer. Big hat, long sleeves, long pants is always my outdoors wardrobe, even when kayaking or canoeing.

However, I do keep sunblock in my desk at work in case I have to walk home and also in my EDC murse for other people to use. Women have been surprisingly grateful for it.

-Blast

I think most of us missed (1) of Teslinhiker,s comments, about missing the signs and frequent checkups.... I've had 3 basal cell and 1 squamous cell surgically removed, and the protocol for malignant melanoma less than 5mm is just surgery. I've lived in Florida since 1955, and worked college summers in a chemical refining plant that produced yellow phosphorous. My first basal cell showed up on the top of my ear(not protected by a baseball cap) when I was in my early 40's... a scab that did not heal...typically they show up as shiny bumps (mine on forehead and neck)... the squamous looked like a wart on my left forearm.... the most dangerous is melanoma, typically irreguarly shaped (not symmetrical), multi colored brown/black possibly red, larger than the diameter of a pencil eraser... seek a good dermatologist if you have a suspicious looking mark especially if it changes shape... regards Les

Teslinhiker....best of luck... I know what it's like waiting for the biopsy to come back...

Good advice, Teslin_. I'm in the big-hat-and-long-sleeves camp since I burn easily. Maybe I need to add sunscreen for face and hands.

Your news is enough to unnerve anyone. Here's hoping for a good outcome.

The original Ten Essentials developed by the Mountaineers of Seattle Washington, included sun protection. Their main focus was on sunglasses since alpine travel in snowy conditions can result in temporary blindness ("snow blindness"), but their category was "sun protection" not sun glasses and sun screen, Chapstick, clothing, etc. is appropriate to include.

People look at me funny when I wear long sleeves and long pants in the summer but both my grandfather and my father had skin cancer. I like my wide brimmed hat just fine, thank you.

On whatever list in whatever order, sun protection and sun screen in particular are essential.

HJ

**The Original 10 Essentials**
- Map (topographic)
- Compass
- Light (headlamp or flashlight)
- Sun protection (hat, sun glasses, sunscreen, Chapstick, etc.)
- Extra food & water
- Extra clothing
- Matches (or lighter or fire steel or sparker)
- Firestarter (tinder) -- e.g. Tinder Qwick, Wet Fire, Vaseline cotton balls, candle, etc.
- Knife
- FAK

I've generally stopped using lip balm, and just apply the sunscreen to my lips. Minimally noticeable taste with some; none with others. I may be running somewhat more of a risk with becoming sensitized and developing an allergy to the ingredients, but so far, so good.
Bottom line is, the lips are a frequent site for the various skin cancers to show up; protection there with sun-screen is better than the the lip balm that you don't have. It's also one less thing to buy/pack/carry.

Hmm. Does it stay on well? I suppose there's no way to determine its effectiveness over time without some kind of research.

The Chapstick brand lip balm that I use is SPF 30 and seems to stay on reasonably well. It also prevents chapping which can be a pain in the neck to deal with. Again, though, I have no research available to me that indicates how long the sunscreen component remains functioning. I reapply frequently.

Good idea to use sunscreen if you forget/lose the chapstick.

HJ

I'm EDCing the Sawyer Premium Sunblock with Insect Repellent. Found it at the local REI (http://www.rei.com/product/785882) - pen sized, spray action. Very versatile and proven effective in both functions. The only disadvantage compared to a chapstick - can't use it as a fire starter (hmm, actually I never tried to use it on tinder).

Wide brimmed hat, long sleeved shirt, and long pants are my standard hiking outfit all seasons.

There are many other '10 essentials lists' - fun to look up

In my 100% Non-Hypothetical Kit that I've developed over the years as a result of being a rural fire/rescue guy who is also fire police, Sun Screen and Chapstick are right up there with water in terms of importance.

Interesting link - http://www.drbriffa.com/2008/06/16/bmj-e...gnant-melanoma/

Personally, I get as much sun exposure as I can.

In sunny, hot conditions a wide, full brimmed hat is very important. Ball caps don't cut it.

Good point. Sunscreen is assumed when I go outdoors, even under my shirt. That plus sunglasses and a wide brim hat