Hi Peeps,

After having my 2nd annual visit to the skin cancer clinic, for the first time I have had to have 3 biopsies taken of skin cancers from beside my eye, middle of my back and right shoulder. All three were basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer which in it's early stages, if detected early enough, can usually be treated easily. I await the results with a certain amount of concern.

Tina also had a Basal Cell Carcinoma biopsied from her cheek. They trewated hers with the electro thingumubob and some special cancer cream. She should be fine.

If left unchecked BCC can develop into melanoma. Melanoma is a rapid spreading, aggressive form of cancer which grows inwardly and infects the lymph system which can then spread the cancer cells to all parts of the body including internal organs. This is serious and can be fatal.

There seems to be a lot of riders riding in just harness and boardies nowadays 'caus it feels good and looks cool. In our sun this doesn't make much sense. I always used to think I would get skin cancer but much later in life, I was wrong and it scares the sh!t out of me. I wear sunscreen and a hat, long sleeve shirts etc and rarely get roasted, but I do get too much sun as do most of us.

Don't think just because you're young or have darker skin that it wont happen to you. Wear a rashie, sunscreen up and even more importantly, get a yearly check up. I started thinking about staying out of the sun and off the beach, maybe a new sport .... but I can't, I was born for the beach and the water lifestyle as I'm sure most of you are too. I will have checkups at my Doc's request every 6 months from now on in. I love the beach and the sun, I just don't wanna die from it.

Don't wait 'til they're slicing pieces off of you for biopsy before doing something about it. Sorry for such a downer of a thread, I just reckon it's important and I can't ever remember seeing a thread on this before.

Good winds,

Hi kitehard sorry to hear your current situation.

With regards to the skin cancer clinic - I have been thinking of going to get a check up while in Perth, do they take images so next time they can see if anything has changed in color and size? Were did you go to get your checkup - how much was it and do you have to book well advance or few days ahead would be ok you think?

Hope everything turns out fine!

Hi Guys,

I have been going to Molescan in Wembly as do a few others I know. It costs $55 per check up and you get $30 back on medicare. They do take pictures of anything remotely suspect and attach it to your file so it can be compared at the next checkup.

You definately need to make a booking, not sure of the wait, I think it's busy. I have also heard that there are free check ups at Skin Cancer Clinics. There's one in Joondalup and I'm sure there's one in town. A little research could be a good idea.

Thanks for the well wishes, I'm sure it will be all good, the doc said not to worry too much so I'm gonna chill and then panic if necessary, but not until.

Cheers all,

Hey Stnkygoat,

On the topic of sunscreens. There is a new one out now made by Hamilton, it's called "Optimal". It is said to have some "you beaut" ingredient which helps prevent skin cancers which is going to revolutionize the sunscreen products industry.

I bought it on very high recommendation from the Pharmacy and have placed it in my school for myself, my instructors and my customers to use. We are in the sun from 12.30 until 8pm in the evening and one application leaves me pretty well protected for the day. If I go in the water I reapply as it's only 4hr water resistant. All our staff are hooked on it now!

Try it for yourself, it works for us and we are high sun exposure people.

He Ange,

Sorry to hear of your Skin cancer issues, glad it is working out well though, albeit due to losing chunks of skin from the doctors blade.

Good winds to all,

Well said Darren. I have given anaesthetics to pts for skin cancers around their eyes..rim of eyelid. Grafts are often needed where the skin cancers have been excised. Sobering stuff for me knowing how much sun i have had . Most patients were elderly...70+ but some were considerably younger. So as well as the usual sun protection garmets and creams and hat i would add sunglasses. UV radiation also contributes to cataracts and pterygium (this is like a surface growth of fibrous tissue on the inner corner of the eye..WA has one of the highest incidences in the world..sun wind grit contribute)
If you have fair skin i recommend a yearly visit to a dermatologist
Jeremy

another good zinc is ella bache. its expensive but it spreads real far and lasts all day. i dont really get burnt anymore

Sorry to hear about the biopsies, Kithard - Hope things turn out to be a false alarm.

Thank you for the reminder to go to the skin clinic. I'm overdue for a visit. I've heard that there are quite a few cowboy operations about - can anybody recommend of any good skin clinics in Sydney (CBD or north shore)?

Thx
KS

Hi Guys,

I had the results back from my biopsies yesterday. One on my back was not cancerous, one on my shoulder was, but has been removed completely by the biopsy an some electro thingumabob treatment. The one beside my eye though is cancerous and must be removed.

I have told the Skin clinic guy I wanted a second opinion by a plastic surgeon or Dermatologist and he seemed ok with that although he was emphatic that it was only a quick cut and stitch and no scaring would be evident. But after the stories above, I thought I would get another look anyways, it always pays to check.

I'm glad this thread has received such a response and hopefully people book appointments as a result. It could save a life!

Good winds to all,

Kitesplosh,
Try out Manly dermatology and skin cancer centre (on east esplanade, near the wharf). A fair bit of waiting to get an appointment but the guys there are good...
Went to see them recently and they were very professional...

Kitehard,
You're so right. You might love your sport but its not worth dying for so best advise to everyone is to slip, slop, slap.
Don't forget, the Aussie skies are especially vulnerable to UV's which are harmful to everyone unlike the tropics where there's much more cloud cover. I've witnessed people in their 20's getting chunks taken out from parts of the body and its not a pretty sight.
It's a reality and what's worse, the situation is not improving.
What's even worse is that we have people who think that they can get burnt once and get away with it. Bzzzz...wrong !
All it takes is one bad burn and you're caught.
So don't risk it. Take a few minutes to prepare yourself. Make sure you have the proper attire and remember, all those so called waterproof Sunscreen with the X number of SFP ? Well load of crap. You don't get the up to 4 hour protection that they say you will. Especially not when you're in the water. Make sure to pull yourself out of the water every 2 hours if you're intending to have an extended session and re-apply sunscreen to yourself.
It's not a joke people. It's serious stuff and the last thing you want is to risk your life as a result of complacency.
Forbsy.

very sorry to hear everyones cancer encounters. I was curious to which sunscreen and zinc is the best in terms of sunburn protection. I currently have Key-Sun Tanne Zinke SPF 30+ 4 hrs resistant Broad Spectrum. is that good or ???? What would you reccomend ?

hey all you cancer dudes and soon to be`s ,

i have one big tip when it comes time to getting the cancer removed ... a procedure called MOHS .

don`t go down the wait and see biopsy path ...old school

in this procedure they remove the visible cancer cells and plot its co-ordinates to the area from which it was removed , stick a tempory patch on , you go wait outside while they do microscopic search on the peace they removed . from there they can track the path of the cancer and call you back in and chase it and when they are happy they stitch you back up minus some meat .

the beauty of this is that they only remove what they have too and
they get it all in one visit .

and use a plastic sergion in dermatolgy specialising in cancer , practicing MOHS .

I use the clinic in south perth . a referral is needed though iether from Mole Scan ( or the likes )or a local GP .

and don`t let any one freeze or burn a BCC because it only dusts the surface while the cells undernieth keep quietly growing , very serious .

don`t leave it too long people , a small red dot on my lip resulted in a hundred od stitches , left it another six months and he reckons he would have got the chisel out and started on my cheek bone !
so i go every six months and some more was removed from my back but i got it early so not a lot of drama there .

so get checked out and avoid the sun in the middle of the day (11-4)
but chances are most of you will do stuff all about it , its the aussie way .

I am of the paleskin variety, being from the Emerald Isle and all that. I find that there is only one sunscreen that gives me good protection, that is the Banana Boat 30+ sunscreen that comes in a Black tube (not the spray on stuff). It is very really thick but offers great protection. I also use zinc on my nose, cheekbones and tops of ears.
I look terrible on the water, but dont get burnt. Remember to rub it off with a towel before you go home, you can get strange looks in servos and on the road.

www.stingray.com.au/ make a great range of rashies, including full length ones.

JB

don`t need to get sunburn to get skin cancer.
hard to believe sunscreen stays on your feet and toes considering the impact of the foot straps and wash from the water .

but hey if your skin specialist says its ok to spend 6 hrs in the sun , guess i`m the fool and i`ll get on my bike .

see you all in surgery .

Dig, good info on Mohs, but the vast majority of skin cancers do not require this type of surgery. If all skin cancers were removed in this way there would be little time for dermatologists/plastic surgeons and pathologists to do anything else.

Also keep in mind that this procedure can take up to a quite a few hours and requires the input of a dermatologist/plastic surgeon, pathologist and sometimes an anaesthetist plus associated theatre staff, so if deciding on this avenue you need a thick wallet or a good health care plan.

Still, certainly has its place.