Hey Knotted- Sun Question!

[Aggie_Ama]

I saw in some thread somewhere you cautioned someone about white spots after sun exposure. Why?

I asked my doctor to look at the white spots on my arms and he had no concern since they are not rough. I am using a sunscreen that blocks UVA/UVB and he said it was sufficient. I am wondering though if I should try to get on the four month dermatologist waiting list (behind all the freaking botox clients )? I am fair skinned and mom just had pre-cancer cells removed, so I am paranoid! Thanks.

[KnottedYet]

Here's what my dermatologist and my cancer-man told me about the white spots:

The white spots on your skin are areas where one or more of your melanocytes (the cells that produce the "tan" of your skin and that can run amuck and become malignant melanoma) started going awry. So your immune system did its job and killed those suckers and any others in the neighborhood for good measure.

Now that white patch has NO protection from sunlight, and no hope of ever producing "tan" to protect itself. The melanocytes there are gone, gone, gone.

It's not a sign of something bad (actually, it's something good, your immune system killed rogue cells like it should). But you need to be sure to protect those white spots from sunlight. Sunblock or blocking fabric or umbrellas or whatever suits you.

Folks with white spots are more likely to have precancerous lesions, simply because they've had rogue cells before so have a statistical probability to deal with. Don't sweat it too much, but if you find a funny mole AND you have white spots already, take that funny mole seriously.

And wear your sunblock!

[Aggie_Ama]

Thanks! I can now rest easier. Oh and I always wear sunblock.

[Trek420]

And wear your sunblock!

And a big floppy hat

[chickwhorips]

And a big floppy hat

I need to get one of those as obsessive as I am about sun screen. I even asked DBF if he would laugh at me, he said nope he'd help pick out the hat. He said he can find me by the smell of sunscreen.

[crazycanuck]

Just remember-Slip, Slop, Slap...

C

[KnottedYet]

I remember that from 1991 when I was in NZ! I thought it was a very clever ad campain.

Outdoor Research has some very nice sunhats for women, and they don't cost much (about $30 from REI). I got Trek one. They have very nice brims and aren't hot at all. (but they are *hot*, or "bad-a$$" as one bystander said)