how many lite brites wear sunscreen when outside on the day to day?

personally the only time i even think about it is when im roasting in the sun for hours specifically to tan. i might throw on a low spf sunscreen if whatever tanning spray/lotion i have doesnt include any.

thats about it tho.

im not thinking about that shit if im outside playing ball or at a concert or something.

skin cancer kills very few people. keep an eye on your skin, if it starts changing, go to a doctor.

not spending enough time in the natural world is far more likely to cause serious problems

that skin cancer can be more deadly for people with darker skin tones because it is often detected at more advanced stages. so...be careful? with early detection, skin cancer is not something to worry about, imo

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2757062/

"Skin Cancer in Skin of Color" (2009)

"In general, skin cancer is uncommon in people of color when compared to Caucasian. When it does occur, it is often associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Differences in survival rates may be attributed to skin cancers being diagnosed at a more advanced stage, and socioeconomic factors such as lack of adequate insurance coverage and lack of transportation can function as barriers to timely diagnosis and early treatment. In addition to advanced stage at presentation, malignant skin lesions in skin of color often present in an atypical fashion."

..good grief.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

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TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

a friend was telling me how overblown concern about skin cancer tends to be. apparently it's over-diagnosed and not counted in a lot of cancer stats.

but didn't know this...people of color are likely to get skin cancer in places that are NOT exposed to the sun. seems worth knowing. pardon my caucasian!

"In Caucasians and to a lesser extent, Hispanics, melanomas predominantly occur in sun-exposed skin, whereas in Asians and Blacks, UVR does not appear to be a significant risk factor, and the majority occur in non-sun-exposed skin (ie—subungual, palmar and plantar surfaces, mucus membranes) (Bradford et al, 2008) (Table 3). Oral melanomas represent ~7.5% of all melanomas in Asians, and two-thirds of these tumors arise from oral melanosis (Collins, 1984). In non-whites, the plantar portion of the foot is often the most common site, being involved in 30–40% of cases. People of color also have higher percentages of acral lentiginous melanoma (melanoma of the palms, soles, and nailbeds) than Caucasians (Bradford et al, 2008), whereas superficial spreading melanoma is the most frequent subtype in Caucasians and Hispanics (Byrd-Miles et al, 2007)."

.

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"The world is before you and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in." - James Baldwin

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TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

Skin cancer is rarer for black people but it's more likely to be fatel for us because we tend to catch it later than whites (plus the usual systemic issues we face in the healthcare system). Additionally UV rays damage cellular dna which even worse than cancer can lead to premature aging 🙁.

I dont know how often most men use a specialized facial moisturizer and not just slap whatever Jergens/Suave/Nivea is lying around, but I would suggest getting a moisturizer that already has spf in it so you don't have to think about it as you get ready for the day. I do that cause I'm lazy and it's easy. (Usually though tbh now I'm using a facial oil instead of a moisturizer because my current goal is for my skin to glisten like a piece of freshly fried chicken 🍗)

Btw:

https://www.menshealth.com/grooming/g33627212/best-sunscreen-dark-skin-tones/

__________________________________________

I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

— F. Scott Fitzgerald

I'm usually biking for hours and come back with a tank top tan. I have some lotion with aloe and sunscreen for my bald head. my face is oily so I tend to stay away from putting any products on it.

Y'all buy those labels, I was born supreme

Tossup…probably should take it more seriously

and only go one day each time I go so it's something I try to remember but if not.. oh well.

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TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

ehh..ill get to it. but on the real cancer of any kind is real shit

we make sure our kids use it but real talk, I think unless you are laying out in the sun to get a real tan most Black kids aren't impacted by it.

trying to think if any of my friends ended up with skin cancer. We STAYED at the pool as kids. I mean every day ALL DAY.

Now, as an adult I get sun burn. I was so confused the first time I got that shit. Why does it hurt to put my shit on?


but again, I don't go to the beach to lay in the sun to get a tan. I will sit in the water out in the sun to play with my kids or enjoy the ocean but when we went to Jamaica I had a towels on my legs like a blanket because that sun was burning. I wasn't the only brotha out there covered up either.. lol

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TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

>I think unless you are laying out in the sun to get a real tan most Black kids aren't impacted by it.
>
i was a lifeguard as a teenager and in college at outside pools and never got sunburned...i dont layout at the beach either lol. i thk i may have gotten sunburned maybe 2x max ever so i just have never sweated the sunscreen too much. id be curious to see the stats on black folks and skin cancer.

was there for work and had about 6 hours free before getting on the plane home.


i laid out and thought my melanin would hold me down, and I forgot that my pops comes from a long line of vikings and dwellers of the causus mountains.

My skin was so damaged after about two hours that my body felt like it was shutting down when i got on the plane (the skin is an organ, dont forget) and i had to apply burn gel for a week.......then it all started peeling, like mush in the shower.

Never again dawg....lesson learned.

>
>my body felt
>like it was shutting down when i got on the plane (the skin is
>an organ, dont forget)


https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress/heatrelillness.html

it can cause a coma, seizures, or even kill someone.


>Never again dawg....lesson learned.


Glad you were able to recover quickly and make it home to focus on your burn.

Sometimes I worry that we middle-aged and older generations aren't mentally prepared for the climate realities we are about to face in the coming years and decades.

We need to start thinking differently about sun, heat, and humidity...

also out there for work some years ago.

I'm bald and my scalp got dry af! got home and had peeling from my head and shoulders.

I definitely didn't use sunscreen during those years. thought I'd be fine because the heat out there wasn't like summer in the south and sunburn wasn't a 'real' issue.

Y'all buy those labels, I was born supreme

on my face, neck, and hands. Daily.

But this started moreso as a vanity/anti-wrinkle/anti-aging measure than a cancer protection measure (though, as I've learned more about oncogenesis and by losing a friend to cancer when I was younger, I def view the protection as a meaningful benefit nowadays). I also admired the complexions of my darkskinned friends and family members, and concluded I'd need to put in major effort to come anywhere close to aging/glowing as beautifully as they do lol.


The challenge is finding a formulation that doesn't look ashy on our individual skintones. I recently switched to this one from my old brand tho and really, really, like it (happy to give a review if anyone's interested):

https://www.amazon.com/Ombrelle-Complete-Sensitive-Advanced-SPF/dp/B07L4MKT5N/


Because my sunscreen kick started so young, I often wondered whether it was making any difference besides preventing sunburns. But at my old laser clinic (that I could afford before temporarily caregiving in poverty/under strict income-restrictions to help my fam *cries*), you had to receive an advanced skin analysis with one of those big ass machines before getting anything done (can't remember if it was this one, but similar output: https://silklaser.com.au/skin-treatments/observ-520/). And the dermatologist was quite encouraged that I only had a sprinkling of UV damage around the underside of the tip of my nose (so basically the area I often missed during rushed sunscreen application).

In contrast, it's wild how different one's skin can look on one side v. the other (e.g. truck and rideshare drivers with asymmetrical sun exposure through their various windshields; workers in offices who sit with one side exposed to a big window, etc), or even between identical twins with same genes but different sun exposure:

https://curology.com/guides/skin-health/3-photos-that-will-convince-you-to-wear-sunscreen-every-day/

And he wasn't even that light:

https://www.skincancer.org/blog/bob-marley-should-not-have-died-from-melanoma

Furthermore, the type of skin cancer he died from isn't actually *that* rare... ALM (Acral Lentiginous Melanoma; mentioned elsewhere in this post but linking a less jargony summary - https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/melanoma-on-black-skin) isn't only the most common skin cancer experienced by Black people, but it occurs more frequently in us than other racial groups AND we're the least likely to survive it compared to other racial groups (even when it's caught EARLY i.e. in Stage I -
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32208196/). A tell-tale early sign is supposed to be dark streaks or spots on one or more nails, palms, or soles of our feet.


I would also argue that, if one is Black and frequently exposed to sun/UV radiation, skin cancer isn't the only condition to be mindful of:

(1) Excessive sun exposure is also a risk factor for glaucoma, which occurs 5x more often in Black people and is the leading cause of blindness in Black people (https://glaucoma.org/african-americans-and-glaucoma) - especially those 40+, nearsighted, diabetic or hypertensive, or with a family history. Note: I have a (currently non-blind) family member managing this condition quite well (along with many others lol) if anyone has questions bc it's no joke.

(2) Black people have more active melanocytes than lighter-skinned racial groups so we're more susceptible to melasma, darkened scars, and other hyperpigmentation issues - especially from middle age; during hormonal changes attributable to pregnancy, menopause, metabolic disorder/prediabetes (e.g. acanthosis nigricans), chronic stress; and so on. So, regardless of shade, even if one's not concerned about their 'Black Cracking' we still have to watch out for dark patches and spots that can dramatically transform appearance and be quite difficult/expensive to reverse (especially since a lot of peels, resurfacing, and laser remedies weren't designed or tested with Black people in mind... so one should also account for possible adverse reactions during treatment, or even barriers to access altogether, if not located in a major centre that has clinics/professionals experienced and/or specialized in treating us).


Personally, I just think we should take prevention of ALL chronic conditions seriously, especially if we have the awareness and the means to do so. Because, according to most US health data broken down by race: we often have worse outcomes, we're more likely to receive inadequate care, we're more likely to struggle managing said chronic conditions (whether due to lacking financial or human/social support/caregiving resources), etc. ESPECIALLY if you're a Black man (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6531286/).

Last thing, too, is although every cancer has its own unique risk profile (e.g. red/processed meat consumption and colorectal cancer), many of the more universal risk factors that tend to be associated with cancers are behaviours we're empowered to control:

- smoking
- excessive sun/UV exposure
- being overweight
- frequent alcohol consumption
- risky/unprotected sex

source: https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/cancer.htm

So, especially for any Black people with one or more of the above risk factors... what's the harm in working UV protection into your daily habits?? It's probably the easiest cancer risk factor to address, plus the tech/formulas are constantly improving and I agree with Shygurl's suggestion to just try consciously incorporating UV protection into any lifestyle products one happens to use everyday - facial creams/moisturizers, body creams/moisturizers, the sunglasses you wear, lip chaps, makeup, etc. They're small tweaks you won't even remember making, but could save your life/vision/attractiveness

@GetoutTheroom
http://getouttheroom.podomatic.com
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https://twitter.com/Jayric

It was like a decade ago and I had some skin tags removed and I remember a dermatologist finding that after tests whatever that means.

I am all about the sun tan lotion though because I can burn and turn red pretty easily.

It use to be just the high price I would pay for vacation but then there is this white girl from my high school who use to be soo cute who now looks like the Marbarolo Lady are 20 years older than she actually is. After moving to Jacksonville Florida and staying in the sun all the time. It might be a white people thing only, but I don't want to risk it.



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"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

meanwhile white folk like: “OMG, you look so good”

One white girl who was popping back in the day couldn’t get over how pretty the Black girl turned out to be years later. I mean.. yeah, she did blossom like a muuug after HS but she kept repeating it over and over. “OMG, so beautiful, I can’t believe how beautiful you are, just.. just so pretty, wow”

ole girl was like “was I a fucking troll in HS? wtf..”

life comes at you fast.

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TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

It was wild at the 20th reunion because all those dudes looked like they were there with their wives mothers. Like the wives looked dramatically older. They also married like the fun party white girls so the years of boozing didn't help their look either.




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"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

I live in Florida, and shave my head and have tattoos, so i use face and body lotion that has sun screen in it. Id advise anyone to be conscious of skin cancer and sun damage.

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"The world is before you and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in." - James Baldwin

As should you.
I've used face lotion with SPF in it for more years than I can recall.
Ditto to what everyone else said about Black folks and melenated folks in general taking it seriously.

I mean..I still don’t.

I get that I should and make sure the kids have sunscreen on at the beach or in the summer if we are going out to play in the blazing sun but its not an everyday thing I do.

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TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

we were impervious to skin cancer thanks to our melanin....
songs, movies, jokes, etc....the

But there are some GREAT products on the market finally that cater to Black people and don't leave us looking greasy-ashy. Nothing worse than looking ashy and greasy at the same time...but that's how white folks' sunscreen products be having us looking...so I get the apprehension..