OT: skin cancer...on your scalp?!

[benb]

I had a mess removed from my calf last year. (I'm 43). Turned out to be not cancer but it was a kind of mole which sometimes turns into melanoma. I had about 20 stitches and I have a big scar.

I have been going for 5 years or so for a yearly checkup mostly because my mother & grandmother both had skin cancer.

The scary one is my sister has already had a skin cancer.. she's 40. It was on her nose and she ended up with 2 surgeries and plastic surgery to reconstruct her nose after the first surgery got infected.

The dermatologist always checks in my hair.. guys with thinning hair have big issues with skin cancer on your head.

I wear a Tilley full brim hat a lot now if I'm out in the sun, even though I have a thick head of hair. For biking I try to be good about the sunscreen.

[eddief]

which i did not get during our initial "let's scare the crap out of Eddie" phone call. Melanoma stage 1A. Nearly all removed with biopsy cut. No lymph node biopsy required. Next visit will be to ensure margins are cleared with, hopefully, just a bit more surface area removal. Doc says 95% of these things result in +5 year survival rate which is about the same as I'd have at age 69 without the thingy on my scalp.

get checked.

[DeBike]

Catching it early is key. I go to the dermatologist every 6 months. I have had a few basel cell/squamous lesions removed, one requiring Mohs surgery. Melanoma is what killed my father at 78 years of age. He had a really nasty tumor removed from his forehead numerous before, including the removal of bone. After it healed, it looked like he had been hit with the peen of a hammer, an almost perfectly round, deep dent in his forehead.

Anyway, he had an event of blacking out and hitting his head very hard when he fell. That is when it was discovered the melanoma had metastasized, 2 weeks later he was dead.

I stay out of the midday sun as much as I can and wear protective clothing and sunblock. I do not like using the sunblock, especially when cycling, but do it anyway.

[eddief]

not sun related but more likely a mole that decided to screw with my later life.

[fkelly]

Been a daily runner, then cyclist for 60 years. That's a lot of time in the sun. Have had two MOHS surgeries and numerous spots frozen on my face in my regular 6 months visits to my dermatologist. Once you are determined to be susceptible you need regular visits.

One suggestion: wear a skull cap under your helmet. The vent holes in the top of the helmet also let the sun in. And when you get older and lose hair the top of your scalp becomes exposed. You can get cancer there too. The caps help keep sweat from dripping down too.

[Clancy]

Originally Posted by fkelly

One suggestion: wear a skull cap under your helmet. The vent holes in the top of the helmet also let the sun in. And when you get older and lose hair the top of your scalp becomes exposed. You can get cancer there too. The caps help keep sweat from dripping down too.

I always wear an UPF50 cap under my helmet for this reason. What’s frustrating is how hard UPF50 caps are to find. Overall, performance clothing with UPF50 rating is hard to find.

One item of clothing DeFeet or someone else needs to come out with is a long sleeve base layer, mesh in the torso transitioning to SPF50 material for the sleeves. Arm “coolers” are often a PIA.

[el cheapo]

Half way through my MOHS group plan (2 down 2 to go). So far both incisions have been about 5 inches long. Chest healed real well and now I'm suffering with the one on the left side of my forehead. Kind of strange that there was no swelling for two days then...both eyes and bridge of nose look like someone hit me with a baseball bat. Geez...use the sunscreen folks!

[eddief]

today had done 15 minute procedure. nickel sized circle out of scalp but about a 4 inch elliptical slice in order to enable easier joining of the hair producing sides and not leave me with a bald spot. for 95 out of 100 this is it but new extract will be sent to pathology to see if they got it all. procedure way easier than the 3 weeks of fear.

[teleguy57]

Originally Posted by fkelly

wear a skull cap under your helmet. The vent holes in the top of the helmet also let the sun in. And when you get older and lose hair the top of your scalp becomes exposed. You can get cancer there too. The caps help keep sweat from dripping down too.

This. No melanomas, but multiple atypical nevus, some surgically removed, some zapped. I always wear a cap under my helmet (current summer choice is the Giro SPF 30 Ultralight -- I like having a brim, and the shape of this one is pure Goldilocks -- not to large, not too small).

I'm about 99% LS summer SPF jerseys as well. I have a few SS with sunsleeves but they seem more a pain. Current fav is Boure (made by Voler).

I do sunscreen the tops of my quads/knees and back of calves, back of hands (no gloves guy) and for sure ears and nose before riding. I also use Kiehl's skin cream on my face, which is SPF 3, on my face every day.

[eddief]

said bad stuff gone...for now.

[merlinmurph]

Originally Posted by eddief

said bad stuff gone...for now.

Good to hear. Keep an eye on it.

[bigbill]

Four years ago, the dermatologist at VA did a check including a "thing" near the end of my left eyebrow. The thing ended up being cancer and was cut out. It was tiny, but of all places, I figured if I was going to get skin cancer, it would be on my calves, upper legs, or arms. I've always been good about sunscreen on my neck and ears before a ride or hike and always wear a hat when I'm outside.

[verbs4us]

When my mom had a melanoma on her scalp, at age 89, we were all surprised. She is an indoor person and almost always wore a hat outdoors. The derm said something interesting: the rate of cell turnover in the scalp is among the highest in the body, so, at advanced ages, it is prone to go awry. Fortunately, also at advanced ages, melanomas are sometimes slower growing and less aggressive. She had two surgeries and now, at age 94, has been declared cancer-free.