Cycling UK Forum

Tangled Metal wrote: ↑27 Apr 2022, 4:21pmSkin cancer is possibly the most preventable type.

It's worth looking at that in two different ways (UK figures):





https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health ... ollapseOne

NB: Those figures for cervical cancer might not be up to date with HPV vaccination.

Jonathan

Tangled Metal wrote: ↑27 Apr 2022, 4:21pm Whatever your system of skin protection doesn't matter so long as you're protected.

And take appropriate vitamin D supplementation.

Jonathan

Jonathon,
There are many cancer risk factors that are out of our control such as air pollution and ozone depletion.
Also, the paper the numbers come from, is attributing overweight/obesity as the second most common "cancer enhancer" - I cannot see the logic to this. I also note that "lack of fiber" is another cause - presumably the anal cancer - seem a bit of a stretch.

As for sunscreen - never use it. When I lived in the tropics I found the sun came (mostly) straight down and I am still blessed with a good head of hair so no problem (and I always had a layer of sweat which may have helped). I actually found that in temperate regions the sun comes in more obliquely and I tan/redden quicker.

uwidavid wrote: ↑27 Apr 2022, 6:58pm There are many cancer risk factors that are out of our control such as air pollution and ozone depletion.

Do you mean out of individual control or out of collective control?

uwidavid wrote: ↑27 Apr 2022, 6:58pm Also, the paper the numbers come from, is attributing overweight/obesity as the second most common "cancer enhancer" - I cannot see the logic to this.

Which bit is the problem... overweight/obesity as a cause of cancer, or overweight/obesity being avoidable?

uwidavid wrote: ↑27 Apr 2022, 6:58pmI also note that "lack of fiber" is another cause - presumably the anal cancer - seem a bit of a stretch.

The web page gives links to the evidence for each type of cancer. But the major preventable risk factor for anal cancer is infection. Are you thinking of colorectal cancer? (Excellent pun, though.)

Jonathan

The trouble with suncream is that you need to remember to reapply. Yesterday needed to reapply twice on a 86 mile run, mostly in North Lancs.

Also, not all suncreams do the job well. I use the Boots range using the factor 50 version in days like today. At other times I can get away with a factor 30, but only for rides that are not all day. Sadly Boots stopped doing their sports suncream range, which was thicker and stayed on the skin longer in hot weather.

Tip- shave your legs if you need to use suncream regularly, it's a lot easier removing when you have a shower/bath later- esp in the classic British summer broken up by showers, as you get a nice patina of road gunk held on with the cream -yuk. Using a loofah on hairy legs to remove gunge like this is not pleasant. Have even had to remove gunged up hair with scissors that wouldn't clean off..

atoz wrote: ↑11 Jul 2022, 12:13pm The trouble with suncream is that you need to remember to reapply. Yesterday needed to reapply twice on a 86 mile run, mostly in North Lancs.

Maybe some brands are better at this? I used to use exclusively P20 (Riemanns), but recently found the cheaper brand "Calypso" following rave reviews in some respectable journal. [The P20 is priced like golddust, but I think it's worth paying for.]

Never had a problem with it lasting all day. On Saturday I was roasting hot [in mid-Wales mainly]. Dawn-to-dusk audax, rode about 150 miles; no burn problems, and I do burn quite easily (learnt the hard way!)

Back when you mostly had to 'go abroad' to find summer sun, I had a natty hair-cut, ready for going to Normandy - I would, I imagined, be mobbed by attractive mesdemoiselles, as I wafted nattily into each town... in the event, all that happened is that I got blisters in my scalp and my ears ended up all crisp - a bit like rashers of bacon.
Hat ever since then...

mattheus wrote: ↑11 Jul 2022, 1:43pm

atoz wrote: ↑11 Jul 2022, 12:13pm The trouble with suncream is that you need to remember to reapply. Yesterday needed to reapply twice on a 86 mile run, mostly in North Lancs.

Maybe some brands are better at this? I used to use exclusively P20 (Riemanns), but recently found the cheaper brand "Calypso" following rave reviews in some respectable journal. [The P20 is priced like golddust, but I think it's worth paying for.]

Never had a problem with it lasting all day. On Saturday I was roasting hot [in mid-Wales mainly]. Dawn-to-dusk audax, rode about 150 miles; no burn problems, and I do burn quite easily (learnt the hard way!)

I'll second the recommendation for P20. I'm very pale (can burn on a dull day in the winter ) but, so far, I've not had to re-apply the P20 even after several hours of very(!) sweaty riding. Yes, it's pricey, but I won't use anything else now.

This frustrates:

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/sun-cre ... lsrc=aw.ds

That is, I think that there are certain items related to public safety where Which should be open access (but some good advice notwithstanding my grumble)

"Boots Soltan to remove lower SPF products from its line up to encourage sun safety as it partners with Macmillan Cancer Support":
https://www.boots-uk.com/newsroom/news/ ... r-support/

"It will no longer produce products under SPF50 for children and under SPF15 for adults"

Jonathan

"Skin cancer death rates in UK men have more than tripled since the early 1970s, according to new analysis released today by Cancer Research UK.":
https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2022/ ... -50-years/

New data, same message.

Jonathan

simonineaston wrote: ↑11 Jul 2022, 3:29pm Back when you mostly had to 'go abroad' to find summer sun, I had a natty hair-cut, ready for going to Normandy - I would, I imagined, be mobbed by attractive mesdemoiselles, as I wafted nattily into each town... in the event, all that happened is that I got blisters in my scalp and my ears ended up all crisp - a bit like rashers of bacon.
Hat ever since then...

Having thinned out a lot on top (OK, bald) I generally wear a hat in the sun. My arms/legs/face seem to readily tan without burning but scalp does not seem to behave in the same way so hat.

A few years ago, under overcast skies I managed to get horrendous blisters on the top edge of my ear - scabs and bleeding. I'd not appreciated the effects of altitude and it happened at 4500+m (over a few fays). Daft thing was I has sun cream in my bag but cloudy skies and focussing on amazing scenery rather than thinking about self.

Ian

I find that the sports type sun creams such as PizBuin, or waterproof ones, especially those for kids, stay one *much* better when I sweat. Generally speaking, if I use an SPF 50 or more in something like Nivea Sun, kids' Sensitive Protect & Play, I only need to apply it twice, once in the morning, and once at midday.

Also, if I were at high risk for skin cancer, I would use SPF 100, rather than 50.

Lastly, I would try TK Maxx and places like Mountain Warehouse for UV protective clothes.

I was going to recommend ExOfficio because they have stuff from children's sizes up, but they don't appear to be available in the UK anymore, and look a bit dear by mail order.

Tangled Metal wrote: ↑26 Apr 2022, 10:30pm
I once had a friend who was very fair skinned such that she went white as her suntan! Seriously a medical condition that she couldn't be outside in the sun for long at all. She put the rieter on leaving it to be absorbed for half hour, then another layer and half hour wait. Then she applied a SPF 50 on top and waited half hour before going out. Best part of 2 hours routine. The SPF 50 outer layer gets reappl every couple of hours and she often wore trousers and long sleeves plus wide brimmed hat and buff.

BTW better to cover up with clothes than gunk. There's things I'm sunscreen that isn't exactly for you neither.

Couldn't agree more, there's plenty of debate about the safety (or not) of many suncreams.

Questions of safety for humans include some of the chemicals used, contamination with benzene and how relevant and accurate the safety data is when applied repeatedly over many days.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/f ... le/2733085
https://www.health.com/condition/skin-c ... -sunscreen

It's been shown some suncream chemicals (oxybenzone is one) are highly toxic to marine life, including introducing female characteristics for male fish. Suncreams with marine toxicity are banned/discouraged in states and countries where coral reefs are recognised as important to the economy, such as Hawaii, Florida, Virgin Islands and other Caribbeans.

On practical and comfort levels I find it much easier to wear a hat which shades your neck and to cover up elsewhere as necessary rather than carrying a bottle of chemicals, apply them and remember to repeat once they've been absorbed into the body.

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/suns ... orals.html
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... protection
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/most ... 4version=1

Biospace wrote: ↑15 Jul 2022, 2:51pm On practical and comfort levels I find it much easier to wear a hat which shades your neck and to cover up elsewhere as necessary rather than carrying a bottle of chemicals, apply them and remember to repeat once they've been absorbed into the body.

Cover up? Full gloves in summer while cycling? Really?

And I think sunscreen gets sweated off more than absorbed.