3 years after diagnosis with CLL and I got to travel. But day 1, although probably no more than 10 minutes in the French sun and i'm bright red and borderline sunburn. It didnt used to be like this. I knew I had to be more careful now as cll patients are very susceptible to skin cancer but are other pple having the same extreme problem?
Sunburn very rapidly: 3 years after diagnosis... - CLL Support
Sunburn very rapidly
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Research123
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AussieNeilAdministrator
What drugs and supplements are you taking? Are you on any antibiotics by chance? Some can make you very susceptible to quickly getting sunburnt. See: webmd.com/skin-problems-and...
Neil
Thanks Neil. Its an interesting article -Could be exaccabeted by the antihystamine i'm taking but I am guessing that the damaged immune system is the main problem. I wpuldnt have even known about the dangers of the sun if it werent for this site. Its strange UK doctors dont warn us.
If you are normally milky white do not expose yourself all of a sudden to bright Mediterranean sunlight other than at times when your shadow equals your height or longer. Regular Sun exposure and a gradual darkening in controlled steps later helps prevent these problems. The darker the complexion the less chance of a sunburn.
When you have CLL, tanning is arguably NOT a good technique to protect against skin cancer, even for dark skinned people. It's not even recommended for people without CLL!
Australia largely has a Mediterranean climate with most of the population having European roots. One of our states, Queensland, is known as the skin cancer capitol of the world. Decades ago, a public interest campaign "Slip, slop, slap" commenced to reduce the incidence of skin cancer. researchgate.net/publicatio...
Neil
Because more is not better when it comes to Sun exposure just like less isn't better either. There is a sweet spot and tanning isn't the goal. Nobody proved that moderate Sun exposure is harmful not to mention causes skin cancer. Because it isn't. Lack of Sun exposure is definitely harmful, if for nothing else then because it most often leads to Vit D deficiency and a host of problems associated with it. I understand that those on treatment or skin cancer history may be an exception to all this.
I agree about vitamin D, in fact the sunsmart campaign was too successful and was modified to allow for more sun produced vitamin D.
However, "Regular Sun exposure and a gradual darkening in controlled steps later helps prevent these problems." (my emphasis) is tanning in my opinion.
Neil
Yes, as a side effect,not a goal. Initially less exposure is needed to generate sufficient vit. D, later as we darken more time is needed. The important thing is to never get burnt. I never got burnt sticking to my timing method based on the length of my shadow. I do 1 hour full body exposure in season (ramping up gradually) and my tint stabilizes after a couple of weeks. It's very mild but it gives me way more protection than a Sun shy person has.
Side effect or goal, the point I guess I'm very slow in making, is that if someone with CLL is not used to sun exposure, then it's best to slop on some block, rather than expose their skin to unfamiliarly intense sunshine.
Neil
Unfamiliarly intense - definitely. That's what the shadow length rule prevents.
Neil, say that again!
. Tanning and darkening your skin by the sun is sun damage. Slop on the sun block or protective clothing.
Hi LeoPa. Not every lily white person gets protections from burning by getting tanned. I for one can be tanned and still get a sunburn. As a child, sunscreen was not available, I would burn first time out in a bathing suit. Then I would be darker, next time out I would burn. I am a burn, tan, burn, tan etc person. I now use a good sunblock and protective clothing. According to my dermatologist, Tan=sun damage.
Another thing to take into consideration a strength of the sun. The higher in elevation the stronger the sun., the quicker you will burn.
The shadow length rule closes out all effects of season, time of day and geographical area. And the other rule is-don't get burnt. Start with 5 minutes and take it from there. Keep it below the tan limit if you wish. No Sun is too bad. Sunlight turns cholesterol into Vit.D which is an essential hormone for 150 immunological functions or so. That's what I read somewhere. Don't quote me on this,do your own due diligence everyone.
LeoPa, I politely disagree with you. Not matter how light or dark your skin is, you still get sun damage. That is what a tan is. Tan=damage. As a 3 time skin cancer survivor caused by the sun from my childhood, I will listen to my dermatologist. Sunscreen and protective clothing when I go out bike riding.
I don't disagree with you.But as a child you sure didn't follow the rules I mentioned. There is such a thing as too much sun exposure then there is insufficient Sun exposure. One can get exposure without a suntan. It's like regular moderate exercise is very healthy while world class athletics are more than unhealthy. One strengthens the body while the other one ruins it. Sun exposure without getting tanned is like a mobility exercise. Healthy, no damage. A mild tan is like amateur sports. A little damage,easily set right by the body. Of course those who suffered extensive damage doing top level athletics in their younger years,have to take it easy later.That is likely you.
my grandchildren are black skinned and they also have to be carful in the sun.. Skin colour is not a protection against sunburn
If they are black skinned they don't stand a chance to get skin damage from Sun exposure when the length of their shadow equals their height.
LeoPa, your guideline of "length of their shadow equals their height", i.e. the sun is at an angle of 45 degrees to the horizon (or lower) is a general guideline*. While it "closes out all effects of season, time of day and geographical area", it doesn't take into account an individual's skin sun sensitivity (ask anyone with natural red hair) and more importantly, it doesn't take into account sun intensity, nor does it take into account reflections off water, cloud#, sand, snow, concrete or glass. "Wind burn", is the term that used to used when you got more burnt than expected, for example, staying at the beach under a large beach umbrella, forgetting about all the sun reflection from the sand and water.
You'll know what I mean about sun intensity, when you experience the Australian sun in the middle of summer. The atmosphere is much clearer here, so more sun reaches your skin. I was very disappointed in the two summers I spent in Europe with the very few stars I could see - even bright ones. Your atmosphere is more opaque than ours and with higher humidity - which is why astronomers prefer to do their observations from the Southern Hemisphere.
# Anyone with solar panels who has taken an interest in when they get maximum power generation, will inform you that it's when there are scattered cumulus clouds about. You get direct sunlight, plus reflected light from the clouds.
* If my trigonometry is right, the sun travels through 41% more atmosphere at a 45 degree angle compared to when it is directly above you. You don't get the sun above or close to above you in Europe or all but the Southern USA, so your rule only reduces the sun's atmospheric attenuation by perhaps 20% or so. The best way to manage your sun exposure is by timing it.
Neil
I like the maths Neil and would expect nothing less of you. I think it was reflected sun that got me - I thought with a hat id be safe! Anyway ill stick with factor 50 regularly applied in the shade and hopefully that will do the trick. I think youre a lot more aware if these issues in Australia than us Brits.
All true but timing at what Sun angle? Our points are the same. Everyone has a tanning threshold and experimenting to find it when the Sun is rather lower than higher starting out carefully in small increments is the way to proceed. Total Sun avoidance is harmful. Not for Vampires though! 😁 Finding the balance between maximum benefit at minimum exposure is the holy grail.
May I suggest you forget all about the angle and monitor the local UV. There are forecast sites such as this: theweather.com/weather-maps...
I have a weather station which reports UV radiation. you'd be amazed at how much that can vary, particularly when there is light cloud. It very much depends on the cloud how much UV radiation gets through.
Neil
Thank you, I bookmarked the site.
In Australia, the UV index is promoted as a much more reliable indicator than how much sunshine there might be.
”Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the invisible killer that you can't see or feel. UV radiation can be high even on cool and overcast days. This means you can't rely on clear skies or high temperatures to determine when you need to protect yourself from the sun.”
“UV radiation can be just as high on a cool or even cold day as it is on a hot one, especially if skies are clear. Thick cloud provides a good filter, but UV radiation can penetrate thin cloud cover. And while UV radiation is higher in summer than in winter, it is still present every day of the year.”
”There are three types of UV radiation, categorised by wavelength: UVA, UVB and UVC.
UVA can cause sunburn, DNA (cell) damage in the skin and skin cancer.
UVB causes skin damage and skin cancer. Ozone stops most UVB from reaching the earth’s surface, about 15% is transmitted.
UVC is the most dangerous type of UV. Ozone in the atmosphere absorbs all UVC and it does not reach the earth’s surface.
UV levels are affected by a number of factors including geographic location, altitude, time of day, time of year and cloud cover. This means that UV levels are higher in some parts of Australia than others even on the same day.”
“What is the UV Index?
The UV Index is a tool you can use to protect yourself from UV radiation. It tells you the times during the day that you need to be SunSmart.
The UV Index divides UV radiation levels into:
low (1-2)
moderate (3-5)
high (6-7)
very high (8-10)
extreme (11 and above).”
“Sun protection times are issued by the Bureau of Meteorology when the UV Index is forecast to reach 3 or above. At that level, it can damage your skin and lead to skin cancer. Sunscreen should be incorporated into your daily routine on these days.”
Lots of great comments thanks everyone. Im certainly slapping on the factor 50 and keeping out the big sunlight and midday sun. I was interested to find you can get burned in the shade too i have just found out - uv reflected from sand, glass etc can do it- so worth bearing that in mind.
I knew beforehand and bought myself UPF shirts and jackets which are great if you forget sun block or are driving with sun coming through the window onto your driving arm!!
And remember to reapply the sunblock. A chemical sunscreen every hour and mineral sunscreen up to 4 hours but I found you need to reapply earlier. Sweat and going into the water then reapply when you get out.
Your skin can become more hydrated by consuming lots of water and electrolytes. Utilize a cold compress. Not long after the burn occurs, using a cold compress briefly to your skin—not directly on the burnt area—may help remove extra heat and lessen irritation. Take a bath in oatmeal.
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