sad but true - your body looks better nekkid when tanned

[PitysSake]

yadda yadda skin cancer( wlthough I read recently that the casusative effect of sun might have been overrated they think) and wrinkles etcetc

BUT its true

Yes, I've read that PS.

'Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK?s director of health information, said: ?This study confirms Cancer Research UK?s advice that people with lots of moles ? as well as those with red hair or fair skin ? are more at risk of the most dangerous form of skin cancer and should take extra care in the sun.

?The research does not in any way contradict the bulk of scientific evidence, which shows that most skin cancers are caused by overexposure to ultraviolet [UV] rays.?

She points out that malignant melanoma rates in the UK have more than quadrupled in the past 30 years ? coinciding with a rise in ?sun holidays? and the increased availability of artificial UV.'

Your point is?

and TPT - it isn't just about having bits chopped off. MM spreads within the body often before it's even been diagnosed...it accounts for a very small percentage of skin cancers but 79% of deaths from skin cancer. Once you have it in your system,there's nothing that works very well, not like other cancers - chemo does practically nothing to this one.

please go and read up.

PMSL shona, that sounds like a good solution to me

i dont rememebr syaing it was healthy - hence the thread title
it just DOES

You are obsessed!!

I agree with you, I think people look so much better with a tan.

However, after having a mole removed and going to the hospital last Friday for my results and follow up, I will never, ever, have a suntan again.

The mole I had removed was malignant but thankfully hadn't spread - they are confident they removed it all. But, my risk is now so much higher and because it was at the top of my arm the doctor said had I left it another year I would then be having my lymph nodes removed. I've got to go for body checks every six months and totally stay out of the sun and stay covered up. I have another 2 moles that the doctor is already keeping an eye on. Please use this as a warning, its scared me to death and I was one of the ones who thought it could never happen to me.

I love being on holiday and sunbathing and can think of nothing worse than coming home as white as I went. But, I would rather be alive than have a tan.

Spray tan makes me look orange, so what else can I do? The gp said I literally had to cover up all of my body if I am in the sun...that is going to be so hard to do after years of being such a sunworshipper, but I must.

What else can I use to colour my skin a little? My skin looks crap white because I have lots of broken veins etc that just look blotchy without a tan. Has anyone got any good recommendations for a colour? I fear streaks if I use self tan at home.

it does look better, no doubt

but much healthier to get it out of a bottle

St Tropez EveryDay is fab and makes your skin look moisturised and dewy too

Triffic, that's really frightening for you, thank goodness you went when you did. Did they say what the depth was? Hopefully it was v v shallow and you've a great chance of it never coming back.

A second primary (another mole basically) is not undealable with, if one does pop up. Usually the damage will have been done long ago, so keeping out of the sun is a good diea but less important now iyswim. You're likely to be far more aware of any changes in your moles now, which is great

Fingers crossed for you, I hope that's the last you hear of it xx

Btw...my top tip is low lighting I rely on it in fact!

Thanks flight. I dont know what the depth was, but they removed the mole initially then I had to go back and have it cut into deeper - I have the letter in the kitchen that explains it but to be honest half of it is medical jargon that i dont understand.

Yes, you are right, I have taken photos of the other 2 that are suspect so I can keep an eye on them.

Low lighting is ok but doesnt really work on the beach

Tell me about St Tropez everyday AF - I havent seen that

TT, St Tropez Everyday is like a mix between the full St Tropez experience and the Dove-stylee tinted moisturiser

quite expensive at 16 quid for a large tube, but very natural and streak-free

on sale in Boots and Superdrug

Triffic that's good that they've done a full excision now.

Can I give you a bit of advice? (I'm not a doc just head full of research because of a friend!) Try to find out the thickness or depth of the mole. If it's anything over 0.5mm (half a mm) demand to have a SNB. They will know what this is - sentinel node biopsy. It basically means they test the first node that it connects to, to see if there's any tiny weeny little cells that look dodgy in it - this is a very very important diagnostic procedure, and might save you some trouble later. It is standard of care in some places particularly the US.

If your mole was less than 0.5, they probably won't bother as it's unlikely to have gone anywhere else iyswim.

Good luck x

Happy to translate the letter if you like, too (might as well put googling/reading to good use!!) CAT me if you want to. I find this stuff v interesting!

Thanks AF I will look out for that and try it.

Flight, letter in front of me now - it says it was 6mm on greatest dimension. I dont have CAT but letter says:

Macroscopic Description: A skin ellipse 9 x7 x5mm with a dark brown pigmented mascule 6mm in greatest dimension. This has slight variation in pegmentation and an irregular border. The macule lies 2 mm from the nearest short axis margin. The macule is bisected and embedded in two cassettes. TS x1 in each. RS.

Microscopic Description: Skin bearing a compound melanocytic lesion which shows a junctional component with architectural and sever cytological atypia. In areas the proliferation is confluent. The underlying dermal component shows maturation with depth. There is no evidence of atypia and no mitsoses are identified. The overall appearances are consistent with an in-situ superficial spreading malignant malanoma arising within a compound dysplastic melanocytic naevus.
There is no evidence of ulceration and no regression seen.
The lesion appears to be completely excised, lying 1.6mm from the nearest peripheral margin.
SUmmary: Skin, right upper arm - in situ superficial spreading malignant melanoma arising within a sysplatic compound naevus.

Can you tell me what that means?! Thanks

there was a post a couple of weeks ago by a beautician on how to apply a streak-free self tan. I'll try and dig it up tomorrow. I think the key points are: exfoliate beforehand, moisturise, moisturise moisturise (especially drier areas, like elbows and knees) and put a little bit on at a time.

I grew up in a sunny country, but left in my late teens. This may sound boast-y, but because of the lack of sunshine in the UK, I am less wrinkly than school friends who stayed behind. It's amazing the difference.

oh I'm sorry, I went to bed assuming you weren't coming back! Right. Let's see.

First thing that springs to mind is 'In situ' - which basically means, this melanoma has NO capacity to spread - it's just right on the surface. That means no need to do anything like an SNB etc, this is the very earliets stage and unlike the next type, ie a stage 1A, it just hasn't penetrated below the top layer so it is v v unlikely to have travelled anywhere else. This is the VERY best news

No ulceration also brill (the top layer of it hasn't broken - ulcerated is bad news)

No mitosis - this means it's not aggressive. Mitotic rate is how fast it is growing/multiplying within itself, and it's basically, well, not not enough to measure anyway.

No regression means they don't think it's grown and then 'gone back' again into the skin, which some do so that is again good.

'macroscopic' means what they can see at first hand, say in the Dr's surgery. Microscopic is what they know after they've had a look under a microscope (no really!)

From the beginning then:
What Dr could see: a thing on your skin, 9x7x5mm with a dark brown coloured spot 6mm wide at most. This has got different colours in it and an irregular border. 2mm from the nearest [short axis margin] no idea what that is. Bisected means divided in two, don't understand the cassettes bit, orthe TS or RS.

What they saw in the lab: lOOKS like a lesion made of melanoma cells, joined somehow to some other mole you already had? Severe cytological atypia means it's made of very suspicious cells, ie not your usual mole structure. Proliferation confluent means where the weirdy cells have grown, they're joining up with this other thing. (this part is a bit confusing, sorry)
Underlying dermal component is the thing you already had, I think, which is mature and has depth (but that's not the nasty thing, as it's not atypical?) Mitoses, see before.
They think it is a superficial spreading melanoma which has grown out of a CDMN (mole).
They think they got it all, with a margin of 1.6mm. They have probably got you back in to do a wider excision, and they'll test the bit they took out to make sure there are no more cells around it that were missed.

All in all you have a great result there and despite the follow ups, I think you're very likely to be fine
HTH!!

Ah I see thewy haven't done a wider excision. Well that's up to them but if it were me, I would probably be extra cautious and ask for one.

I'm very conscious of how tricky melanoma can be, and being 'in situ' it's VERY unlikely to have gorn elsewhere but I'd still be asking for them to check, or at least getting confirmation from them of why they're nOT. Just to be sure in yourself.

Hope the other moles are all Ok too x

I don't tan. I go red and then a few days later I go back to a slighter darker shade of white. This year running in shorts and wearing short skirts much of the time have resulted in having legs the colour of weak milky tea and my arms usually darken a tad. But I would never lie in the sun - I find it boring, and yes, I am scared of cancer. And there is something hideous about those 50 something ladies who have tanned every year and now look like well-seasoned leather.

Tis a sad fact that my body looks better if I have been excercising and have lost weight.

"And there is something hideous about those 50 something ladies who have tanned every year and now look like well-seasoned leather."

And it gets even worse! My Parisian MOL and her >70 contemporaries have appalling droopy blotchy skin. Whereas my English rose mother, who didn't sunworship through her 20s, 30s and 40s on the beaches of the Côte d'Azur, still looks fresh.

Flight, thank you so much, you dont know how much I appreciate you translating that for me and the relief you have given me.

They did do a wider excision - they cut out the mole first, then I went back and they cut deeper to make sure they got it all.

From what you are saying it seems it is good news. That is so pleasing to know - I have been worried sick ever since, even telling dp that we can never holiday anywhere hot again!

But, despite it sounding good news, it really has been a wake up call to me and I will just not risk anything else developing. Honestly ladies, i thought this would never happen to me, yet I was not far away from having lympth nodes removed all because I like a tan. No sun tan in the world is worth you going through that.

I will be buying St Tropez Everyday at the weekend.

Thanks again Flight, really appreciate your help.

flight is kinda wonderful, ain't she

Fake tan and no donuts you can't beat it!I fake tanned last night and it is amazing how much better I look would never roast myself for real,have had several lesions removed and it is just not worth it.

Bottle tan all the way here, I do follow the advice to have 20 minutes unprotcted exposure a day, whenever I can as I think vit D is vair important, so I do get a very light natual colour, but I never 'sunbathe'.

I must have 200+ moles, nobody has ever had the patience to count them all.

Aww

Not wonderful, just obsessive!! It's nice to translate something which carries good news, after weeks reading the not-so-great stuff

Forgot to say, the superficial bit is the usual sort - the others it coulda been are rarer and not v nice so that's fine too.

Wishing you many years of trouble free check ups! xxx

Something like 98-100% of this type are gone completely forever once removed.

if you need any more translating when the others get checked, just shout.

St Tropez Everyday, you say ? Hmmmmmm. I might try it.

All fake tans I've used have looked just that. Fake. Plus the fact that they've been pretty tricky to use without giving yourself streaks or orange knees. The best I tried was a Clarins one in a yellow tube and the ambre solaire spray one.