Skin cancer and face protection,masks

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freestone
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Re: Skin cancer and face protection,masks

Post by freestone »

Not trusting of sunscreens or me lathering up every 2 hours, I go for the "Invisible Man" look with wide brim hat, Patagonia Sun Mask and gloves to protect the tops of my hands.

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Tom_H
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Re: Skin cancer and face protection,masks

Post by Tom_H »

Beard and wide brimmed hat. If hiking on snow or ice-zinc oxide and labiosan. While messy, those creams are far better than looking like your whole face has just been through 30 rounds of radiation therapy.
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Re: Skin cancer and face protection,masks

Post by wildhiker »

When we were in the Galapagos Islands this spring, the professional guides who are out in that intense tropical sun most days of the year were all wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, a wide-brimmed hat, and a sort of balaclava made of a dark very thin fabric (probably silk) that looked a bit like Freestone's photo, but only covered the chin, not the mouth/nose area. And these were dark-skinned guys.
-Phil
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Lumbergh21
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Re: Skin cancer and face protection,masks

Post by Lumbergh21 »

Long pants, long sleeves, wide brimmed hat with the flap that comes down in back and protects the neck. I can't stand sunscreen, as I just sweat it off and it gets in my eyes. Now, if I'm hiking on ice/snow, then I break out the sunscreen and reapply every 2 to 3 hours. And I apply it pretty much everywhere to protect my skin from the reflected radiation. At least I'm not sweating much if at all under those conditions, so it won't run into my eyes.
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Wandering Daisy
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Re: Skin cancer and face protection,masks

Post by Wandering Daisy »

Back to the topic if skin protection from the sun.

I only use sunscreen on my face, because I hike in a long-sleeved shirt and with long sleeve pants. I do prefer just a baseball cap, because I do not like to have my side-vision restricted. I use a kerchief over my head that covers my ears. I wear cheap canvas garden gloves to protect my hands, just as much from the rubbing of my trekking poles, as the sun. Sunscreen designed for babies does not sting if it gets in my eyes. I am lucky in that my skin does not burn easily.

I too have used zinc oxide when on a lot of snow, such as climbing a bit snow covered mountain as well as glacier goggles with a nose guard. If on snow, be sure to protect the underside of your chin (burns from snow reflecting upward).

I use a sunscreen chapstick. For more protection I add zinc oxide. Actually lipstick works pretty well too.
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rlown
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Re: Skin cancer and face protection,masks

Post by rlown »

It's even more important to protect your skin if one of the prescription meds you're on make you more sensitive to sunlight, especially at altitude.
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mrphil
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Re: Skin cancer and face protection,masks

Post by mrphil »

Seriously look into a keffiyeh (shemagh). Simple, useful, adaptable, versatile. I think it'll serve the needs you're looking for perfectly.

100% cotton, tight weave, 40-44" square, less than $15 on Amazon or a tactical supplier.
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Re: Skin cancer and face protection,masks

Post by SSSdave »

For the last couple decades have worn the same Dorfman Pacific sun hat of which I am on the second hat and its Velcro is worn down. It is no longer made and have not found a replacement.

The hat has an extra large bill and extra long Velcro detachable neck drape beyond any hat products currently. Besides sun protection both also are better at keeping mosquitoes off my head. Image from winter 2016 when I was in Death Valley:

Image

The hat protects my head well enough that I infrequently put on sunscreen. Though note I am infrequently about summer snowfields. During winter I ski and religiously apply sunscreen beyond January. Beyond minimal standard retirement age now, despite decades of being outside, my facial skin looks much better than 99% of other people my age that probably has more to do with genetics. However without having lived a complementing healthy lifestyle that probably would not have mattered much. In fact the skin on the top side of my hands and wrist, does look closer to my age because I haven't bothered to protect it much. As a young kid can recall having painful sunburn a few times that taught me lessons about sun. As an adult have rarely gotten sunburn and when I have it has been just minor areas like parts of my arm or shoulder. Getting sunburn often is of course a formula for coming down with skin cancer years later. Last year I went into my medical provider Kaiser and had them run me through a thorough skin test since skin cancer is common and some areas of the body like the top of one's head is difficult to self view even with a mirror.

David
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longri
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Re: Skin cancer and face protection,masks

Post by longri »

Is that a baby Horta you're sitting on?

Image
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Harlen
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Re: Skin cancer and face protection,masks

Post by Harlen »

A hat setup like David's, bandana, and a thick matting of body hair everywhere but the top of my head- more hair in winter.
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