I Thought I Was Ahead of the Curve on Sun Protection. It Was Already Too Late. - Sports Illustrated

Share on XAdd us as a preferred sourcePost-Mohs surgery. The bandage came off eventually. The sun protection protocol doesn't. | Julie Mazurek I kept telling myself that little spot was just an ingrown beard hair. When it was still there the next summer, I had a bad feeling about my self-diagnosis.The dermatologist's pen circled the angry bump below my right ear, a couple inches down the jawline. "How long has this been here?" she asked.Way too long! the voice in my head shouted. “I don’t know for sure…maybe a year,” I replied sheepishly, still hopeful she was going to reassure me it was probably nothing. "How long has this been here?" she asked.Way too long! the voice in my head shouted. “I don’t know for sure…maybe a year,” I replied sheepishly, still hopeful she was going to reassure me it was probably nothing. Two months later I was reclining in a Mohs surgery chair while a skilled surgeon removed a slice of flesh from my face, aiming to remove the cancer cells with it. In the Mohs process, they remove the area of nodular basal cell carcinoma, then run it down to the lab and check it under a microscope to confirm the outer edge of the removed skin comes back clear of cancer cells. I was told to arrive at 7am and make plans to stay all day, because they will keep cutting out bigger and bigger pieces until they don’t find any more cancer cells. Two months later I was reclining in a Mohs surgery chair while a skilled surgeon removed a slice of flesh from my face, aiming to remove the cancer cells with it. In the Mohs process, they remove the area of nodular basal cell carcinoma, then run it down to the lab and check it under a microscope to confirm the outer edge of the removed skin comes back clear of cancer cells. I was told to arrive at 7am and make plans to stay all day, because they will keep cutting out bigger and bigger pieces until they don’t find any more cancer cells. I was incredibly lucky. They got it all in one shot. I’m officially cancer free. I'm also decades into my fishing life, with countless hours of exposure to the sun, many of which were entirely without protection. I was incredibly lucky. They got it all in one shot. I’m officially cancer free. I'm also decades into my fishing life, with countless hours of exposure to the sun, many of which were entirely without protection. One week after Mohs, healing nicely. This is what 'they got it all in one shot' actually looked like. But I know not everyone wants to see this, so feel free to skip ahead. | Kurt MazurekThe Tough Math Here's the tough math that should cause my fellow anglers reading this to pause: I come from an era before almost anyone worried about sun exposure. As a kid, every summer included at least one serious sunburn that resulted in blisters. But by the time I was an adult, the long term negative effects of sun exposure had become a topic of conversation. I took the new information fairly seriously, but I was far from perfect. As someone who's always been a fairly safety conscious angler, I always had sunscreen with me in the boat, and even applied it most days. Although it took time to become a habit, I thought I was ahead of the curve. Compared to a lot of guys I fished with, I probably was. But that still meant I had lived through decades of negative sun exposure. Those years can’t be erased, which a lot of us are living with now.My reason for sharing my story isn’t to scare anyone into a dermatology appointment they don't need. But I thought it was worth reporting on because basal cell carcinoma is common, especially among folks who spend a lot of time outdoors, and it can be easy to miss. And in my case, it was easy to convince myself that it wasn’t anything serious—surely not cancer. Not me. But that still meant I had lived through decades of negative sun exposure. Those years can’t be erased, which a lot of us are living with now.My reason for sharing my story isn’t to scare anyone into a dermatology appointment they don't need. But I thought it was worth reporting on because basal cell carcinoma is common, especially among folks who spend a lot of time outdoors, and it can be easy to miss. And in my case, it was easy to convince myself that it wasn’t anything serious—surely not cancer. Not me. These days sun protection is just an automatic part of my days on the water. | Kurt MazurekGet Checked I’m not your doctor, and I’m certainly not qualified to give anyone medical advice. But if you've spent a lot of time outdoors, especially on the water, you might consider getting a skin check. While the type of cancer I had was very slow growing, waiting too long can be a big mistake. Plus, there are more aggressive cancers where early diagnosis can make a huge difference. As you can imagine, hearing a doctor deliver a cancer diagnosis has me one hundred percent committed to playing it smart from here forward. And fortunately, in recent years the development and popularity of purpose-built sun protection clothing for fishermen makes it hard to find excuses not to take care these days. As you can imagine, hearing a doctor deliver a cancer diagnosis has me one hundred percent committed to playing it smart from here forward. And fortunately, in recent years the development and popularity of purpose-built sun protection clothing for fishermen makes it hard to find excuses not to take care these days. I thought I’d share a couple of my current favorite products. While there are lots of top-rated clothing manufacturers producing very effective and stylish hooded sun shirts, I find myself grabbing the FXR Derby Air UPF Pullover Hoodie most often. It’s light and comfortable, but with noticeably tough build quality. And the colors seem to stay exceptionally bright, vibrant and looking like new no matter how many hours I spend in the sun, or how many times it goes through the wash machine. I thought I’d share a couple of my current favorite products. While there are lots of top-rated clothing manufacturers producing very effective and stylish hooded sun shirts, I find myself grabbing the FXR Derby Air UPF Pullover Hoodie most often. It’s light and comfortable, but with noticeably tough build quality. And the colors seem to stay exceptionally bright, vibrant and looking like new no matter how many hours I spend in the sun, or how many times it goes through the wash machine. I have also made a habit of wearing sun gloves when I fish. My pick for this summer has been FXR’s Tournament UPF Gloves. They’re comfortable, durable, and they come in sizes big enough to fit my oversized paws. And although I do have my hood up most of the time now, I still apply some sunscreen to any exposed skin. For this I’m going with a product my wife recommended—CeraVe’s AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 50. Unlike typical sunscreens, it’s a moisture lotion first. It’s not greasy, it’s unscented, and it really seems to work. CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 50 | CeraVe I know none of these protections I’m using now undoes the decades of damage I’ve already done. But going forward, I’m not giving cancer any new opportunities without a fight. Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations KURT MAZUREKKurt Mazurek writes about all things fishing and the outdoor lifestyle for Fishing On SI -a division of Sports Illustrated. Before writing On SI he enjoyed a successful career in the fishing industry, developing marketing campaigns and creative content for many of the sport’s most recognizable brands. He is a dedicated husband and father, an enthusiastic bass tournament competitor, YouTuber, photographer, musician, and author of the novel "Personal Best: fishing and life”.