Hi Hazygriff

You are already doing great. Wearing a hat when you are outside especially with a wide brim to protect your ears and neck plus using factor 50 sun protection. If you can, avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm when UV light is strongest. Buy some lightweight longsleeved clothes for summer to protect your arms likewise your legs. Dont forget factor 50 for the back of your hands. Take vitamin D3 supplement to counteract the lack of sunlight on your skin. Hope this is of help.

Ed

Thank you for replying, Ed, that's really helpful. Especially the vit D3

Sorry to hear of your diagnosis & the 'new normal' you are negotiating. It will get easier after the first summer!

I've had melanoma (Stage 1 & now Stage 3) since 1996 so I've learned a lot over the years.

Firstly, Factor 30 is just as effective as Factor 50 (according to my dermatologist who is a well renowned expert in UV & Vitamin D in melanoma patients). There is only 1% difference in UV  protection, some Factor 50 sunscreens block the pores & cause skin problems & it gives people a false sense of security which leads them to spend longer in the sun. It's best to find a Factor 30 sunscreen that has at least a 4 star UVA protection rating. Most melanoma patients use Altruist which was formulated by a UK dermatologist. I go abroad a lot and never change colour with the right sun screen.

I tend to wear long sleeves and trousers as well as sunscreen from March to October or when abroad during the winter. Close weave material is best (denim, manmade materials etc) as linen & natural materials let more UV through the fibres. I only wear a hat if I'm going to be outside for more than 15 minutes (in the UK) ie.walking, gardening etc and I also use a UV parasol whilst abroad. If you have short hair, don't forget to put sun screen on your ears & neck which easily burn. Remember the sunglasses too to protect the eyes from ocular melanoma. Try to seek shade if possible (I always walk on the shaded side of the street or under the trees if possible). If you have an outdoors lifestyle, you can buy UV clothing at some outdoors clothing shops & online (there are a couple of good Australian UV clothing companies - a bit pricy but very good value).

It is a good idea to keep an eye on the sun strength which doesn't always correlate to the temperature (especially if there is a cool wind)! 

We tend to get a bit obsessive about staying out of the sun but a little sunshine is also good for us. Dermatologists suggest that we go outside for 15 minutes before 10.30am or after 5pm daily before we've put sunscreen on. This will help towards our Vitamin D level without damaging the skin. We also need more Vitamin D than a non patient so every newly diagnosed melanoma patient should have their Vitamin D level tested by either their consultant/nurse or GP (as per NICE guidelines). An optimal level to be reached is between 80 & 100 whilst a non patient is fine with 50. If your level is found to be very deficient (under 20 to 30) you should be prescribed a short term high dose Vitamin D supplement & then be retested. Once your level is closer to 80 or, at first testing, was between 30 - 80, you will be advised to buy a maintenance dose over the counter which you must use for life. Don't take supplements until you know your level as overdosing on the supplement can have just as much negative effect as having too low a dose. Personally, my first test showed a level of 42 so I was advised to take 400iu supplement daily. Two years later my level had only raised to 65 so I increased my supplement to 1000iu daily and changed from capsules to an oral spray (absorbs better into the body). My level is now around 85.

If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask. Good luck with your WLE and try & enjoy this beautiful weather without too much stress.

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)

That's brilliant Angie. Thank you so much. My next stop, then, is to get my vitamin D level checked. 

Iv'e book marked this thread for info :)

HiAngie

What an information packed post esp on vit D. I did forget to mention sunglasses most important. Thanks.

Ed

Thanks Hazygriff. xx

Thanks Ed. My head is also full of useless information too :)

Thank you Tony. This is really helpful.

I've found a sun cream that's not greasy. I've got a couple of wide brim hats and gathering long sleeve tops etc..