Hats, sun, skin and aging
Besides weight problems, hair problems and problems with energy levels, older people tend to be conscious of their skin. I don't know as much about skin care as many women do and I certainly don't have the history of lotions and potions that many women do. But my dermatologist is making it clear that over time, that big bright ball in the sky and its rays are getting to my skin.
The doctor has what looks like an oil can but it is actually liquid nitrogen. When he finds a spot, usually on my forehead that qualifies for attention, he squirts me with his can. It hurts like blazes and the pain grows more intense over a minute or so. After that, the outraged skin throbs a bit and I go back to merely feeling attacked.
As I tell my doctors, I got most of my medical education from watching "Scrubs" and "Grey's Anatomy" so I know that Izzie came very close to dying from metastasized skin cancer. The American Cancer Society gives a figure of about 10,000 deaths expected in 2015 from melanoma. I just read that 1 in 40 Caucasians get melanoma while only one in 1000 Blacks do.
I have not been a hat person but after I got a skin treatment a couple of years ago, I am getting more conscious of the need to protect my forehead and increasingly exposed scalp from the sun. The treatment involved smearing a cream on my forehead and scalp. I did a poor job applying in my hair but where the cream finds skin that need replacing, it turns the area bright red. After a while, about a month as I remember, the red skin is gone and new, healthy skin is in place. Other older men know why my face carries big bright red blotches for a while but I frighten little children.
I find that visored ball caps protect my scalp and forehead well. In addition, I can use the visor to cut glare while driving. The sun often gets low enough that the car visors don't help. I am becoming the traditional old guy who reaches for his cap as he starts to go outside. There are a number of slightly different cap styles and I am getting to know them. I like caps with a medium deep head covering and a curved brim in white or khaki. Dark colors are an invitation to too much heat.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
