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277 points petethomas | 8 comments | | HN request time: 0.806s | source | bottom
1. spullara ◴[] No.45304862[source]
dunno man, just had melanoma removed from my ear and if it had moved to my lymph nodes I had a 50% chance of dying within 5 years. thankfully it didn't but it was caused by sun damage incurred in my youth. I'll be wearing sunscreen and mostly avoiding direct sunlight.
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2. gaoshan ◴[] No.45305161[source]
Make sure your sunscreen is free from things like benzene* or you may just be trading one cancer causer for another.

* https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/is-sunscreen-safe

replies(1): >>45306694 #
3. DennisP ◴[] No.45305499[source]
They did say to avoid getting sunburn, which is the main cause of melanoma.
4. jghn ◴[] No.45305794[source]
That's the thing about population level trends: there's always going to be individuals with counterexamples.
replies(1): >>45308432 #
5. meatmanek ◴[] No.45306694[source]
A reality check on the sunscreen benzene panic: https://labmuffin.com/will-benzene-in-sunscreens-give-you-ca...
6. papyrus9244 ◴[] No.45307628[source]
There are studies that show that regular sun exposure is correlated with both lower incidence of and lower mortality from melanoma.

So as long as you're not getting sum burns, sun exposure is actually better for you.

In some decades we'll look at the whole sun avoidance policy as those doctors prescribing cigarettes a century ago.

7. WarOnPrivacy ◴[] No.45308432[source]
It has a lot to do with the individual's makeup. My mom came from a pale lineage and had the same story as the parent comment - except for the luck part. Melanoma was common in her family and was tightly tied to excessive time in the sun as children.
8. smeeger ◴[] No.45309588[source]
funny how some anecdotes are pounced on by redditors and others are taken at face value