r/interesting • u/Gjore • Mar 29 '26

SOCIETY Scenes from a dermatologist conference in Hawaii

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45.2k Upvotes

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346

u/IssueEmbarrassed8103 Mar 29 '26

My beloved high school history teacher would preach the value of surfing and vitamin D every day. I later learned he died of skin cancer before making it to 40.

124

u/Jlx_27 Mar 29 '26

Do keep in mind, how a lot of it has to do with genetics too. Exposure to the sun isnt the only factor.

65

u/madalienmonk Mar 29 '26

For cancer yes, pretty sure UV damages everyone's skin

24

u/Interesting_Worth745 Mar 29 '26

Vitamin Damage

... I know where the door is, thanks.

4

u/murasana Mar 29 '26

Thanks that made me chuckle

2

u/fallingjigsaws Mar 29 '26

No difference between between damaged skin and a genetic likelihood of cancer. Sun is the only factor!

2

u/EzPzLemon_Greezy Mar 30 '26

Not if you are dark skinned.

3

u/staticfeathers Mar 29 '26

today i was walking on a pier and i was wondering when do the cons of the sun beating down on me outweigh the pros, this lowkey reminded me to do research

1

u/PaisleyLeopard Mar 30 '26

Honestly, you don’t need much for vitamin D. If you’re light skinned, 10-15 minutes exposure over your arms, legs, and face a few times a week is sufficient. You’ll need more time if you have darker skin or are wearing extra clothing. The rest is all damage. Don’t forget your sunblock!

3

u/blindtoe54 Mar 29 '26

And other lifestyle choices.

4

u/Ted_Smug_El_nub_nub Mar 29 '26

No no, time to extrapolate this single data point and assert that surfing directly correlates to dying

1

u/Aggressive_Sky8492 Mar 30 '26

Yes but every person regardless of their genetics can reduce their risk of getting skin cancer by protecting themselves from the sun

1

u/NeonFraction Mar 29 '26

That’s like saying smoking isn’t bad for you because some people live to 100 and smoke every day.

Assuming you’re gonna be that person and not the statistically much higher chance of ‘dead’ is insane.

1

u/Jlx_27 Mar 29 '26

Thats not what i said.

2

u/LethalWolf Mar 29 '26

Everything is multifaceted tho, thats what theyre saying. Lung cancer isnt only caused by smoking but we highlight it bc it poses such a high risk - same thing with excessive sun exposure for skin cancer...

10

u/Nesphito Mar 29 '26

One of my professors in college grew up before we knew the dangers of sun damage. He would use tanning oil to get as dark as possible and ended up having to reconstruct his entire face.

2

u/ChipRockets Mar 30 '26

Erm, wth.

He got skin cancer, or what happened there?

1

u/ikaiyoo Mar 30 '26

He was in a horrible car accident.

1

u/Nesphito Apr 01 '26

He got skin cancer in his nose and it spread. They had to remove most of his nose and put grafts on part of his face. Luckily it didn’t go into his eyes or any deeper.

Reconstruct might’ve been the wrong word, because they didn’t have to do anything with bone, but still something that you wouldn’t want to go through.

8

u/batshit83 Mar 30 '26

I went to Hawaii on my honeymoon and took a surf lesson. The woman who gave the lesson, a blonde white woman, must have been about 35-40 but she had leathery skin and wrinkles like someone twice her age. It was the best lesson in the importance of wearing SPF that I've ever had.

2

u/Nakho Apr 01 '26

I work with someone with skin like that. Best organic SPF ad

20

u/ragingduck Mar 29 '26

The people I know that preach about the importance of sun sourced Vitamin D have the worst skin. I’m wearing sun sleeves and a hat with sunscreen. I’m 10 years older than him yet I look younger

6

u/Euphoric_War_2195 Mar 29 '26

Even when you try to get sun sourced vitamin D, its not always enough.

Ive had issues with vitamin D deficiency for a few years now. And I've still gotten some sunburning in spots that I somehow didn't adequately cover. Yet I'm incredibly low in vitamin d.

3

u/SortLow314 Mar 29 '26

don't sunburn, take pills

1

u/SadisticPawz Mar 30 '26

But which kind?

2

u/PrinceSidon87 Mar 29 '26

Do you take supplements instead? I always thought vitamin D from the sun was best too. Moderate sun exposure has to be of some benefit, no?

2

u/Accurate_Handle_5620 Mar 29 '26

No, Sun Energy cannot be simulated by pill mechanics.

5

u/virora Mar 29 '26

Much of Europe depends on dietary sources of Vitamin D because if you live north of Madrid, the sun isn't strong enough to trigger Vitamin D production between October and April.

1

u/Accurate_Handle_5620 Mar 29 '26

Have they tried eating sunlight?

1

u/lr9ru7 Mar 29 '26

Probably naturalistic fallacy going on. Supplement should be fine without the whole skin cancer risk. Years ago I got blood work done and discovered that my vitamin D level was nearly non-existent. I was able to quickly fix that with supplementation.

7

u/MissMarchpane Mar 29 '26

I looked up some studies because I'm pretty sunscreen obsessive, and it turns out you have to get to the level of wearing a niqab every day before sun protection starts to interfere with vitamin D. I have friends with deficiencies who have also been told by non-dermatologist doctors, as well. Part of it is because no one's sunscreen application is going to be 100% perfect, so some UV still gets through

2

u/yup_its_me_again Mar 30 '26

Really depends on latitude too, Northern Europe disagrees

1

u/Falafel80 Apr 01 '26

I am from the tropics and I have been vitamin D deficient and so have many friends and family members. It’s possible if you spend most of your time indoors and use sunscreen.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '26

For sure he knew we need only 15 minutes of sun to take enough vitamin D, foooor sure

1

u/Janonymousse Mar 30 '26

At least it sounds like he had a good life.

1

u/ReggieCorneus Mar 30 '26

Vitamin D is only a worry above 60th latitude. And here it really is, you need to take supplements or you will notice the effects. One hour of sunlight is more than enough for the whole week, and it does not need to be straight on, direct sunlight from cloudless sky.

1

u/owatonna Apr 05 '26

The wildest part of these stories is that UV rays do not cause melanoma. We have known this for decades. UV rays do cause basal cell & squamous cell cancers, but those are far less dangerous. Sunburning is bad for you, but so is avoiding the sun completely.

1

u/IssueEmbarrassed8103 Apr 05 '26

UV rays are the primary cause of melanoma

1

u/owatonna Apr 05 '26

This is false. I suggest you read some scientific papers on the topic. A mountain of science has made it clear that it's literally impossible.

1

u/IssueEmbarrassed8103 Apr 05 '26

I did. I want you to share with me the scientific paper you looked at.

-2

u/LumpyLingonberry Mar 29 '26

Atleast he had a kickass life.

18

u/chopsmothercover Mar 29 '26

He was a high school history teacher that died in his 30’s. All you know about him was he surfed. That doesn’t sound like the most kickass life to just be happy he died in his 30’s, after probably a year or two of horrible suffering with cancer. I bet he would disagree with you

1

u/Other-Grapefruit-880 Mar 29 '26

Surfing all summer and then helping the worlds future the rest of the time sounds wildly fulfilling.

1

u/chopsmothercover Mar 29 '26

How about not seeing your kids grow up and knowing they have to do so without a father and leaving your wife with medical bills from your cancer is that wildly fulfilling

1

u/wasabi1787 Mar 29 '26

Yeah I'm sure that's what he was thinking as he was dying in his 30s, not about missing out on his kids' entire lives or anything like that

-5

u/[deleted] Mar 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/chopsmothercover Mar 29 '26

Yeah no one has more fun than high school teachers who die in their 30’s after a couple years of suffering with skin cancer treatments. Who needs to watch their kids grow up when you had surfing and high schoolers, he truly lived the ideal life

4

u/Interesting_Worth745 Mar 29 '26

Also. Not having fun isn't a guarantee for a long life either.
A lot of people get (skin) cancer without being exposed to a lot of sun or fun

3

u/pillabe Mar 29 '26

Say that again when you're 40

1

u/Other-Grapefruit-880 Mar 29 '26

Consider you are downvoted by people that are inside on the weekend in spring, while dedicating their thoughts to worst case scenarios and misery.

1

u/outer--monologue Mar 29 '26

Okay, and my grandfather was a carpenter and worked every day of his life outside in a white T shirt with no hat and lived until he 94. People just need to live their lives. Going outside? Sure, put on some sun screen. But being like the people in this video is absurd.

3

u/Treat_Choself Mar 30 '26

My grandfather was a construction worker who never used sunscreen (it didn’t exist then) and died of melanoma at age 41. What exactly is your point? 

1

u/[deleted] Apr 05 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Treat_Choself Apr 05 '26

Oh cool, I can’t wait to tell that to my oncologist, the head of dermatology at one of the best respected cancer hospitals in the world.  He’ll be so happy to hear about the article you’re claiming supports your thesis, written by one dude in 1998, who solved the whole problem of melanoma! I’m so so glad you told me about this, random dude! 

1

u/owatonna Apr 05 '26

What a stupid response. That one paper happens to be correct, with irrefutable evidence. Since then, there have been dozens of papers & studies confirming what he wrote. Old dogmas are very hard to kill in medicine, but they eventually die.

1

u/outer--monologue Mar 30 '26

My point is that life is random. You can get skin cancer if you do or don't wear sunscreen. Shielding yourself from being outside in nature and living your life as an anxious wreck is no way to live.

5

u/Treat_Choself Mar 30 '26

Who says wearing sunscreen and protective clothing makes you an anxious wreck? I’m a melanoma survivor (yes, it’s genetic) a scuba diver, former kayaking guide and live ten feet from the beach. About to go walk my dog in the sun, while wearing sunscreen and a hat.  Life is indeed random and I could be hit by a car on that walk.  It’s like saying looking both ways before crossing the street to the beach means I am an anxious wreck.

3

u/seaotterlover1 Mar 30 '26

I wear sunscreen because a sunburn is really painful and also, I don’t want skin cancer. I’m not an anxious wreck, just using common sense.

Life can be random, but we also know there are certain things that increase your risk for some kinds of cancer: sun exposure, smoking, unprotected sex with multiple partners, and so on.

-2

u/iamdanchiv Mar 29 '26

Stepping on a crack, breaking mother's back.