Sunburn Sucks!
Thread started by
FuzzBeast at 06.23.08 - 11:20 pm
It's hot out... and the sun is bright... it's a good time to wear sunblock.
I didn't yesterday, and I got a pretty nasty sunburn that makes wearing a shirt plenty uncomfortable. I got it in less than an hour, but then again, I'm a pasty motherfucker...
So yeah, wear sunscreen!
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carefull man, we peoples from the colder backrounds are succeptible. i got 3rd degree burns in an hour a few years back. whats sunblock ?
HANDBONE06.23.08 - 11:28 pm
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awww fuzz. hope it heals soon. i found some extra sunscreen at the party because i knew i'd burn on the way back for sure. layer on the aloe vera!
tomato06.23.08 - 11:28 pm
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SPF FTW!
– the second whitest person here... after Fuzz.
canadienne06.23.08 - 11:32 pm
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thank god metro gave out free sunscreen on bike not fuck day,
ben dangel06.23.08 - 11:34 pm
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Little known fact: That glue provided in most patch kits also acts as sunscreen.*
*This has not been tested
Lizzard06.23.08 - 11:39 pm
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I got a sunburn at kickball after my first Crank Mob (aka No Sleep Mob) a couple months back. Ever since then, I carry sunblock on every ride, no matter how late at night it happens to start.
nathansnider06.23.08 - 11:45 pm
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7/11 carries sunblock - the nice spray on kind, too. As does pretty much every small market in SoCal. Its not really a problem if you forget to bring it along, unless you are as broke as Fuzzbeast, anyway. You are never more than 5 minutes from a place to buy some.
ideasculptor06.23.08 - 11:59 pm
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If you're broke you can always just steal the sunblock.
kyber06.24.08 - 12:00 am
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Exactly... I usually carry some, and am prety siligent about putting it on when I have it, but I realized I didn't have any yesterday when I left AT's place. I figured it was only a ride across town, not long enough to get burned (and like someone said, I'm broke, and didn't want to buy some. Anyway, I figured I'd be fine, especially since I've gotten a bit of sun on my back already this summer... Guess it wasn't enough.
Even if you are of a darker complexion than I am (which means everyone who isn't an albino, my arms are actually darker than any part of my skin has ever been) sunstroke/heatstroke (hyperthermia) can kill you, even if you don't get a sunburn, as it is the raising of the body temperature, not necessarily related to sunburn, however strenuous activity (like riding a bike) in hot sun can cause both.
Dehydration is also nasty, and can contribute to hyperthermia.
Symptoms of both can include, a person stops sweating (this is bad), diarrhea (one of the first symptoms of excessive body temperature, the body is eliminating anything it can that stores heat (such as solid organic matter), and it's another method for the body to rid itself of large quantities of overheated water, however this removal of water can quickly lead to dehydration), fainting (VERY BAD), lack of urination, dark colored urine, headache (another early warning sign of both issues, high body temperatures will give one a headache pretty fast).
On the whole it is better in hot weather (like the last week or so) to be drinking water rather than sports drinks (like gatorade or vitamin water), as the sugars and salts inside such drinks can CONTRIBUTE to dehydration (PS many, but sadly not all, 7-11's and the like have a water tap on the soda fountain, and most of the time don't try to charge you for it). Drink LOTS of water, but in smaller doses, of say a quart or so, don't just try to chug a gallon jug if you're becoming dehydrated or overheated, it can cause you to puke or worse. If someone with you or even you yourself is suffering hyperthermic symptoms, the best thing you can do is to start puring cold water on the person and having them drink reasonable amounts of water (even if they're not thirsty, as this is a symptom of dehydration).
Oh yeah, and alcohol is VERY bad in a situation where one might be becoming dehydrated, as the liver is using more water to help pass the intoxicants from the body, so when it's really hot and you're outside, drink water instead of beer, I know, less fun, but it's better than dying.
FuzzBeast06.24.08 - 1:30 am
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Oh and specifically for cyclists, one early symptom I have noticed of dehydration is very rapid lactic acid buildup in your knees. If your knees are hurting and they shouldn't be, you might need some liquids.
FuzzBeast06.24.08 - 1:31 am
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this is why we ride at midnight, no?
sezdaniel06.24.08 - 1:33 am
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Not all of us roll at midnight all of the time... for some of us, cycling is how we get around, go places, see things, do things, work, art, love, exercise, live, or whatever, and it doesn't always happen after the sun goes down...
FuzzBeast06.24.08 - 1:39 am
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And you can still dehydrate after dark. Ask anyone who's ridden in Vegas.
Last summer when we were there myself and another person split a gallon of water at the first stop, and another at the next stop, we were sweating so badly, and it was WELL after dark by that point.
FuzzBeast06.24.08 - 1:41 am
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kill two birds with one stone. how to stay hydrated and not sunburn:
indigis06.24.08 - 9:58 am
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I don't need to wear sunblock. I have a small army of children around me that build structures our of their bodies and shade me from the sun.
NEWB31006.24.08 - 12:51 pm
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Oh and specifically for cyclists, one early symptom I have noticed of dehydration is very rapid lactic acid buildup in your knees. If your knees are hurting and they shouldn't be, you might need some liquids.
FuzzBeast
06.24.08 - 4:31 am
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holy shit, this is totally my case. good lookin' !
HANDBONE06.24.08 - 1:34 pm
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wow thanks for the info fuzz. i'm glad i didn't die on sunday. i was sure close to fainting though..
tomato06.24.08 - 2:12 pm
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I just wish my sunburn was somewhere else. the stupid thing has blistered a little, not horribly (just sort of a bumpy texture versus huge bubbles), but enough to hurt badly. I pretty much havent been able to put a shirt on since sunday... however, it should start to stop hurting by tonite/tomorrow morning, the rest of it pretty much has, it's ust the bad part, right between my shoulder blades (so moving is FUN in a bad way).
FuzzBeast06.24.08 - 3:25 pm
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Fuzz, I empathize. I am pretty much as pale as you are and I burn quickly even when I've got a base tan. I've had far too many blistered sunburns as a kid and now I'm paranoid, so I take absolutely no risks with the sun whatsoever. It sucks, because it means I'm usually pasty white even in the middle of summer, but it doesn't suck as much as skin cancer would.
ideasculptor06.24.08 - 3:30 pm
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Actually, from what I've been reading for the last few years, when it comes to skin cancer, sunblock can actually increase the risk of melanoma (the kind of skin cancer that can kill you), as it tends to soak into the skin and something in it causes some sort of cellular damage, however it protects against the benign cancers (which are much more common).
Also, there's pretty much NO incidence of skin cancer in my family of pasty people, on both sides, and that particular form of cancer is very dependent on genetics, or exposure to certain industrial chemicals and or medications.
FuzzBeast06.24.08 - 3:36 pm
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Last I read, there was a hypothesis that some sunblocks may not be protecting against some forms of cancer that fear of sunburn without sunblock would, but there wasn't significant clinical data to back it up. Also, recent sunblocks supposedly shield you from the entire spectrum of bad rays. But I haven't seen anything on the story in a while.
ideasculptor06.24.08 - 3:45 pm
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STOP RIDING MY SUNBURN!!
....ooops, wrong thread
Eric Hair06.24.08 - 3:56 pm
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Interesting thread 'ere.
I obviously have little need to wear it, but have been suggested to do so due to the risks of skin cancer, melanoma, or those other pesky, life-jacking ailments.
But, I hardly ever take my shirt off as it is, and 50% of the time I've always got a bandana covering my teapot-dome.
And all this coming from a guy who drives a rig with a busted AC for 6-10 hours, then sits in the steamroom after busting ass in the gym for a few hours.
So, the only way I could be defeated is by chucking an ice-cube at me.
But that requires having to deal with 10-20 bodyguards surrounding said cube-of-ice.
bentstrider06.25.08 - 12:28 am
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