SAFETY Skin Cancer: Preventing The World’s Most Prevalent Diving Injury – by Gil Zeimer, ScubaStoryteller.com and Zeimer.com, San Rafael, CA
As a PADI Open-Water Diver for nearly 40 years, Gil has published more than 110 articles in over 25 magazines and websites, plus another 170 newsletters about his experiences. He’s also a two-time skin cancer survivor.
As divers, our biggest threat isn’t sharks, stingrays, lionfish, or other denizens of the deep. It’s skin cancer, the world’s most prevalent skin con- dition, but also the most preventable. That’s why it’s no understatement that this article can save countless lives of divers, instructors, liveaboard and resort employees, plus just about anyone else in the scuba industry. The more you know about skin cancer, the better pre- pared you’ll be to help your customers and employees pre- vent it, especially because most of us have lived in, on, or under the water for decades to enjoy a sport where sun
braised shoulders, baked legs, blistered foreheads, and roasted noses –– with me as the sun’s entrée. My skin cancer history is not pretty, either. I burned my nose so many times in my youth that I wore a plastic nose guard clipped to my sunglasses in my teens. (Yeah, I was a real babe magnet.) Even worse, my twin brother and I held annual “tan” contests to see who could get the darkest to win the "Golden Skin" medal. This snapshot was taken when we were 19 after we’d spent the whole summer lying by a swimming pool, then three weeks in Hawaii. Please note our tan lines –– we were not wearing white shorts under our swim trunks!
damage is an everyday occurrence. Here are a few facts that should make you take notice… Fact: In 2023, there were only 14 ▪
My Two Bouts With Skin Cancer: I’ve survived a Basal cell carcinoma skin cancer scare on my back a few years ago. I even had Mohs surgery for a skin can- cer lesion on my cheek where the doctor had to remove thin layers of skin, one at a time, to determine if any cancer re- mained. Today, I’ve learned my lessons of sun damage by having my dermatologist on
Gil & David Zeimer: Twin tan lines
confirmed shark-related fatalities worldwide, but more than 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day in the U.S., and more than two people die of skin cancer every hour. Fact: Skin cancer is the most common cancer diag- ▪ nosed in the U.S. and worldwide. Fact: Having five or more sunburns in your lifetime ▪ doubles your risk for melanoma. Fact: At least 1 in 5 Americans will de- ▪ velop skin cancer by age 70.
speed dial. I also proactively schedule twice-a-year wellness check-ups during which I endure countless sprays of liquid nitrogen to freeze off pre-cancerous growths on my face and chest. Now, to protect myself, I never leave the house without proper sun protection.
Rashguard and mineral sunscreen
It’s Easy to Prevent The World’s Most Preventable Cancer : You can easily reduce your risk if you practice “sun safety” because 90% of skin cancers can be cured if detected and treated in time. In fact, a clever mnemonic is “Slip, Slop, Slap”, a slogan coined by the SunSmart pro- gram from Cancer Council Australia, which
Fact: Nearly 8,300 people were esti- ▪ mated to pass away from melanoma and other skin cancers in 2024. Fact: When detected early, the five-year ▪ survival rate for melanoma is 99%. (Source for all of these facts: www.Skin- Cancer.org.)
My Life as a Sun Worshipper: Being extremely active as a scuba diver, snorkeler, swimmer, jogger, baseball player, golfer, hiker, and skier has led to frequently barbecued ribs,
helps people remember to: Slip on a shirt or rash guard to cover their skin, slop on sunscreen to protect their skin, and slap on a hat to protect their head.
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