themp

70 years old and have been riding since around 2016 at least 2-3 times a week for 4-6 hours. On my latest visit to the dermatologist, he froze two areas in the front bald area of my head and found Basal Cell carcinoma in a third location, all under my helmet(I did not use sunscreen here). When I got home I put on my helmet and ask my wife to look down the holes in the front of my helmet with a flashlight and see if they matched to the three locations. They were a perfect match. I have been wearing this cap all this time and I did not realize that it does not have a UPF rating.

https://www.headsweats.com/collectio...uty-shorty-red

Got this one for Christmas as it does have a 50 UPF tag on it.

https://www.pearlizumi.com/products/...40648912404651

Just a heads up here as this was not on my radar. I always ride completely covered except for my face and I use sunscreen on that area.

DiabloScott

Word



(not me)

Iride01 

Do you also have a good head of hair on top? So a good warning for those that aren't blessed with a hairless and visible scalp. <grin>

I don't have much hair on top and when I started seeing a pattern on my scalp that matched my helmet vents I got a sweat Vac. Which is similar to the links of things you gave.

Not only does it keep the sun and UV off the scalp, I find it also keeps my head cooler when moving enough to have airflow.

John E

That is another reason I wear a sweatband cap under my helmet. As a Celt with what my father called my freckled "redhead skin," I have had to be careful about sun exposure my entire life.

Ever since I lost a valued worker to melanoma at age 43, I have been particularly cautious.

skidder

I like bicycling around dawn so the number of inattentive drivers and bicyclists on the roads and local MUPs are minimal. The added benefit is minimal sunlight, minimal UVA, UVB, and other cosmic radiation. So far, so good, no skin cancers or pre-cancerous 'thingies' growing anywhere.

rsbob 

Being foliclularly challenged, I spray the top of my head with Trader Joe’s sunscreen. It has a top rating by Consumer Reports for effectiveness and lack of harmful ingredients like many sunscreens. It’s easy to apply and then just rub in.

Glad the OP got the issue spotted and resolved.

MinnMan

I'm surprised by this. Like many cyclists, I early-on discovered that sunscreen above the eyes made for intolerable eye irritation when the sweating begins. So no sunscreen above the eyes for me.

Once upon a time, my helmet and hair were enough to protect my scalp. But when my hair thinned, I started wearing simple (Pearl Uzumi) skull caps. They work great.

Thanks to the OP for the public service announcement and best wishes for full recovery, etc.

delbiker1 

I cover up as much of my body as I can, but still be comfortable. I do not like sunscreen, but I use it, along with sun sleeves and knees. I always have a brimmed hat under my helmet. I have had many things surgically removed or frozen. I have a dent in my forehead, and numerous scars on my face/nose. I also have a 5 inch scar on my left shoulder from basal cell removal. No melanoma yet, that is what killed my Dad. I expect that at a future visit to the dermatologist, melanoma will be detected, likely my face, neck or ears. I have used some spf lotion that does not burn the eyes so badly, but it still has a negative affect when it gets into the eyes. Also, during the summer, most of my riding is early morning before the temp and the sun get high.

Skullo

I always use 50 sunscreen on the bald head even if I wear a cap. I usually take the cap off when I get too hot. I like the breeze though the vents.I have never had the telltale marks on my scalp. Not a heavy sweater, so only get eye 👁️ burn if caught in rain.

Biker395 

Whoa ... that is interesting. I looked at the material they use, and you're right ... it does not indicate an UPF rating! I wonder if it provides some level of protection anyway, though. I have used headsweats and have never been burned using them.

I have myself checked for skin lesions annually, and the doc has yet to find any, or even any that look suspicious. I have olive skin (1/2 Mediterranean descent) and do not burn easily, and no one in my family has ever had a suspicious lesion or anything removed, a fact my dermatologist apparently find to be quite important. I use sunscreens, but only mineral based sunscreens, and only when I am expecting to be in the Sun for prolonged periods or when the Sun is expected to be intense.

I should also mention one thing. I am not sure about basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma, but the nastiest skin cancer of all ... melanoma ... doesn't necessarily occur in places that get a lot of sunlight. They can and do appear in the wildest of places, including places where the sun don't shine (at least unless you live in a nudist colony). So get checked annually, and don't dismiss lesions that are not in Sun exposed areas.

SurferRosa

Another good reason to move north by northwest.

50PlusCycling

I used to have an old Porsche 356 roadster. This was not a beautiful, collector-quality car, but a $300 beater with no top and most of the paint burnt off by the sun, and I had to be careful where I put my feet so they wouldn’t push through the rusty floor. I lived in the high desert at the time, and despite having a full head of ‘80’s hair, I needed to rub sunscreen into my scalp to prevent it getting sunburned.