topic Re: When i was a kid in Community Chat

When i was a kid

goldensrbest — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 15:56:05 GMT

I don't remember using sunscreen, well i looked it up,it was not invented until late 1960's, that is when i remember using it sometimes, no wonder there is so much skin cancer in us older people.

Re: When i was a kid

Perkup — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 16:01:59 GMT

My fair Irish skin could never take much sun, although I longed for a beautiful tan. But most of my darker skin friends used a combo of baby oil and iodine to help them tan. For me, it was 15 minutes in the sun and then a hearty coating of Noxzema - the only treatment recommended for sunburn in my days. Actually I love the stuff - still use it as a cleanser and never had a zit.

Re: When i was a kid

millieshops — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 16:05:04 GMT

@goldensrbest I first saw the ocean in my 22nd summer and had no idea how dangerous the beach sun could be at that time. Worst sunburn ever! And, yes, we never heard of sunscreen until some years after that.

Sunscreen is only one of the important happenings in the 1960's. Ironic how something seemingly so small compared to other things turns out to be so life-changing.

Re: When i was a kid

beckyb1012 — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 16:09:16 GMT

We did the baby oil and iodine when I was a teen. My best friend took an empty bottle of a pump type hairspray and put some in that to spray instead of pouring out of the baby oil bottle. Good ideal until her Mom came in her bedroom early one morning while she was sleeping to borrow my friend's "hairspray" since she herself was out.

A couple hours later her Mom was demanding to know what was in there since she looked like she had not washed her hair in a month. We all laughed so hard and all told our own Moms. Can be dangerous to go into your teenage daughter's room.

Never did use sunscreen till I bought it for my son in the 80's.

Re: When i was a kid

I am still oxox — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 16:10:12 GMT

Coppertone was invented and marketed in 1944, there were not as many variety's and no spfs, but it was for sale.

Re: When i was a kid

hckynut — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 16:15:15 GMT

I know and have known thousands of people my age. Only 2 of them had skin cancer. 2 too many for sure but it is not a disease run rampant in the groups I have met and known.

I spent sun up to almost sun down during my many years of auto racing where there was no shade, as did many of those I have met. Of the 2 that suffered from skin cancer, 1 was a white collar worker that spent almost no time in the sun. The other guy was a co-worker that worked along side me inside a factory. His exposure to the sun was from his hobby, golf, and maybe mowing his lawn once a week.

While I do believe in sunscreen, I also am one that think many types of serious diseases come from genetic predisposition.

hckynut(john)

Re: When i was a kid

chrystaltree — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 16:20:55 GMT

Sun screen is relatively new and knowledge about how harmful the sun is and the dangers of sunburns and sun exposure is relatively new too. So, yes. That's why there is so much skin cancer in older people. I'm 56 and my mom was a fanactic about the sun. We summered on Martha's Vineyard (when working class people could do that) and she was so strict about beach time. She never went out during the mid day hours and we could only go to the beach very early in the morning or after the sun went down. But, she wasn't concerned with skin cancer. I don't think she made that connection. She just abhored that brown spotted "leather" skin that sun worshippers tend to get. Especially people who boat. She knew that sun damage was accumulative. I remember wanting so badly to lay out on the beach on a towel for hours and "tan" like my friends did. But....no, that was not allowed. Now, I am so very grateful that I had a mom like that. I raised my own girls the same way.

Re: When i was a kid

millieshops — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 16:21:24 GMT

@hckynut I don't have enough fingers to count the friends I know who have had skin cancer. Maybe that's because for most of my adult life I've been on Long Island or in southern FL, or as goldenrbest mentioned that we all were children before sunscreen came onto the markets.

Re: When i was a kid

151949 — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 16:34:35 GMT

@I am still oxox wrote:
Coppertone was invented and marketed in 1944, there were not as many variety's and no spfs, but it was for sale.

These were suntan lotions - they helped you get a tan.No SPF.

Re: When i was a kid

151949 — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 16:36:30 GMT

Back in those days the ozone later had not been d3estroyed and the sun was not as severe as it is now.

Re: When i was a kid

qualitygal — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 16:58:50 GMT

May I add "when I was a kid"

we had no seat belts

we had no helmets (don't go there). LOL

we had no car seats

there were no air bags in the cars

we had wagons, roller skates (oh and so far not one broken bone, knock on wood).

We played from day break to just before dark, or boy did we get a spanking!!!

we had such fun with wagons, they were speed cars, they were Conastoga Wagons,

we didn't walk any where, we ran and ran and ran and played running games. I don't remember walking.

but I know what the OP is getting at, I just spun off the rails with that opener. LOL

Re: When i was a kid

sweetee2 — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 17:06:41 GMT

I had my first sunburn at 3 month old. Back then they didn't worry about. Luckily I've only had 1 stage 0 skin cancer removed. We have a excellent cancer hospital here and it took them 3 tries to get it all. Needless to say I never go out side without using sunblock. Besides isn't it suppose to keep you looking young?

Re: When i was a kid

goldensrbest — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 17:24:02 GMT

I had so many sunburns,alot some were real bad,blisters, as a teen i wanted to have a tan, my mom sunbathed, my dad and brother were dark skinned, American Indian on dad side of family,i took after my moms side ,light complected, i know several that has had skin cancer, my uncle has it bad, melanoma, he has had so many operations, so yes i do think it is caused by too much sun.

Re: When i was a kid

Pook — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 08:32:03 GMT

I really don't think there is an epidemic of skin cancer - just doctors who get everyone in a panic to remove what they call precancerous cells that maybe might turn cancerous a small percentage of the time. Then these people say they had skin cancer when it was only precancerous (fairly new terminology) so I'm sure these were around way back but just never amounted to anything as most do not!! The 3 that I know that actually had a small cancerous site were all women who were pasty white and never enjoyed the outdoors and sun!!

Re: When i was a kid

goldensrbest — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 17:27:30 GMT

@Perkup wrote:
My fair Irish skin could never take much sun, although I longed for a beautiful tan. But most of my darker skin friends used a combo of baby oil and iodine to help them tan. For me, it was 15 minutes in the sun and then a hearty coating of Noxzema - the only treatment recommended for sunburn in my days. Actually I love the stuff - still use it as a cleanser and never had a zit.

I used noxzema as my cleanser, as a teen, i soaked in vinegar, with all my sunburns.

Re: When i was a kid

libbyannE — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 17:40:13 GMT

@beckyb1012 wrote:
We did the baby oil and iodine when I was a teen. My best friend took an empty bottle of a pump type hairspray and put some in that to spray instead of pouring out of the baby oil bottle. Good ideal until her Mom came in her bedroom early one morning while she was sleeping to borrow my friend's "hairspray" since she herself was out.
A couple hours later her Mom was demanding to know what was in there since she looked like she had not washed her hair in a month. We all laughed so hard and all told our own Moms. Can be dangerous to go into your teenage daughter's room.
Never did use sunscreen till I bought it for my son in the 80's.

We did baby oil and iodine, too, in the '60, and I am fair and just don't tan, so in retrospect it was a bad thing to do. I would simply burn enough to look sort of tanned. I hate to think of the damage I did. My mother would lie in the sun every day in the summer and worked hard to get tan, and beginning in her 80s, she has been treated for one skin cancer after another. I have already had two removed from my hands myself. If only we had known....

Re: When i was a kid

DoneTryin — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 18:01:05 GMT

In the fifties & early sixties, we just used suntan lotion which we thought helped prevent sunburn. Of course we forgot to keep applying & wound up burned anyway.

I became a sun worshiper in my teens & just used baby oil, no iodine. Some friends also used lemon juice/water sprayed on their hair to further lighten blonde or create lighter streaks in light brown hair.

Mom always lectured me about tanning, mostly because of causing wrinkles.

Now I know better & so far no skin cancers. I don't have the patience to just lie around in the sun now.

Re: When i was a kid

beckyb1012 — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 18:07:02 GMT

@libbyannE wrote:
@beckyb1012 wrote:
We did the baby oil and iodine when I was a teen. My best friend took an empty bottle of a pump type hairspray and put some in that to spray instead of pouring out of the baby oil bottle. Good ideal until her Mom came in her bedroom early one morning while she was sleeping to borrow my friend's "hairspray" since she herself was out.
A couple hours later her Mom was demanding to know what was in there since she looked like she had not washed her hair in a month. We all laughed so hard and all told our own Moms. Can be dangerous to go into your teenage daughter's room.
Never did use sunscreen till I bought it for my son in the 80's.
We did baby oil and iodine, too, in the '60, and I am fair and just don't tan, so in retrospect it was a bad thing to do. I would simply burn enough to look sort of tanned. I hate to think of the damage I did. My mother would lie in the sun every day in the summer and worked hard to get tan, and beginning in her 80s, she has been treated for one skin cancer after another. I have already had two removed from my hands myself. If only we had known....

Blessings to you I know that must be hard from the effects of time long past. I have been very blessed to have no problems for the decades I spent in the sun. I could lay out one day and look like I had been there for weeks. My Grandmother was half Cherokee so I have always wondered if my Mom and tanned well due to the genetics. I do not even put on a or even own a bathing suit anymore.

I pray you have no more problems.

Re: When i was a kid

MalteseMomma — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 18:21:24 GMT

78, fair,naturally blonde, and NEVER use sunscreen and try to avoid it in cosmetics ,maybe I am crazy but thats me

Re: When i was a kid

Caligurll — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 18:35:07 GMT

@qualitygal wrote:
May I add "when I was a kid"

we had no seat belts
we had no helmets (don't go there). LOL
we had no car seats
there were no air bags in the cars

we had wagons, roller skates (oh and so far not one broken bone, knock on wood).
We played from day break to just before dark, or boy did we get a spanking!!!
we had such fun with wagons, they were speed cars, they were Conastoga Wagons,
we didn't walk any where, we ran and ran and ran and played running games. I don't remember walking.

but I know what the OP is getting at, I just spun off the rails with that opener. LOL

I think I was very lucky to survive my childhood. I grew up in the country and didn't have any girl neighbors close by and my siblings are all a lot older then me so I had to find my own entertainment.

I liked to jump off roofs, swim in a large, fast moving river, ride my bike up the levee and then come down as fast as possible. Once when I did that, a cat came out of a field as I was passing by and I hit the cat because we couldn't get out of each other's way. My bike pretty much came to a dead stop but I went over the handle bars and traveled several feet on the road on my hands, face, toes, and stomach. The cat seemed to be fine, it ran off somewhere. I limped home, a bloody mess from head to toe. All of my closest neighbor playmates were boys, so I was always getting injured playing with them.

And I spent summers outside from sun up to sun down, usually in as few clothes as possible. I consider myself lucky that I don't have any sun damage because I am very fair complected and don't tan, in spite of all my youthful efforts to do so.

I have to add that the above activities were without my parents' knowledge, otherwise I probably wouldn't have been let out of the house!

Edited to add: I never met a tree I didn't want to climb.