Sun rays can cause pain and health issues

By the time this article is published we, in all probability, will have crossed the threshold from winter into the spring season.

Hey spring! There is so much that could be said about this season of the year. The first blossoms on numerous plants that normally bloom at this time of year. The first butterfly as it flutters from blossom to blossom. The first birds as they fly to and fro gathering nesting material for a new family of birds.

Around this time of year we begin thinking and planning a number of activities for spring, summer and on into the fall. Many gardens and various crops are put out and sown. Other activities for this time of year may include: baseball, swimming, biking, horseback riding, picnicking and mowing the lawn. On and on we could probably go with this line of talk, but you get the drift.

Many of us will probably spend a lot of time in the sun won?t we? The fact is many will choose to ?lay out in the sun? in hopes for a ?golden tan.? Such may seem harmless enough, and in as much as many of us have spent large amounts of time out in the sun with no ill affect, we think, we see no real harm in it.

However, we can be fooled by thinking that there is no harm in the sun?s rays. In my life time I have spent considerable time in the sun. I use to ride three-wheeled bikes three or four hours most every day. I?ve spent four to six hours weekly on riding lawn mowers. Although I tried to wear a cap, too many times I go out and forget to get one. The only thing I thought I got was possibly a sunburned bald head. And I thought that was insignificant. I thought I could stand a little sunburn. Little did I realize what the sun and the sunburn can lead to.

Recently I had to change medical doctors, as the doctor I had been seeing was promoted in the medical staff in the hospital. During my first visit with my new doctor, he looked at my face and he said I had lesions on my face caused by exposure to the sun. He said we should take care of the lesions because they may turn into cancer. With that said he prescribed a medication called Efudex. I had to have it put on twice a day for three weeks. My face got red, rough and itchy. No matter how bad the itching was, scratching was a no, no.

I got a paper that tells about Efudex. Here is what it said. Abnormal cells absorb Efudex more quickly than normal cells. As a result, lesions that were not visible may become inflamed. People may have three to 10 times as many invisible lesions as they have visible ones. Efudex effectively eliminates the visible AK lesions. The usual duration of therapy is from two to four weeks.

Complete healing of lesions may not be evident for one to two months following cessation of Efudex therapy. Complete healing can take up to 12 weeks from start of therapy. Irritation can be lessened by limiting Efudex therapy to one segment of the face at a time, instead of treating the entire face at once. Take it from me, a day in the sun is not worth the pain.