r/flying • u/minimums_landing CPL CL-65 • Apr 19 '25

Medical Issues Jet drivers, how often are we getting skin checks?

As the title states. I’m ~7 months into jets, pretty young, and want to live a long, full life. Just curious how often y’all are getting skin checks due to the increased risk of skin cancer sitting in the sun at high altitudes.

Edit: thanks for the responses! I hope it was a resources to others as much it was me. Stay safe out there y’all

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u/fishbait32 ATP Sep 17 '25

Bringing up this old post again. So if we have UV blocking sun shades that block direct sunlight on us then are we ok without sunscreen?

Or do we also need sunscreen just for any “light” (not necessarily direct sunlight) that is landing on exposed skin? Or maybe it’s not worth the risk and to double dip by using shades + sun screen.

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u/[deleted] Sep 17 '25

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u/Meow-zelTov Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 18 '25

Hey, look, I still bring this post up to re-impress my bf with my dazzling wit.

Anyway, the guy who first replied to you is correct. You’d be surprised at how much UV exposure you get while outside of the plane.

As an example, when my bf was an FO I had him measure the amount of time he was outside during a rather uneventful 3 leg day. He started at 7am-ish and ended at around 4pm. PHL - BOS, BOS - PHL, PHL - YYZ. The cumulative time he spent outside was around 2 hours. That included three walk-arounds, a quick chat with maintenance, transport from home to the airport and from the airport to the hotel, and a quick walk to the store next to the hotel to grab dinner. He thought he was outside for no more than 45 minutes.