Get Your Skin Checked!
On Friday I had a long overdue dermatology appointment to have a skin check. It's something I've educated patients on for years when I practiced, but never was good about doing it myself.
I spent years swimming competitively and not being the best about sunscreen. I had more blistering burns than I'd like to admit. Then in high school and college I used the tanning bed a few too many times. I have such pale skin that burns incredibly easy. I'm also fairly moley.
I think part of the procrastination in making the appointment was a bit of fear. Fear in what they would find especially since I had put this off for so long. I have a friend going through melanoma and removal of several other skin cancers so my desire for the skin check was heightened.
I have sent several patients to Dr. Tareen in the past as I had heard nothing but incredible things about her! She is also fairly easy to get into, which is not common with dermatology.
On Friday I drove to Roseville and at the appointment the Medical Assistant did a preliminary look over. Then, D
r. Tareen came in and marked 3 moles on my body that they wanted to watch and she told me the spot on my nose, which I always thought was a freckle, was a precancerous lesion (atypical actinic keratosis). She recommended it be froze off and if that doesn't make it go away completely I'd have to come back in to have it biopsied and removed.
r. Tareen came in and marked 3 moles on my body that they wanted to watch and she told me the spot on my nose, which I always thought was a freckle, was a precancerous lesion (atypical actinic keratosis). She recommended it be froze off and if that doesn't make it go away completely I'd have to come back in to have it biopsied and removed.She marked the other three moles, took measurements and pictures to compare when I come back in a year.
The freezing hurt a bit and after was achy for the rest of the day. The following day a blister formed and ended up popping it and applying baby balm. On the 2nd day it looks like a small wound that I'll keep applying baby balm to until it heals. I'm crossing my fingers that this takes care of it and I don't have to go back in. 🤞🏼 I think my favorite 2 parts of that day were Dr. Tareen commenting how I smelled good, thanks Ambre Blends! And, her commenting how I had "rocking body", thanks CrossFit. 😉
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in the United States. Many times it can be preventable with proper protection with clothes and sunscreen (safer of course 😉). Also, please make sure you wear at least SPF 20-30.
Lastly, I encourage you to make an appointment with a dermatologist for a skin check. I think many times we feel we are wasting our time with something like that and my feelings always are, I hope I'm wasting my time and they don't find anything. Now to keep an eye on the spot of my nose and the three other moles they are watching!