It Finally Happened

Well, after working in the business for 10 years, it's happened.  I found a skin cancer on myself.  Yep.  All those years of unprotected sun exposure and tanning bed use before I knew better, have caught up with me. Most of our sun damage occurs earlier in life and you don't see the results until later.  In my case, it was a mole that I had been keeping an eye on and it was changing and showing some of the A, B, C, D's - asymmetrical, irregular borders, color variation and the diameter was getting larger.  Working for a dermatologist, I asked one of the physician assistants to biopsy it for me.  If you've never had a skin biopsy, it's a very simple procedure that is really just a little scrape of the top layers of skin that get sent to a lab for pathology.  Don't let the fear of a biopsy keep you from getting something checked!

Well, my biopsy came back as what is called a dysplastic nevus or an atypical melanocytic neoplasm.  These types of lesions are considered pre-cancerous and there is a chance of them progressing into melanoma.  Having a family history of melanoma, it was best to have mine completely removed as opposed to observing it for further changes.

My surgery was yesterday and today, I'm a bit uncomfortable, but, all in all I can't complain too much.  My stitches will come out in 7-10 days and if I take it easy and follow the appropriate home care instructions for my surgery site, the scarring should be minimal.  I'm thankful that I was discovered before it progressed into anything more serious.

Let this be a lesson to you all to not only wear your sunscreen on not go to indoor tanning facilities, but, remember to do self exams and visit a dermatologist on a yearly basis for a skin exam.