My Skin Cancer Scare

tanning

I’ve become hyper-aware of skin cancer stories in the last few of years. See, I grew up in Arizona where the sun doesn’t stop shining and yes, I did my fair share of suntanning with baby oil. Mind you, I am of Dutch descent and my skin doesn’t tan all that well so it was an ongoing quest to get the golden brown skin I coveted.

While in college, I spent a lot of money and time at the tanning booths.

After college, I became a full-time Physical Education Specialist, working outside in my “classroom” (the school yard), year-round for 5 years. I did finally succeed in getting those beautifully tanned legs but with unwanted short and sock lines! I wised up a bit the final 2 years of my teaching and wore a visor religiously and applied sunscreen to my body, including my legs.

My husband and I enjoyed a lot of outdoor activities including sailing, kayaking, riding our bikes and running. All of which are, of course, in the sun. Vacations always evolved around a pool or a beach. All this to say, I subjected my skin to a lot of sun damage in the first 30 years of my life.

After having our first child, our activities changed. We no longer were able to participate in the same types of recreation and I was very careful not to be out in the sun for the protection of my son. He has fair skin like I do. I would say that in the last 8 years, I’ve done pretty well protecting my skin from the damaging rays of the sun.

But alas, I am not in the clear. Due to the sun exposure and damage already caused from my earlier years, I recently had to have TWO a pre-cancerous spots removed.

What started as a red spot that I thought was a pimple, became a small area of skin that would peel, become raw and build up dry flakes again. It was itchy. This went on for about 2 weeks. I called my Derm to get an appointment to have it checked out. The earliest I could get in was a week later (which really isn’t too bad, is it?!).

So, three weeks after I first noticed the spot, I was having pre-cancerous skin cells burned off with liquid nitrogen. I told my doctor that I expected a little more warning, like the spot would start small and get larger or it would be off-color and get darker. He said, no it just pops up.

I had one area burned off on my forehead. I’m grateful for bangs! The other spot was on the inside of my elbow at the bend. It still hasn’t healed properly and has left a scar. These are minor inconveniences compared to ignoring the spots and hoping they would go away because they would, eventually, develop into skin cancer.

My advice, that I will also be following, is to keep a close eye on your skin and at first sign, take care of any problems. Don’t delay. Make time for an appointment to have any suspicious spots looked at as soon as possible.

The most important thing for you to do is get serious about prevention. I am recommending Murad Environmental Shields product line as your line of defense against the sun, pollution and environmental stress. The line will help restore, renew and protect your skin against sun damage, preventing and reversing environmental damage through the science of cellular water™.

Murad Essential-C Night Moisture

Essential-C Cleanser is a great way to start my skin care regimen. It soothes environmentally irritated skin, neutralizes damaging free radicals, and replenishes dehydrated skin. The smell is very fresh and citrus-y
My dermatologist told me to apply my sunscreen 45 minutes prior to exposure. I apply my Murad Essential-C Day Moisture SPF 30 each morning soon after I get up to allow it time to full penetrate.
I use the Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Gel on any dark areas and sun spots. I also use it on the back of my hands where I see a lot of sun spots!
The Active Radiance Serum is an environmental aging treatment protects and repairs skin with a remarkable new Vitamin C technology that delivers 50 times the free radical neutralizing power of prior generations. Talk about super-power skin care! This is a great product to help your skin heal from the past abuse you’ve subjected it to!
Essential- C Eye Cream with SPF 15 targets the eye area. Working to soften fine lines and dark circles, the eye cream works with ingredients like caffeine, Tiger’s Herb and Shorea Stenoptera Butter.
Finally, end the day with Essential-C Night Moisture. It contains rich Shea Butter to help restore your skin’s moisture and encourages healthy cell renewal while you sleep. You’ll notice a reduction is skin creases in the morning!

I am committed to my skin’s health. Having pre-cancerous skin cells is not to be taken lightly. Our 13 year old dog had to be put to sleep recently because she had skin cancer. Can you imagine the reaction my kid’s would have if they heard the words “Skin Cancer” in relation to me? I am going to make every effort to continue to protect my skin (and theirs!) and when little reminders of my past skin “sins” appear, I will get them taken care of quickly. I strongly encourage you to do the same!

For more information about skin cancer, check SkinCancer.org

Be Well!