Posted by gardenergirl on August 29, 2007, at 11:00:47
In reply to My latest fear: skin cancer, posted by Deneb on August 27, 2007, at 0:52:45
Deneb,
I have very fair skin, and I have a history of several blistering sunburns when I was young. These are two risk factors for skin cancer. Both my parents had basal cell carcinomas removed, and that's another risk factor for me. I'm going to have a dermatologist look at a couple of things on my arm soon. The doc at the clinic looked at it and recommended seeing a derm.It can be very worrisome, but it's important to keep the realities in mind about skin cancers. Many skin cancer lesions are very very treatable and are not fatal. Melanoma is more likely to be fatal, especially if it's not caught early enough. The good thing is that there are lots of pics on the web and educational info out there to help us more effectively monitor our skin health. What I have on my arm is most likely the beginning of a basal cell lesion in very early stages. It might be nothing. It might be pre-cancerous. But while I know I need to get it checked out, I know it's not melanoma, so I know that I don't need to invest much (really any) emotional energy into worrying about it being something fatal. Does that make sense?
And it's also helpful to focus on what you can do to control things. Wear sunscreen if you are going to be out between 10 and 4 for sure. And make sure it's adequate for your needs in SPF. Follow the usage instructions for application, etc. I wear moisturizer with sunscreen in it every day, so my face is protected everyday. In the summer even just for running errants, I use a moisturizer on my arms and legs with at least SPF 15, because you do get sun exposure just going from the car to and from buildings.
I hope the doctor was/will be able to reassure you about your skin and that you feel more confident about all of this now.
Take care,
gg
poster:gardenergirl
thread:778978
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20070701/msgs/779522.html