THE JOURNEY OF SKIN CANCER REMOVALS AND ZAPPING CONTINUES....

Hi Everyone!

One month out from the basal cell skin cancer excision on the back of my neck (most assuredly from sun exposure from either the car window or sitting in front of a window with my back to the window at work or baking in the sun for years, or a combination of all of the above). At any rate, it appeared on the surface as a very tiny spot (maybe the size of my little fingernail) and ended up being a 5.0 cm. x 5. cm excision with Moh's technique and 12 stitches on top and buried stitches underneath!  

Just back from the dermatologist again today where he froze at least eight places on my scalp and two places on my arms and a few on my face.  Please remember I haven't baked in the sun for over 20 years now....paying the long term effect of sun worshiping all those years ago.  Who knew it can take 10-15 years for sun damage to show up on the surface of your skin?  I certainly didn't or I didn't care much back then!

A reminder to cover up and use a sunscreen like Tizo3 sun protection or MD Forte or any other sunscreen that does not have a bunch of harmful chemicals that actually promote skin cancer!

Go to your dermatologist or a skin cancer screening event in your area to have any suspicious lesions checked out, anything that does not heal and/or bleeds, and anything that changes in size or color (even moles).

Happy sunning....be sun smart :)  

SUNSCREENS, SUN PROTECTIVE CLOTHING, VISUAL AIDS

Hi Everyone...

As the sun brightens our day and lights up our life, I encourage you all to go out and enjoy the day...BUT do your best to not have your skin turn the color of this post--red!

Having just celebrated my birthday yesterday, I am so very thankful for only having minor skin cancers which have all been treated by very skilled physicians throughout the 38+ excisions, revisions, skin grafts, etc., etc.

The major point I hope to drive home to everyone taking a moment to read this and share their story with me is to be SUN SAFE...protect yourself with hats, long sleeves, sunscreen that contains only Zinc oxide and not a whole lot of chemicals (links coming for healthy choices), stay out of the tanning booths, and for that "glow" how about an alternative healthy choice?  

SUNSCREENS:  There appears to be controversy and discussion about sunscreens in the media lately.  Some sources are stating that sunscreens actually cause skin cancers and other problems...what is a person to do? 
Become a vampire? Hide in the basement?  Only go out at night, like a bat? Live in a cave?  So many ridiculous choices for being sun-safe...how about exploring your healthy options?  

SUN PROTECTIVE CLOTHING:  For clothing, I love the Sun Precautions/Solumbra products.  As a disclaimer, I have no financial interest in this company....I have personally found their products to be as stated.  I have worn their hats, shirts, pants, leggings, in full-on sun mode, in the heat of day, either hiking, biking, running, or teaching outside, and have NEVER got even a little color...no sunburns, etc.

Here's the link for Solumbra clothing.

www.sunprecautions.com

In upcoming blogs, I will be posting links that have been sent to me regarding sunscreens, clothing, etc.

Love to hear your story....send any questions, comments, etc.    Thanks for spreading the word :) 

Keep this picture in your mind...which skin do YOU want to have in 10, 15, 20, 30, etc., years?  Hands down, I would pick the skin on my stomach...I hope you make better choices than I did.  If one person out there gets it and doesn't have to go through skin cancer surgery or look like the skin on my arm, then my mission will be accomplished.

TWITTER NOW UP AND RUNNING

Hi Everyone! Come follow me on Twitter! Debemmonsskin --  Tweet me!  How exciting is this?? I'm now tweeting and blogging!!! What next????

GRAPHIC PICS OF SUN-DAMAGED SKIN---NOT FOR THE FAINT-OF-HEART!

HI EVERYONE!

As promised last week, here are the not-so-pretty pictures of what my skin looks like on my stomach, as compared to the skin on my arms.  

Remember..this is the same body, same skin, same person....the ONLY difference is that the arms have been overexposed, burned, tanned, etc., and the tummy has rarely seen the light of day, primarily due to a C-section scar that is NOT the horizontal type of incision.  Had it not been for that fortunate surgery, the tummy would have also been subjected to my choice of overexposing my skin to the sun, sans any type of SPF protection, coverups, or anything else that would have slowed down the process of achieving  that "healthy" glow of a tan....or as some of my friends still call it..."a little color."

You tell me...which skin would you rather have covering your body? The arm skin or the tummy skin?  As my dermatogist and I agreed...the skin on my stomach looks at least TWENTY YEARS YOUNGER than my arm skin.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the SUN is WHAT ages your skin....NOT AGING in and of itself.  As many of us do, myself included, we slather on lots of anti-aging creams, potions, lotions, and have injections to "plump" and rejuvenate our facial skin.  If the truth be told, had we chosen to protect our skin from "frying" we would be spending a lot less time at the dermatologist's office, getting sliced and diced in the surgical suites, and utilizing other modalities to help "undo" the effects of overexposure to sun.

Truthfully, lots of folks tried to stop me from shaking and baking, 20-30 years ago...but, hey, everyone looks so "healthy" with a tan!  I am, after all, a California gal, living on or close to the beach, and one has to "look the part." 

On man...what vanity!

Ah yes....let's go get a tan or even better...the tanning booths! (Thank God those weren't around back in the day or you can bet I would have been there, lying the coffin-like device) cooking myself even more.

COMING UP NEXT:  

I sat in my car, outside my dermatologist's office, just having undergone Moh's excision of a basal cell skin cancer.  Slowly peeling off the bandage from my forehead after my Moh's excision, there I sat in my Miata, weeping uncontrollably.  

Plastic surgery closure would be scheduled for the next day.

I looked like a bad version of Cyclops...A huge defect that covered half of my forehead!  

The following day, at the surgical center, my plastic surgeon, Dr. Starr, was hoping he would have enough skin for a skin graft from in front of my ears to cover the defect on my forehead.  Barely, just barely, did I have enough skin to accommodate the defect on my forehead.......Wakeup call!

GRATITUDE FOR FRIENDS AND HEALTHY LIVING!

Hi everyone!  

I love all the support and great suggestions that I have received for my blog!

My long-time friend, "Winkie", has suggested interviews and pictures of folks out there on the net that would like to share their "sun" experiences, tips on what they have found to be effective in helping protect their skin, and personal stories.  What a fabulous idea!

Many of the items of clothing in the pictures I am posting have been purchased from Sun Precautions, Solumbra products, a company developed by a gentleman who had melanoma and wanted some type of clothing to protect his skin while enjoying the outdoors.  I originally found a brochure for these products at my dermatologist's office (Dr. Ross Kaplan).

I have designed a cape that uses SPF fabric and can be worn in the car to protect your arms, neck, and chest .  More to come on that as well....

I love hearing your stories!  Please continue to enjoy the posts and share  your experiences with me.

Be well and sun-safe :)  Debbie

FRY NOW, PAY LATER (THE ULTIMATE DAMAGE FOR BAKING IN THE SUN)

Hi Everyone!  Welcome to my skin cancer blog!

This is my first "blog" on my quest to hopefully help someone not bake in the sun, tan in the tanning booths, or otherwise damage their skin irreversibly like I did.  

My good news:  I have only had 35+ skin cancers, mostly basal cell skin cancers, and several squamous cell carcinomas.  I have had remarkably phenomenal, skilled professionals who have put me back together after some pretty major (and minor) excisions of these skin cancers.

I will post pictures, explain my journey, and keep you updated on my own personal journey.  I awaiting surgery for another basal cell skin cancer to be removed from the back of my neck, scheduled for July 23, 2014.

Truly, this blog is not about "me", even though it is about me.  It is about YOU...how can I help encourage you to be sun smart?  How can my personal journey, the trauma and the drama, help you be wiser and more educated?

My background is in the medical field, so I have "insider" knowledge, more than the "average bear" of these issues.  I am not an expert nor do I profess to know all the answers.  I am an expert in my own personal journey through all of this....all of which will be detailed in the book I am writing about how I got to the point I am now, where I started my "shaking and baking" in the sun with olive oil and/or baby oil with iodine...zero skin protection...way back when in the Midwest.

I welcome your questions, input, feedback, etc.  

In the weeks to come, I will post links, etc., that may help you get the answers you need.  

Most importantly, please protect your skin....sun damage is what ages our skin...not aging.  Wait until you see the difference between what the skin on my arms look like versus what the skin on my stomach looks like!  There is a 20 year difference in appearance...remember this is all PG!  

Pictures speak a thousand words!!!

Thanks for visiting!  Debbie :)