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Love the skin you're in
Sep. 12th, 2011 01:14 pmI just had my first full-body skin check with a dermatologist. I'm...getting up there in age, and, being a fair skinned redhead with a family history of skin cancer, well, it was past time.
The doctor was very thorough, which was good. She asked me about any areas that I am concerned about so she could check those first, and then went through the rest of the check. Surprisingly, she started with my scalp, which I guess could be a source of hidden nastiness, but everything looked fine. In fact everything looked fine. I have a few spots on my arms that have a slightly different texture, which are apparently called seborrheic keratosis. These are quite common in aging skin, and do not become cancer, so yay! She was actually very happy that I was so pale ("Pale is good!"), which I guess is code for I don't spend any time in the sun.
Considering my family history, she has recommended a yearly check, which I planned on anyway, so I guess we've added another summer time appointment to the list.
Speaking of family history, it's amazing to me how totally "not over it" I still am about Dad. I had to fill out the typical questionnaire about what I've had and what my family has had, and I teared up when I had to fill in "yes" for melanoma. In the exam room, the nurse asked me about that, who it was, whether they were still alive, and I explained the situation, in tears. When the doctor came in, she also asked me about that , and I cried again. (I'm crying now. WTF??) It's coming up on 14 years, for crying out loud (ha!), you would think I would have some freaking perspective by now.
Oh, well. Good news is my skin looks fine. I'll be continuing to monitor everything on an ongoing basis now, but hopefully if anything develops, I'll get it before it gets me.
The doctor was very thorough, which was good. She asked me about any areas that I am concerned about so she could check those first, and then went through the rest of the check. Surprisingly, she started with my scalp, which I guess could be a source of hidden nastiness, but everything looked fine. In fact everything looked fine. I have a few spots on my arms that have a slightly different texture, which are apparently called seborrheic keratosis. These are quite common in aging skin, and do not become cancer, so yay! She was actually very happy that I was so pale ("Pale is good!"), which I guess is code for I don't spend any time in the sun.
Considering my family history, she has recommended a yearly check, which I planned on anyway, so I guess we've added another summer time appointment to the list.
Speaking of family history, it's amazing to me how totally "not over it" I still am about Dad. I had to fill out the typical questionnaire about what I've had and what my family has had, and I teared up when I had to fill in "yes" for melanoma. In the exam room, the nurse asked me about that, who it was, whether they were still alive, and I explained the situation, in tears. When the doctor came in, she also asked me about that , and I cried again. (I'm crying now. WTF??) It's coming up on 14 years, for crying out loud (ha!), you would think I would have some freaking perspective by now.
Oh, well. Good news is my skin looks fine. I'll be continuing to monitor everything on an ongoing basis now, but hopefully if anything develops, I'll get it before it gets me.
