I've been meaning to tell a lot of my friends about some news but somehow it is never the right situation to bring a serious subject up! Sometimes typing is the only way to tell people information that has a lot of details. So here goes - several months ago, I was seeing an esthetician in a dermatologists office for some laser skin treatments when what I thought was a pimple popped up on my left cheek and did not go away. I asked my esthetician about this bump and she had a dermatologist look at it who told me to make an appointment if it hadn't gone away in a month. So, to make a long story short that "pimple" was actually squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer. Of course, I immediately had it removed. Now, please don't panic because squamous cell rarely spreads like Melanoma does so this is not a life-threatening situation. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form of skin cancer, with over 250,000 new cases per year estimated in the United States. Squamous cell is a form of skin cancer usually caused by repeated exposure to the sun. Here is a link where you can read more information on squamous cell and the other forms of skin cancer. http://www.skincancer.org/squamous/index.php
After the initial shock of hearing 'cancer!' wore off, I am doing fine. In addition to having the bump removed, my dermatologist prescribed a topical chemotherapy (Aldara) that will attack any pre cancerous cells on my face. My reaction to this is quite mild which is a good indicator that I did not have much. I have some spots which I am covering up (as best I can) but this is mild comparing it to pictures that I've seen on the Internet! I will also be using Retin-A (commonly used for wrinkles and acne) when this is completed and will be looking in to other preventative measures. I will also be seeing my dermatologist frequently for checks for suspicious spots and will be doing checks of my own every month.
And of course, I will not be going for a tan in the summer. Luckily, we live in a age where spray tanning is available because who likes to be pale all summer? I'm going to avoid the sun as best as I can, especially at midday when the rays are the strongest. However, being a SAHM of three young kids I will be out during those hours from time to time. I've purchased some wide brimmed hats, some clothing with spf in the fibers and last but certainly not least, lots of sunscreen! My dermatologist says that with all of these preventative measures by the time I am her age (50's) I will be ahead of the game and I agree!
The reason for sending out this message is twofold. The first is to update everyone. Please don't hesitate to ask questions or talk to me about it. I am completely open to talking about it. The second reason is to pass along the very important message of seeing a dermatologist for any changes to your skin. My bump was small and did not look like any of the pictures of skin cancer that I have seen on the Internet. I have to thank God that I was going to a dermatologist office to begin with and pat myself of the back for getting my butt in the office pretty quickly!
Another important message is to keep sunscreen on yourself and your children. As adults, we pay for all of the sun damage done when we were children.


I'll see you all this summer, with my floppy hat sitting in the shade!