Day 8: Beauty Is Skin Deep

Does anyone remember this advertisement? I remember it from billboards and television commercials when I was a child in the 60's and 70's. Coppertone is a suntan product, and everyone wanted a suntan. I don't remember ever knowing about sunscreen when I was growing up... it was all about the suntan. In my teenage years my friends and I frequently "laid out". We saturated our bodies with Johnson's Baby Oil, and with blankets and radios in tow we headed to the back yard for... hours.

I knew nothing about the dangers of skin cancer back then. I want to throw up cringe when I think of some of the severe sunburns I have had over the years. With my fair European skin (yes; I was born in Britain... home of the 2012 Olympics) I was an easy target to the dangerous rays of the sun.

Consequently, in the past decade I have had several occurrences of skin cancer. Unfortunately for me, they have all required cutting me up. Most of them have been on my face and particularly two on my nose have caused me the greatest concern. I feel blessed that they have been basal cell cancers; but they are still dangerous. One of those on my nose required a day at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital where they had to keep cutting and testing until all the edges came back clear (pathology).  

Cancers on the nose are very common. Unfortunately you can't just stitch a nose back together, it requires skin grafts or flaps... I've experienced both. Those of you who know me well, know that I now wear my forehead on my nose... I really do. I joke about it sometimes, but it really was a trauma for me. I am not afraid to give a "shout-out" for sunscreen when I see kids I know and they have a sunburn... I sometimes say to them, "do you want a nose that looks like mine?" I'm happy to be the poster child if it helps anyone.

Every six months I visit my Dermatologist, and it seems like every time I go I have yet another spot that needs frozen, burnt, or cut. I'm quite pleased to say that it has been nearly seven years since I have had surgeries. I'm even more pleased to say that after my semi-annual visit last week, and yet another bit cut out, my report came back... negative. And that was good news.