Just a quick update to those of you who care....I suggest the rest of you skip this! 
My mother had a skin biopsy done 2 days before she felland broke her hip. We went back yesterday for the follow-up, and it was positive for squamous cell cancer. She will be scheduled for surgery ASAP. It has a extremely good survival rate if caught early and treated surgically...BUT the surgery is very extensive and can be quite disfiguring. The lesion is just the "tip of the iceberg" with the actual carcinoma spreading deeper and wider. By the time most people become concerned, the damage is pretty extensive! However, if left untreated, it's a terrible way to die.
This, along with other skin cancers, is increasing in frequency. I highly reccomend that you all get checked every 6 months if you have ANY sun exposure, or live in a warm climate (ie Florida) The rest of you should have a baseline check done in your early twenties...this stuff is showing up in younger and younger people. I have already had 3 tiny pre-cancerous spots removed....and my dermatologist says I have little or no sun damage to my skin in general! (Unless I'm swimming laps, I wear sunglasses and a hat into the pool, even!) Please,everyone, wear a sunscreen with at least SPF 15 daily! (Ladies, most make-up now contains sunscreen, as do most lipsticks. Unfortunately, I come from a family background that discouraged make-up as "vanity" and am now, as is my mother, paying a price. Who would have thought it?)
My mother had a skin biopsy done 2 days before she felland broke her hip. We went back yesterday for the follow-up, and it was positive for squamous cell cancer. She will be scheduled for surgery ASAP. It has a extremely good survival rate if caught early and treated surgically...BUT the surgery is very extensive and can be quite disfiguring. The lesion is just the "tip of the iceberg" with the actual carcinoma spreading deeper and wider. By the time most people become concerned, the damage is pretty extensive! However, if left untreated, it's a terrible way to die.
This, along with other skin cancers, is increasing in frequency. I highly reccomend that you all get checked every 6 months if you have ANY sun exposure, or live in a warm climate (ie Florida) The rest of you should have a baseline check done in your early twenties...this stuff is showing up in younger and younger people. I have already had 3 tiny pre-cancerous spots removed....and my dermatologist says I have little or no sun damage to my skin in general! (Unless I'm swimming laps, I wear sunglasses and a hat into the pool, even!) Please,everyone, wear a sunscreen with at least SPF 15 daily! (Ladies, most make-up now contains sunscreen, as do most lipsticks. Unfortunately, I come from a family background that discouraged make-up as "vanity" and am now, as is my mother, paying a price. Who would have thought it?)
