DANGER ALERT!!!
The power of the sun is DANGEROUS! We hope to bring the knowledge, advice and support to inform the world of....
SKIN CANCER !!
So Learn It!
&
Prevent It!
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Diary of the Skin
The Outdoor Lover
Valerie Carvajal, 33, Austin, TexasDiagnosed with basal cell carcinoma at age 26
Getting it As a child, I spent my days playing under the hot Texas sun. And although my mother tried to slather me with sunscreen, the results of her efforts would usually wash off in the pool. In college, I was a lifeguard. I rubbed on sunscreen in the morning but rarely reapplied later in the day. These habits, combined with my fair skin, many moles and a family history of skin cancer (both of my grandfathers had it), made me a likely candidate for the disease. But I thought I had at least 50 years before I'd have to worry. Then, at 26, came the bump, a pimplelike growth on the tip of my nose that refused to go away. My derm, Dale Schaefer, M.D., in Austin, removed it for a biopsy but said it was probably nothing given my age. Days later, I clutched the phone in shock as I received the news: basal cell carcinoma (BCC). I had SKIN CANCER! I began returning to the dermatologist twice a year for a skin check. Two years later, just when I thought I would never hear the words skin cancer again, two new BCCs appeared on my nose and left cheek. David M. Turner, M.D., my plastic surgeon, cut them away, stitched up my cheek and patched the gap on my nose with similarly colored skin from my upper nose, creating three scars. But new cancers kept appearing. Actinic keratoses (AKs), which are precancerous cells, grew on the tip of my nose. To treat them (and prevent new ones), I had to apply an aggressive chemotherapy cream called Efudex all over my face; it ate away the diseased cells. But my skin paid a price: For a month, my entire face was bright red, blistered and crusty.
The aftermath Skin cancer will be a lifelong battle for me. One year following the Efudex treatment, my doctor found additional AKs in the same area. This pattern will likely continue, so going to the derm twice a year (more if something suspicious pops ups) is nonnegotiable. I'll always have scars and a deep groove in my right nostril. The hardest adjustment, though, has been losing the freedom of the outdoors. I must limit my sun time to off-peak hours (before 10 A.M. and after 2 P.M.), sit in the shade and always apply—and reapply—SPF 30 sunscreen. But the changes are worth it to stay safe.
Valerie Carvajal, 33, Austin, TexasDiagnosed with basal cell carcinoma at age 26
Getting it As a child, I spent my days playing under the hot Texas sun. And although my mother tried to slather me with sunscreen, the results of her efforts would usually wash off in the pool. In college, I was a lifeguard. I rubbed on sunscreen in the morning but rarely reapplied later in the day. These habits, combined with my fair skin, many moles and a family history of skin cancer (both of my grandfathers had it), made me a likely candidate for the disease. But I thought I had at least 50 years before I'd have to worry. Then, at 26, came the bump, a pimplelike growth on the tip of my nose that refused to go away. My derm, Dale Schaefer, M.D., in Austin, removed it for a biopsy but said it was probably nothing given my age. Days later, I clutched the phone in shock as I received the news: basal cell carcinoma (BCC). I had SKIN CANCER! I began returning to the dermatologist twice a year for a skin check. Two years later, just when I thought I would never hear the words skin cancer again, two new BCCs appeared on my nose and left cheek. David M. Turner, M.D., my plastic surgeon, cut them away, stitched up my cheek and patched the gap on my nose with similarly colored skin from my upper nose, creating three scars. But new cancers kept appearing. Actinic keratoses (AKs), which are precancerous cells, grew on the tip of my nose. To treat them (and prevent new ones), I had to apply an aggressive chemotherapy cream called Efudex all over my face; it ate away the diseased cells. But my skin paid a price: For a month, my entire face was bright red, blistered and crusty.
The aftermath Skin cancer will be a lifelong battle for me. One year following the Efudex treatment, my doctor found additional AKs in the same area. This pattern will likely continue, so going to the derm twice a year (more if something suspicious pops ups) is nonnegotiable. I'll always have scars and a deep groove in my right nostril. The hardest adjustment, though, has been losing the freedom of the outdoors. I must limit my sun time to off-peak hours (before 10 A.M. and after 2 P.M.), sit in the shade and always apply—and reapply—SPF 30 sunscreen. But the changes are worth it to stay safe.
No comments:
Post a Comment