Skin Cancer Mod

[rpoint16]

6 years ago when I turned 40, I started doing all my yearly check-ups (preventative maintenance). That included a yearly skin check at the dermatologist.

Last year at the dermatologist, she cut out a small suspicious area on my nose & sent it in to the lab, it came back negative. A couple of months ago during my check-up, she removed a small (1/8”) mole on my upper back that looked funny, She sent it in & it came back positive for Basil Cell Carcinoma. That’s the least dangerous type of skin cancer. She cut out a ¾” diameter x ¾’ deep chunk of flesh, & 30 stitches later, it’s all good. 100% gone.

I happened to mention this to a couple of guys at work, who told a couple of guys, etc… Anyhow, 4 co-workers went in to their Derms for a check-up in the past month. One of them had a Basil Cell Carcinoma & one had a Basil Cell Melanoma growth. The Melanoma one tends to be more serious. He goes in for a removal procedure next week, hopefully he won't need chemo. Skin cancer is all across the board from not serious/slow spreading to serious/aggressive.

I’m a low key type of guy & pretty much keep to myself . The reason why I’m posting this, is hopefully to get the word out for EVERYONE to get the regular check-ups for their respective age. Early detection is the key.

I know sometimes as guys, we don’t want to go to the Dr, don’t need to go to the Dr., blah blah blah. You are not only getting checked out for yourself, your doing it for your friends & family.

[chris4x4]

Thanks for posting, Dennis! Glad your "Mod" turned out good.

[DanGer]

Yes sir my boss recently passed away. I took the hardest toll losing him than anyone else in my life. He basically taught me everything I know about work ethic and was a guy I looked up to greatly. When he interviewed me, it was the day he was diagnosed with melanoma. It was pretty advanced stage and the doctor gave him a 50/50 chance. It was gone after a year, but came back in almost every one of his organs and last august he passed away.

It is serious stuff

[hoosiertaco]

Great wake up call. I turn forty in a few years.........alredy been planning procedures and checks that will be made.

[thebigk]

I had my first skin cancer in 2005....I was 30. It was on my ear...had surgery & skin grafts to redo the back of my ear.

Last year they burned one off my nose.

I don't even want to think of the problems I'll have when I'm 40 LOL

[AK27]

i had to have a mole removed on my back before i went in for a tattoo (the tattooist pointed it out, of all people). went and got it checked at a normal doctor's appointment and the doc said he wanted to remove it immediately . after an hour in the doc's office he came in with a hole punch and a knife and removed a 1/4" plug of skin. sent it out to the lab and a few weeks later i found out that it was just a mole!
now i keep an eye out for odd shaped moles b/c i'm paranoid a lil now

[09AFTacoma]

I need a few moles looked at.. now that you mention it

[DanGer]

Ok I have a question.

My sister and I are polar opposites in skin type.

I never wear sunscreen, and never burn.

She always wears sunscreen, and burns if she sits too close to a lamp (exaggeration).

Who is at greater risk for skin cancer

[AK27]

Originally Posted by dgerm

Ok I have a question.

My sister and I are polar opposites in skin type.

I never wear sunscreen, and never burn.

She always wears sunscreen, and burns if she sits too close to a lamp (exaggeration).

Who is at greater risk for skin cancer

there are a lot of factors that come into play, genetics being the biggest.

[rpoint16]

Originally Posted by AK27

there are a lot of factors that come into play, genetics being the biggest.

From what I understand, family history is a contributing factor. There are certain ages where standard check-ups are recommended.

[brianr]

Originally Posted by chris4x4

Thanks for posting, Dennis! Glad your "Mod" turned out good.

X2 thanks again Dennis.

We'll have to get together again and have a beer to celebrate.

[wolfpack_5150]

Agreed, I need to make better use of my insurance....Im scared, Im gunna be 30 next feb.... Isnt that the age when docs start putting things where things shouldnt be going? (honest question).

[JKD]

Originally Posted by wolfpack_5150

Agreed, I need to make better use of my insurance....Im scared, Im gunna be 30 next feb.... Isnt that the age when docs start putting things where things shouldnt be going? (honest question).

I believe the periodic colonoscopy is supposed to start when you are 50, unless you have a family history of it (which brings that down to 40), or you have other signs (which could bring it down to "right now" regardless of age).

Prostate exams normally start at 50, unless you're in a high risk group, in which case they start five to ten years earlier.

So, unless you are at high risk for something, they will probably just draw blood, do a standard exam (listen to lungs, heart, feel abdominal organs), grope you a little and send you on your way.

[Burgman]

Originally Posted by dgerm

Ok I have a question.

My sister and I are polar opposites in skin type.

I never wear sunscreen, and never burn.

She always wears sunscreen, and burns if she sits too close to a lamp (exaggeration).

Who is at greater risk for skin cancer

ur skin gets the most damage when its gets burned but regular tanning is also very damaging to the skin, and the sun is one of the biggest contributors to skin cancer

[longbow]

Sure is, went many a years with no shirt on.
have an area of skin over my spine that had to be removed, and also over a 100 places burned off my upper body (waist to top of head) most of them were in the neck area. Looks like I was shot by a shotgun.

hitting the "age" is not so fun, just wait until the colon checks start. That will scare the crap out of you. have already had 3 surgeries in that area.

But glad to say even with all of this I have a clean bill of health.

[jdmcq]

I am glad that everything turned out OK. I had basil cell removed from my thigh a few years go. Minor cancer, but still frightening. I try to tell the kids to wear sunscreen, that getting burnt when a teenager or child is a contributing factor when they get older. Needless to say they rarely listen to me.

[T@co_Pr3runn3r]

Here, I'll play posterboy after 35 yrs of surfing & overexposure & tell ya....USE SUNBLOCK OF SOME SORT!!!!!!! Kinda trippin on how much more of this may come about. Had 2 spots done on nose. The old stab,cut,burn,stitch mod FTL! Don't copy me!...............

This is the 2nd one done after the first one on the end of the nose healed.

[JPinCowtown]

Good advice! Like many of you, when we were kids - summer hadn't officially begun until you had your first bad sunburn of the year. The painful kind that left you pulling long "snakeskins" off your back for a week. We know now that it's that early damage that comes back in the form of skin cancer in later years. I'm over 50 and have had some funny-looking spotches and bumps appear recently. I always go get them checked out. Been lucky so far...

[FoxySandChick]

Great post....I've been trying to get my bf to get his check ups including checking for skin cancer, he went many years doing construction and not wearing a shirt.

[A.D.]

Thanks for posting this!! I am gonna make a derm apt tomorrow, since i live out in the desert and get beat down by sun everyday. Again thank you much for sharing this story.