[quote=CA renter]BG, I hope that you have good luck with your biopsy result as well!
Since your dad died from melanoma, do they have you on a high-risk examination schedule, or do you just go in when something comes up?[/quote]
I’ve actually only had 2 small moles in my entire life. Both of them changed and now both have been removed. I had a squamous cell carcinoma taken off my bicep (arm) back in the ’80’s.
I don’t work outside like my dad did and am very careful in the sun. I even apply sunscreen constantly on road trips to avoid getting too much sun through the windshield.
I hadn’t been to this dermatologist since 2009 (they told me yesterday, lol) and have seen him about 4-5 times. None of those visits were related to skin cancer. For example, I was one of the first people to use PUVA lights to treat hand eczema back in the late ’80’s.
So, no, I’m not on a high-risk examination schedule for melanoma. But I do pay attn to my skin because I spent all the summers of my youth boating and waterskiing and there was no “SPF” put in sunscreen back then. Most of what was on the market was equivalent to SPF 2 or 4, the tanning oils had zero SPF and “Coppertone Shade” was roughly equivalent to SPF 15. There were just a handful of brands and types available then compared to what we have today. We even put a few drops of iodine in a bottle of baby oil to add color and applied it all over to “lay out” and bake ourselves in the sun :=0
I’m suffering for those sins today in various ways.
My favorite suntan lotion back then was “Sea and Ski” due to its scent 🙂
