Oh dear - again I never thought I'd ever blog about this topic...but here I am...so my mother's daughter...
The importance of sunscreen...
I always thought my Mom was a bit ridiculous about her abundant love of sunscreen. However, I'm now changing my tune. I always wear face lotion with sunscreen, but hardly ever body sunscreen. I used to be a very tan person. We had a pool growing up and I was in the sun pretty much from the moment my sisters & I got up, until sundown - then we swam in the dark. We LOVED our pool. My poor sisters weren't as lucky as I was. Maggie and Abbie often swam in t-shirts to protect their pale skin that used to burn with the slightest bit of sun. I however, hardly ever burned.
Now that I'm in an office 24/7 - I'm a pale person too. Beyond my paleness - I am very moley. Not nasty moles, but flat almost like large freckle moles. I have them all over. The other day I counted 55 from the elbow down on both my arms. That's pretty insane right?
(I wanted to insert a mole picture here, but honestly - mole pictures are nasty!)
Up until recently I have neglected my moles. I haven't thought much about them. Well - other than the one Everett used to pinch - that always made me remember it quite quickly! I decided that I was going to get 5 moles removed by my doctor. They were moles that were a bit raised, that I shaved or got irritated, or just moles that I wasn't fond of. I wanted them gone so I wouldn't worry about them any longer.
No big deal, until one came back pre-cancerous. I'm kind of upset about it - who wants anything pre-cancerous in their body right?! Well - at least I caught it early & they are doing a second check this week to remove more skin & test it to make sure I'm OK.
So...my lesson learned is that this girl is going to make a yearly appointment with a dermatologist to sprawl out nude to have my 1027 moles examined. Then, I will become diligent in my sunscreen efforts - not only on myself, but those precious babies as well! Besides - I don't want leather skin.
Holy moley! I did put sunscreen on you when you were young but I should have put a roof over our pool. When I was young we used baby oil and iodine for a nice tan (BURN).... not so good on a red head!
ReplyDeleteyou are sooooo right!
ReplyDeletei'm pale adn moley so i either lather up or cover up.
when we went to disney when i was around 10, i burnt so badly i had to sleep on the floor on wet sheets with ice in them:O(
i really need to make an appointment to get mine checked... i've only ever had one removed.... and thats a long story!
i got burnt so bad in high school i had blister covering my shoulders and neck. then i went to cheer practice and my coach had me base still. it was terrible. i had to take tylnol for the pain. needless to say, i now hate the sun. i would rather be pale and wrinkle free when i'm old then tan and wrinkled.
ReplyDeleteIm always one of "those" that says I burn then tan. (As if I was more afraid of being pale then getting cancer) So I've been trying to change my perspective and have seen the dermo. the past few years and so far so good!
ReplyDeletePower to sunscreen!
it cracks me up that you are moley's aunt wart. hahahaha! but seriously, don't worry about it. just remember, get checked, and we won't ever have to worry about you getting a gleason nose.
ReplyDeletePerfect pictures to get your point across. I get so mad at the fact that I used to put baby oil on my skin when I was in High School-OBSESSED with a tan. My mom even told me. I needed to see that picture of the leather lady ;)
ReplyDeleteMy husband is moley-yeah mole pics are not becoming...but at least you're going to the derm!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI just came across your blog and noticed your post regarding moles.
I would strongly advice you to take this matter more seriously. I would suggest you to find a good dermatologist (if you already do not have one) and have your moles checked regurlarly, possibly every 6 months (or what they suggest). Did the doctors say what kind of precancerous mole was it? There is a difference whether the mole was atypical or pre-cancerous. Either way, they have to cut it a bit more.
I would also advice you to protect yourself with clothing, sunscreen is probably not enough always. And do not tan.
I am 41-years old woman from Helsinki,Finland, moley too with very pale skin and blue eyes..and had my share of solariums in thirties and deeply regret it. I have read a lot about these things..and I couldn't resist on writing you a message. No need to panic, just be careful, you will be fine.
I wish you and your family all the best in the future. God bless, Joanna