Some advice for old and young alike.

[LeftyStrat]

I spent most of the morning in surgery to remove skin cancer from my nose. I had squamous cell carcinoma. It and basal cell carcinoma are the most common forms of skin cancer. Neither are very dangerous IF CAUGHT EARLY.

I am fortunate to be cancer-free, because I went to the doctor early about it.

It was most likely caused by lots of sun exposure back when I was a kid when I did a lot of water skiing. Back in those days, none of us knew the dangers of prolonged sun exposure.

If you are an old fart like me, you should probably familiarize yourself with the symptoms so you can catch it in time.

You younger guys should limit sun exposure and wear sun block. What you do in your youth can have consequences later in life.

Anyway, having a doctor tell you you have cancer is stressful, even if it is mostly non-life threatening.

Doctor told me it might leave a scar. I told her I'd gladly take a scar over cancer.

After all, we all need more time for amp-building (and loved ones).

[Colossal]

+1!

I had a couple of basal cell carcinomas removed about 10 years ago on my shoulders. Definitely came from excessive exposure as a kid with very fair skin. Not smart. I don't press my luck any more.

[LeftyStrat]

+1!

I had a couple of basal cell carcinomas removed about 10 years ago on my shoulders. Definitely came from excessive exposure as a kid with very fair skin. Not smart. I don't press my luck any more.

Guess the local anesthesia is wearing off, right now I feel like an elephant is sitting on my face.

[ampmike]

Thanx for the post,My daughter keeps telling me to get an apointment with the dermatologist,Im going to make one today!,Mikey

[Structo]

+1
I have worked outdoors most of my life and can't remember how many times I have been sun burned.

Only later in life did I use sun screen and try to protect myself.

As if that isn't bad enough, I take some medication that makes me more vulnerable to the affects of the sun.

Glad you are doing OK LeftyStrat.

I turn 55 next Tuesday.

[LeftyStrat]

Thanks, guys. I have to say, having one on my nose so close to my eye complicated things a bit. I have a huge black eye and this morning I woke up with it almost swollen shut.

But I guess it is sort of a blessing in disguise, since I caught it early, and now I know what to look for. Anything you get that grows kind of fast is a definite warning sign.

[idylldon]

I've lost three friends to melanoma (two of them in their 20s and one in his 50s), so when I saw a mole had darkened and the borders were becoming irregular on my shoulder I immediately went to the dermatologist and had it removed. It was melanoma and I caught it so early it was removed without a trace. It was "in situ" as they call it, which is about as benign as it can be if it's there at all.

Ever since then, I've gone at least twice a year to my dermatologist for a full body scan and she takes anything suspect off. No questions, no hesitation. So far, so good, but I also spent a great deal of my youth water skiing and getting burned to a crisp so I'm not taking any chances.

Glad to hear you got it taken care of in time!

Cheers,
--
Don

[Nairbr]

I too just had a BCC removed from my nose 2 weeks ago, same story I didn't look after myself in my younger years.

The summers here are very hot and living close to the beach I was always down there sunbaking and now I'm 53 I'm paying for it.

It's amazing how quickly they appear, mine started out as a pimple that
wouldn't go away then it grew out of control in 5 weeks.

Glad yours has worked out, I went to a plastic surgeon and he did a great job, he did a skin graft and it's all good news from my doctor

[LeftyStrat]

So far, so good, but I also spent a great deal of my youth water skiing and getting burned to a crisp so I'm not taking any chances.

Same culprit here. When I was young I was so into water skiing. I never wore any protection. Live and learn.

[LeftyStrat]

The summers here are very hot and living close to the beach I was always down there sunbaking and now I'm 53 I'm paying for it.

It's amazing how quickly they appear, mine started out as a pimple that
wouldn't go away then it grew out of control in 5 weeks.

Glad yours has worked out, I went to a plastic surgeon and he did a great job, he did a skin graft and it's all good news from my doctor

Same age here. I guess it's a little bit of a blessing to catch it in time. Now we know what to look for.

I have a Zorro zig-zag of stitches on my nose, they were going to take a patch from my forehead, but instead found a way to close it up without giving me a permanent smirk.

I still don't completely understand how the damage in my youth could lay dormant for so many years. As I understand it, when a cell has DNA damage it either repairs it or dies. When it doesn't it becomes a cancer cell that hopefully your white blood cells will take out.

It's a drag getting old, but I guess it beats the alternative. I'd like to hang around long enough to see my children have kids. Maybe one of those grandkids will find this ancient technology interesting enough to want to learn something from me.