Why Your Annual Dermatology Appointment Should Not Be Optional
I only recently started going to the dermatologist. I guess it is one of those age things. When you start seeing fine lines and wrinkles that seem to appear overnight, you start worrying about the sun damage from you 20’s catching up with you.
I am a redhead and extremely fair complected. I do not tan. Ever. Even at the end of the summer I barely have tan lines despite spending most every weekend on the boat at the lake in a bikini.
When I was a kid my mom made me swim in a t-shirt and wear colored zinc sunscreen on my face (which was only barely less humiliating than the destin she used before zinc was around). I hated it. Now I am thankful and my skin is too. It’s funny how things come full circle. I am back to zinc based sunscreens and have a whole collection of rash guards in my swim wardrobe.
The truth is, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, more people are diagnosed in the US with skin cancer each year than all other types of cancer combined. 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by the time they reach 70. 90% of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with UV light from sun exposure but daily use of at least a SPF 15 sunscreen reduces that risk by at least 40%. On average it takes only 5 lifetime sunburns to double a person’s risk of developing melanoma. And 90% of skin aging is attributed to the sun. Want to be even more freaked out, read the rest of the stats on their website. You won’t sleep if you read the ones on tanning beds!
A few years back I developed a small bump on my face. Now, this might sound vain, but the darn thing was right between my eyes! It had to go. My first dermatologist said it was just an enlarged oil gland. There was nothing to be done about it. Great. I did some research and read that a mixture of apple cider vinegar and peppermint oil could be used as a home remedy to shrink it. No luck. A year later it was still there.
My new dermatologist looked at it and said the same thing but offered to zap it off with laser. It worked… for 6 mos. Then the little bump was back. Same as ever. So this year I pointed out it came back and she got that serious look on her face and said, that’s not a good sign that it came back – I think we better remove it and send it for testing. So now I am wearing paper tape on my face for a week while the hole it left heals up. I’m happy it’s gone but have to say it made me a little uneasy thinking about a biopsy.
Good news came 2 days later. It was just an oil gland gone rogue after all. Going to the dermatologist is a lot like getting your yearly Pap smear or mammogram. It isn’t fun being naked in front of a stranger for 30 mins but you just do it. I don’t want to end up a statistic because let’s face it, I have been sunburned more times than I can count and I haven’t always been the best at wearing sunscreen everyday. Honestly they have seen it all before and won’t hold those extra 5 pounds this year against you. Just go get checked once a year. Your skin will thank you.