Both Christine and Nicole said of a dark patch of skin on my face, “you should have that looked at.” That was last year. I don’t know how long it’s been there but it’s been awhile so I ignored them.
This summer Amy said, “that a thing looks different. You should have it looked at.”
I had it looked at. My main Dr sent me to a dermatologist because it was on my face. She did a biopsy. The lab called and told me that it was a pre-cancerous actinic keratosis. I should make a follow-up with the derma doc and she will freeze it off.
Fortunately, I called Nicole and she explained what a pre-cancerous actinic keratosis is. Because, it sounds pretty damn serious for them to be so cavalier about it.
It is solar (actinic) damage (keratosis – latin for skin smootz) that has a higher chance than other skin of becoming cancerous. Looks like it has a 10% higher chance according to what I read. Well, I had the follow-up, and they froze it with liquid nitrogen. I’ve had that done before. It’s not a big deal. Seriously, you could do it at home.
So, it’s official. We are fair-skinned and prone to sun damage that can turn into cancer. Congratulations. If you see something funky on your face or any other sun-facing area, have it looked at, especially if ‘moi’ or “kid-roller’ say so.
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