What I’m about to share you with you I’m sharing purely to bring awareness. It’s super personal but it’s also super important. So, I’ll cut right to the point…I had my first biopsy at age 23 and it was a huge eye-opening experience for me (and it should be for you too).
To set the scene, I have many freckles, I’ve never tanned in a tanning booth, I’ve always been somewhat worried about skin cancer, and I used to spend almost every sunny day of summer in the sun (wearing minimal sunscreen as I preferred the 15 or 5 SPF tanning oil). My first appointment with a dermatologist was in 2011 and I’m so thankful for that appointment. At that time, 5 of my freckles/moles were measured. This information came in very handy 7 years later.
As you may be able to see from the pictures, the spot is on my upper abdomen. Over the years I thought I had noticed it change colors, shape, and size. Your moles and freckles are allowed to change over time (especially until you around 25) but I just felt in my gut that maybe it had changed too much. Other things also helped me consider getting it checked out…When we were in Florida this spring my cousin said something to me and then I went to post this picture below and I was kind of worried that someone may reach out to me after I posted it.
So, on April 13 I made a doctors appointment with one of my favorite nurse practitioners at my primary care office with hopes to get a referral to the dermatologist. After that appointment, I was able to secure an appointment with the nurse practitioner at the dermatologist’s office on May 16. When I went in on May 16, the nurse practitioner looked at my moles with the dermatoscope, measured them, and took pictures of them. She then decided to do a 5 mm punch biopsy of the one on my abdomen. I waited a whole two weeks for the results to come back, which was somewhat of a rough time and longer than the office anticipated…You talk your self in and out of things, say what if, and imagine the worst. I felt really alone during this time and like no one could really relate or understand what was going on (other than a few people). I kind of blame myself for that because I don’t think I told many people but it’s a tough topic to bring up and sometimes when I did I felt that people would just breeze over it and minimize the issue (which to me at the time was really big).
When I finally received the histology report it was a huge relief. The pathologist categorized my tissue sample as moderately atypical which means the cells are somewhat irregular. To me, this is a really really good thing. It could have been better (no atypia or mild atypia) but it could have much been worst (server atypia or melanoma). Moderately atypical means that the cells have the chance to grow into skin cancer in the future (could be in 2 months, 2 years, 20 years, or never). So, this past Monday I had the entire mole and area around it removed. Although this left me with a large scar, it also left me with a lot of reassurance and comfort. They did the addition incision to make sure that they removed everything that they needed to, to have it retested, and to ensure that it wouldn’t turn cancerous.
Looking back, knowing the ABCs really helped me and it can help you as well. A stands for Asymmetry (one half doesn’t match the other), B stands for Border (meaning irregular border), C stands for Color (it’s alarming if your mole is multiple colors – mine was red, brown, black, and gray), D stands for Diameter (here there looking for anything over 6 mm which is about the size of a pencil eraser), and E stands for Evolving (changing color, shape, or size). Don’t panic if you have one or a few of these traits. It doesn’t necessarily mean you will require a biopsy. For example, I have one mole that has a crazy border but the nurse practitioner felt that it didn’t need to be removed. Another thing that I thought was interesting was that moles that have hair growing through them are actually less suspicious. Think of it this way, cancerous cells aren’t able to sustain the growth of normal structures that are supposed to be in your body such as a hair follicle.
Overall, three of the biggest lessons that I learned from this process is that you need to educate yourself, you need to be your own advocate, and you should always follow your gut. So many people said to me “but you’re so young”. My response to them…yeah well the average age upon diagnosis of melanoma may be 63 years old, however, melanoma is actually common among young adults, in fact, it’s one of the most common cancers in young women. Some health professionals that I talked with seemed to think it was almost a non-issue. My doctor never really mentioned that I should get it checked out, my eye doctor almost skipped over the skin section on my med history as he thought I was too young, and when I asked for an earlier initial appointment at the derm’s office (the dermatologist’s office originally had me scheduled for July 29 for my initial appointment…I got it moved to 5/16 for peace of mind) the lady questioned me by saying well you’re only 23 though right and you don’t have a family history. Now, I get it, many people have these certain beliefs and conceptions when it comes to skin cancers but I want to work to mold those into a more aware and preventative mindset.
I was lucky to have many friends who supported me through this. One of my friends, who is super knowledgeable, is a nurse at a local dermatology office and the other is in PA school. Both of them always reassured me that I was doing the right thing and that I really should get it checked out. I would say they were probably my biggest advocates and you need someone like that when you’re taking on the unknown.
However, aside from the three lessons above, the biggest lesson that I learned was you must wear your sunscreen and protect yourself. That is where Chuda Skincare comes into play. I discovered their Sheer Hydrating Broad Spectrum SPF 30 at the perfect time. I was looking for a new sunscreen for my face because my moisturizers don’t contain any currently. I’m so happy that I came across this product because it’s super moisturizing, it’s lightweight, and I can use it on my body as well. My only complaint is that it smells like sunscreen and if I’m paying $70, I’d prefer that it had a luxurious smell to it.
I put the sunscreen to the ultimate test at Old Port Fest. We spent a few hours in the beaming hot sun on a dock and of course, I was in a tiny tank top. Luckily, the sunscreen worked perfectly and I was only left with a tad bit of color around the edges of the tank top (a good reminder to make sure you’re applying sunscreen right up to the edges or even under your clothes). I carried my Chuda sunscreen in my crossbody during the Old Port Fest and even applied it to a girl who I noticed really needed it lol.
Well, I could go on for days about this topic because I’m very passionate about it but I’ll cut the post off her and hope that everyone was able to get something from it. If this post spoke to you or if you can relate I’d love to hear from you! Please, as always, feel free to leave a comment below!
XOXO ~
This post is powered by brandbacker & sponsored by Chuda Skincare.
American Cancer Society. Facts & Figures 2018. American Cancer Society. Atlanta, Ga. 2018.