As I’ve been busy focusing on my parents’ health problems — dad’s hip surgery and mom’s mystery eyesight loss — I might have slightly avoided thinking about my own. And by might, I mean completely. Except I have started eating fewer giant buckets of homemade gelato, a feat that is much harder than it sounds. Believe it or not, I just didn’t have the mental capacity to find out whether or not I have an aortic aneurism (caused by my congenital defect) smack dab in the middle of tornado cleanup, a basement flooding situation, a mold crisis, and caretaking for two needy parents. I know, the insanity, the HORROR.

Disclaimer: I’m not a Doctor. This post may contain affiliate links.

So as you might imagine: it was perfect timing for a new health problem to pop up.

Over winter, I had noticed this little zit-like bump, right under my collarbone, mid-chest. Of course, since I’ve learned nothing since the age of thirteen, I tried to pop it. I applied all the zit creams. I applied a detox mask. It seemed to go away.

Then, it sort of came back as a little red scab the size of a pin. It itched off and on. Seemed again to go away. Sweater weather, meh.

Fast forward to May, I’m wearing tank tops and working in the garden, when it starts to seem more obvious? Continues to itch. Seems to be getting a little more red. And eventually, a raised circle starts to form. Basically, it looked like a raised pink bump with a tiny darker red scab on the side.

So, of course, I started to panic.

Finally, all the years of tanning beds and first of the season burns had caught up to me. Perhaps going on that Royal Caribbean Cruise in the middle of my 6-month Accutane journey, when I wasn’t ever supposed to expose my skin to the sun, has proven to be a bad idea afterall? Maybe being raised in the renegade 80’s with no concern for seatbelts or SPF or red dye laden drinks is alas taking its toll? Either way, Google spirals took me down some dark paths, but do they ever take any of us down happy, winding little paths?

My takeaway: Melanoma can look really scary. Or not. It can be a mole. Or not. It can look scaly. Or not. And it can also look like a red or pink bump with a sore that doesn’t heal.

So that’s super helpful.

Knowing both my Aunt and Grandma had skin cancers, I called as soon as I realized it was growing. No one could get me in for a month, but I didn’t settle and found an appointment in a week.

In the meantime, I was sent all kinds of wild info on Instagram, including about Amazon Black Salve —which is really fascinating and I ordered it immediately. Apparently, you can put it on skin cancers, worts, all sorts of things and it selectively chooses cancerous or abnormal cells and they kill off and fall out. Alot of people have said it is far more effective than the conventional methods of burning, freezing, or cutting, which doesn’t usually get all the cells. Read all about it here.

Note: this picture is POST cryotherapy.

My appointment

They took a look, and said it appeared to be pre-cancer. She froze it 3x with the liquid nitrogen and wants to see me in a month. If it’s not gone by then, they want to biopsy for potential cancer.

Lessons Learned

The minute you notice something changing on your skin — go get it checked. Don’t let this be one of those things you put off — because if caught in the pre-cancer stage, it is so easy to treat. Melanoma is very rare, but still a possibility, but also treatable if you get it fast. Basil and Squamous cell carcinomas are quite common, and rarely spread from the site, especially in early stages.
Go yearly for a skin check from Dermatology especially if you’re fair skinned and tanned yourself orange from 2005-2015.
Skin cancer isn’t just MOLES. Please be aware it can look like sores or various bumps.
Many times, skin concerns can be harmless conditions of actinic keratosis — they can simply remove this before there’s a chance of anything turning dangerous.

So am I going to avoid the sun?

No. The sun isn’t the problem. Without the sun, we couldn’t survive. Vitamin D synthesis is made from direct contact with the sun to our bare skin, and that is one of the biggest protectors against all cancers. In fact, if you look at Melanoma stats, the states with lower quantities of sun, have much higher rates of skin cancers.

BUT—

We should respect the sun. Intense burns and cumulative UV damage are what cause issues. Be smart in the sun. Avoid burns, and take extra precaution if you have fair skin.

Non-toxic sun protection I like (doesn’t make me break out!):

Marie Veronique protective day oil and tinted sunscreen

Erin’s Faces peptide face SPF and mineral sunscreen

Bare zinc oxide SPF

I also take Astaxanthin, which is an internal sunscreen to protect eyes and skin from UV radiation.

Pay attention,

Brit