this is a pic of the scar on my back from my biopsy. it is a little longer than a quarter, but better than having skin cancer.

in case you didn’t know, may is skin cancer awareness month. so i thought i would take this time to share my experience with you. i don’t know if it was just me or if all moms notice this, but i swear my freckles and moles changed dramatically during pregnancy. i imagine it has something to do with all of the hormones. after i had my son, i noticed a freckle that i couldn’t see for the previous four months because of my baby bump. it was always a dark freckle but it had grown to about the size of a pencil eraser and the center was a different color. i probably would have let it go for a while but my husband convinced me i should go in to get it checked. sure enough the doctor made me get a biopsy of it and of one on my back that i hadn’t even noticed. the results on both came back extremely abnormal so i had to go back to get a different more invasive kind of surgery to remove more of the tissue…just to be safe. even though the results didn’t come back as cancerous, i still have to go back to the dermatologist every six months now to get a full body check. unfortunately as a native californian, i was a sun worshiper and used to frequent the tanning salon non-stop as a teenager. in my day (now i REALLY sound old) we used to be able to tan for 30 minutes and then go into the leg and face tanner to get even darker. i can also remember a time when i laid out ALL DAY LONG with baby oil & iodine on and ended up with such a bad sunburn that i couldn’t bend my legs because it felt like my skin would rip. i had the shakes and had to lay in the back of my dads van (showing my age again…no seatbelt in the back of the van….gasp)! i cringe when i think about it now. and i have the wrinkles and skin damage to show for it. now i never leave the house without sunblock and only use self tanner. i actually won a giveaway that had tan towels in it and i am in love with them! unlike the tanning lotions i have always used, this one has the self tanner in the towelette and it doesn’t leave you feeling greasy or smelly. they are a bit pricey but they are definitely cheaper than getting a spray tan!

p.s. this is NOT a sponsored post. i am just a fan of tan towels and am so happy to have discovered them!

categories: more about me7 comments

7 Comments ( Reply )

  1. Nicole
    May 23, 2011 @ 1:47 am

    I get my stitches out Thursday for the same situation – a mole that turned wonky during pregnancy and ended up being very atypical. I put off getting it checked for about a year until my GYN expressed concern and I finally made the appt. The experience has made me appreciate the importance of SPF, hats and just being more sun conscious. I’ll probably always have a scar but an ok price to pay for having it off my body.

  2. Adele
    May 23, 2011 @ 5:31 am

    Wow! It’s great of you to raise awareness of the dangers of the sun. We don’t get much here in the UK but I always wear sun block.
    p.s thanks for checking out my blog..would love you to comment too!

  3. Teri
    May 23, 2011 @ 7:37 am

    Hi-
    Yes this is important. Men are much more stubborn when it comes to sunscreen. At least we put on makeup which usually has a shield. Make sure all the men in your life have sunscreen handy to use, or they won’t do put it on!!! My husband has things cut off his body regularly and all of them are non-cancerous, but it’s a warning. I put sunscreen all around where he can find and use it.
    Thanks for mentioning my giveaway!!! T

  4. Amber
    May 23, 2011 @ 10:11 am

    Thank you for sharing this. I am really freckly and don’t take as much caution or care as I should. I love Tan Towels also! 🙂

  5. Kimberly
    May 23, 2011 @ 11:17 am

    This was a great post and an important reminder to not only care for our skin, but to get it checked regularly!! I have a good friend whose father is losing his battle with skin cancer that spread throughout his body. Definitely a wake up call! Thanks for your bravery & sharing your scar (so ironic, because I have an upcoming post about scars, too)!

  6. morgan
    May 23, 2011 @ 3:40 pm

    thanks for sharing!
    i had a similar experience but not so envasive.
    still have the scar though and my mole wasn’t precancerous but better safe than sorry!
    so glad my mom never let me go to tanning beds!

  7. Shasie
    May 24, 2011 @ 6:40 pm

    Wow I’m so glad that they were able to remove a problem area. So many people don’t take care of themselves in the sun, and just go out and about like the Sun can’t cause them harm…I actually didn’t know that this month was skin cancer awareness month.
    Shasie
    Enter My Vintage Scarf Giveaway