#62 Dermatologist - Complete!

Okay so I'm a little behind on my 101 list, oops! TWO weeks ago I finally made it the dermatologist. On my 101 list was #62 Find a Dermatologist and Have a Head-to-Toe Skin Appraisal. Well I did and it was nerve racking!! First off I must inform you all that I have lots of freckles and moles over practically every inch of my body, thank you parents. Second, I'm fair skinned, it takes me a few times in the sun to tan rather than burn or litely toast as I like to think. So because of that, this is something that I've been wanting to do for a while, as I am paranoid about getting skin cancer and also the very reason I've been putting it off. And yes I have quit tanning beds altogether and upgraded from using SPF 15 and tanning spray (from my high school and college days) to SPF 50. So I found a Dermatologist and took my little freckled butt to get a full body skin check. I would compare this experience to going to the Gyno but a little less uncomfortable (okay maybe not so dramatic). As I still had to strip down and put on that plastic gown, expect this gown is no gown, it's like a little plastic t-shirt that's open in the back. The first thing the doc said to me, "It looks like someone shot you with a paintball". Yeah that makes you feel real good! He looks me over once then went back with his assistant drawing on me and making remarks in this tape recorder, describing shapes, colors, size, and measurement...he was really speaking in another language. Then the assistant came back to take pictures of my freckle blessed bod and made the observation "It looks like someone took a paint brush, dipped it in paint and just splattered you!" ...Again, thanks!!

So after everything was said and done, there were 5 moles he was worried about (2 on my back and 3 on my front), 2 of which he would like to remove and send to the lab for testing but it's really a hit or miss thing since I have so many...that's what he said in so many words that expect he compared it to throwing darts. My moles are Dysplastic Nevi aka Atypical Moles. According to the literature I was give they are unusual benign moles that may resemble melanoma. I have an increased risk of developing single or multiple melanomas. The higher the number of these moles a person has, the high the risk (great). Medical reports indicate that about 2 to 9 percent of the Caucasian population have these moles (sweet!). If I remember right the doc told me I had a 1 in 20 chance if getting melanoma and if someone in my family gets it then my odds go up to 1 in 5. So bring on the SPF, the big floppy hats and long sleeves this girl ain't coming out of the house! Okay so that's not reasonable so I guess I will just have to invest in extra bronzer and hope that being white, I'm WHITE WHITE comes in style because this girl definitely will be staying away from fake baking!!