UG! Hey folks, I have been out for a few days.....but I thought I should reiterate how important it is to use sunscreen!

So last week I had two moles removed, that had grown since I moved to NM. Not bad looking, but come to find out Friday two of the 3 were "precancerous". SO, removing them isn't enough......they made me go get MORE skin removed! That's the worst part!

So yesterday I went in to get about another centimeter off around the original spot..so about the size of a quarter on my tummy, and a bit bigger on my back! They cut ALL the skin down to the fatty tissue (EWW!)

Let me tell you, I forgot how much stitches suck! Sore.......sleeping last night sucked...I had to stay on the couch.

So I can't workout for awhile, no telling how long..the doc says the back stitches are notorious for breaking open. Boo. This blows!

Wear sunscreen! And get those moles checked out no matter how "normal" you think they are! I noticed a change, and if it wasn't for vanity purposes I may have put it off longer.

I really wish I hadn't put it off as long as I did, I wanted them off before Europe and they will BARELY heal in a month....and the doc says I have to cover up the scars! GAH! So much for sexy bikini....I am thinking of using star stickers..or those nipple star pasteases to cover them up so it doesn't look so lame with a band-aid..and that way I wont have a band-aid tan line! Any other ideas to hide scars from the sun in a bathing suit!?

PS..I have never fake baked before.............and I tan well, I don't burn as bad as some of my friends......But still, they turned to the dark side *hehe star wars joke!*

I live in the south and am probably the palest person in the world.
I've never understood the need to tan. Especially the women down here who are my age (24) and feel the need to go to tanning beds or lay out every single day so they're brown and look like they're 50 by the time they're 30. It's gross.

I hope you heal fast!

I second everything you said. Everyone should have a skin check done annually! I worked in a dermatologist office for 2 years and the stuff I saw was terrible! People leaving with healf their ear gone haveing skin grafts done. I'm 26 and have already had several removed. 2 have been precancerous as well and I know go every 6 months! Be diligent... It'll save your life!

Don't have any recommendations but def cover them. No one told be that and one above my knee is now a purplish color and I can only think it's from being out in the sun. I went to a outside festival shortly after it was removed. Your idea is super cute I think!

Thanks guys...and yes, tanning beds are nasty. One of my moms friends, from way back used to tan ALL the time. Last I saw her shew was in her late 40s and had old nasty leathery skin! I know I will tan in the sun, it is only my goal to make it as even as possible so I don't have funky tan lines!

Yeah for the scar thing yeah the doc said it would darken......so I guess that is what he means! eesh!

I have a skin cancer on the side of my knee and one on my arm. Since I'm low on money, I'm considering trying some natural cures. I have given myself three options before going to the doctor: hempseed oil, cymilium, or this expensive cream on amazon that people have reviewed very highly. My mom has some too, and has had them for probably close to 5 years. I've had my first one for about 2 or so years, and my second one over a year now. Mom's has grown, but mine hasn't.

I never tan, am pale, and have had a lot of very bad sunburns in my life, especially when I was little. I also forget to wear sunscreen a lot. Funny thing is, I didn't get these places until I actually started using sunscreen, but I'm sure it just took the cell damage from over the years to get bad enough to manifest into a cancerous spot.

Yikes! I know being short on money sucks, but I don't know if you should risk it spreading! Do you have any insurance, or can your parents help?

sorry, folks, but i disagree.

yes, skin cancer is bad - but considering that with the reduction of skin cancer (which, when all is said and done, is not the worst one can get bec it's easily detected and rarely deadly) and the proliferation of sunscreen and sun avoidance, there has been a radical increase in other cancers known to be vitD related (such as prostate and colon cancer, which are easily missed and far more frequently deadly), i don't use the stuff.

also, many sunscreens build up in the neurological system - this can be very bad for babies and children. they don't know, though, because they've not done any studies. we, the general population, are the lab rats for that sort of thing.

i don't use sun screen and i don't put it on my daughter, either. we stay out of the sun betw 10am and 4pm and that's about it.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...ine-good_x.htm

No, no insurance, and my parents are having money problems too, and we already owe them money for helping us pay off some stuff earlier. I agree, threenorns. Sunscreen makes me itch and irritates my skin, and is full of chemicals. I've been increasing my sun time (safely) to heal my fractured foot, and it seems to be helping a lot.

fractured foot - OUCH. so not fun. my sister and my second daughter had that (both from playing basketball, weirdly enough).

have you added comfrey and arnica to your diet? they've been used for centuries to help speed and improve bone healing.

after watching my mom lose her battle to squamous cell skin cancer...I say lather it on

so what will you say when another loved one is diagnosed with colon cancer or prostate cancer?

Yeah, it was the sesamoid bones beneath my big toe. I never heard of comfrey and arnica, but I will look them up! Thank you. I've been trying to incorporate nettle tea into my diet. It actually tastes really good.

I don't disagree with getting sun, and I want to spend more time in the sun. If I don't use sunscreen I WILL get burned. The NM sun will burn you any time of the day in the summer. I am not worried about a Vit D deficiancy..and I don't want my skin to have more moles and leathery skin by the time I am 30.

I think the only people who need to worry about lack of Vit D are people who never go outside. Folks up in Alaska during the winter maybe too.....

Well that money thing is tough....maybe they'd work something out for you.

As far as sunscreen having chemicals, that is true...so does lotion...shampoo...laundry detergent. But that is a personal choice...although I find sunscreen is a lifesaver...nothing worse than being burned when you can't hide from the sun and trying to sleep on that and have peeling skin.

I agree. My son never burns and neither do I. My daughter will burn if she's out in he sun for an hour or more, so we avoid that. VitD is the key!

I'm still looking for a natural yet affordable shampoo, but for detergent, toothpaste, body wash ect. I use Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap. I plan to get some hempseed oil for a moisturizer.

I will use sunscreen if I'm going to be out in the sun for a while, but I do my walks outside before 9 am usually or after 5 pm. I will walk over to my parents' at midday when the sun is harmful, but this is only about a 2 minute walk, and I've read numerous things saying it's alright to get up to 20 minutes of midday sun exposure. I need to use it more when riding in the car, though.