How many people have had some kind of skin cancer?

I have had a couple of skin cancers removed, fortunately they were not the dangerous melanoma, but rather a basal cell carcinoma, but I have wondered how much more of that and other skin cancers we will see increase with global warming...

I also think I have another one that I need to have looked at right now.

The sun is awesome, but a powerful force...

our atmosphere is here to protect us, or at least it seems to have evolved in such a way, or maybe it just happened and life evolved from that fact.

our destruction of our atmosphere with greenhouse gases is killing us in many ways.

so if you've had a skin cancer of any kind check in here.

However, and luckily, our immune systems usually destroy those cells before they get out of hand. But that's not what you were talking about, and I was intentionally being tangential. So there.

:shrug:

'k

if true (and I've heard similar from other sources) it means that these types of cancers are (more) preventable/controllable.

<P>

I've had a squamous cell carcinoma (very closely related to basil cell; but slightly more aggressive). I have a couple of freckle looking things on my shoulder that seem, to my eye, to be darkening and perhaps raising slightly, and it has me worried. I need to get to a dermatologist post haste.

I had a big freckle gored out of my back a decade or so ago. It was just a freckle. Now, I'm probably not vigilant enough, but I'm hoping to get a job with health benefits sometime soon.

moles removed. Wear that sunscreen and if you're prone to moles, make sure your doctor gives 'em the once over every year at your exam.

although i had a suspicious mole, atypical it was called removed


my skin cancers have been red spots that would form and crust over and even bleed occasionally

As a teen I lived at the local state park/beach. At least once a year I'd end up w/ a raging sunburn.

i got burned a lot as a kid

:hug:

And the cancers were caused by, guess what, the sun in South Florida. I avoided the sun as much as possible and used sunscreen every day because I knew what the sun could do to a person's skin.

no doubt about that

:hi:

that, and the whole blistering heat mixed with ridiculous humidity thing.

I don't understand how any human being can be expected to endure this climate. I really don't.

from the sun.

Even though I have stayed out of the sun for so many years, the dr. told me that it was from when
I used to sunathe as a teen.

I've had mine so far in places that they could be removed with a scalpel.

:hi:

ut thanks!! :hi:

Oh, yes....many precancers and a couple of basal cell guys...

Having red-headed skin really puts me at risk, and I keep my eyes open all the time...

I have an excellent dermatologist, and he knows my skin very well!

Thank you for the reminder to take care of it...

:hug:

I used to run around as a kid and young adult with no shirt on in the summer

got tan

but always after a few burns


some really bad burns too.

:hug:

:evilgrin:

It keeps growing back.

From my research, I found out that keratinic actoses are precancerous conditions.

not had them myself

somehow went straight to some skin cancers

Funny thing is, that area rarely (because of my hair) had direct sun exposure.

It is kind of annoying.

I like your new avvie.

it is special to me

Also a few moderately atypical moles have been sliced off over the years...

had a few of those taken off

no melanoma

glad you found it before it got worse

:hi:

It was still a big cut though; my dermatologist likes to err on the side of caution. After each re-excision I keep hoping that he'll leave enough of a scar that I can claim to have fought a grizzly bear or something; unfortunately, he's pretty good with a scalpel... :)

the crazy doc called it "filleting" it and when i ended up a few years later going to a different derm, he laughed at that term and rolled his eyes and said we're taking this one off.

left a deep scar as it was long, and they took it down past the subdermal layer i guess.

that was growing, and bLeeding at an aLarming rate. they actuaLLy brought in a cLass of med students to poke, prod and ooh and ahh, at what was an extremeLy weird tumor the doctor had never seen before.

it was a weird feeLing having aLL these doctors Look me over with gLee, whiLe at the same time informing my parents that it Looks reaLLy bad, and that it's most LikeLy maLignant.

anyhow, i went into surgery and had it removed, aLong with a good chunk of the surrounding fLesh (where it was pLaced somewhere to be studied and gawked at some more). the test resuLts came back negative which was a shock to everyone.

i wasn't reaLLy aware of how serious it was at the time, and i'm gLad i didn't.

med students poking and prodding at your tumor

:eyes:

:hi:

it was kind of upsetting even though i wasn't aware of how serious it was at the time.

the surgery was bad. i wasn't too nervous for it going, even though my mom was hugging me a Lot more and crying... however, they caLLed me in from the waiting room and Left my mother there. i went into the room, and continued to wait there aLone for over 1.5 hours. the Longer i waited, the more nervous i became, untiL i was terrified, nauseous and probabLy crying.

wow

more compassion in the medical field

:pals:

5 years ago. Nothing since, but he does get checked every 6 months. He's a farmer -- out in the sun a lot.

they make uv resistant clothing now, apparently uv rays can penetrate regular clothing too

didn't know this until recently

She's in her eighties and was recently diagnosed with several spots on her skin. Fortunately, treatment has been going very well and hasn't been rough on her. It's expected that she'll do just fine in terms of ultimate results.

The doctors are pretty sure that all of her years out in the sun were the cause. We live in Florida, and my grandmother spent a LOT of time outdoors, particularly golfing. Her skin did not age well as a result.

especially if one is fair skinned like me

And they're in the same place my father had the same type of cells.

and in fact i may have one that is growing

my mother had them

:hug:

a squamous cell removed, too. Come to think of it, I need to make another appointment with my dermatologist...:think:

gotta see about this thing on my hand

and one that is starting to show up on my face

:hi:

I bet there will be more and more

as global warming progresses

basal cell carcinoma

:hug:

And he wasn't exactly a typical fair-skinned guy who spent to much time in the sun. He worked indoors, mostly at night, and he was half white, half native american.

My older sister was a real sun-worshipper in the '70s, so now she really has something to worry about. She's pretty dark, though. The irony is that her first husband died of melanoma; he was very fair, a redhead, and checked for bad moles regularly. The nasty one was hidden behind his ear, and it wasn't discovered until it was far too late. Very sad, he was a really great guy.

I'm just waiting to get it. There are already some areas on my skin that worry me, but I have not gotten them checked, nor do I intend to.

:shrug:

might be easily treatable at an early stage