Wellness

[smoochy]

yesterday was my regular 6 mos full body skin exam. Have had several cancers treated since moving to Florida seven yrs ago. Another new spot on my lower leg. 

Funny thing is, according to my derm doc, these areas developed from the sun damage done by decades of exposure/sunburn/tan. 

I was so inconsistent about using sun protection when I was younger. My skin is fair, i got many many sunburns. All for trying to become a bronze goddess. Hah! Best i ever achieved was a nice medium tan in Hawaii. I looked good. But you pay for that later.

[granddi]

You might want to research Nicotinamide oral. NOT niacin and not B3. 500 mg nicotinamide 2x a day has been shown to slow/prevent reoccurance of non melanoma skin cancers. 

There are many sources. This is from JAMA dermatology. 

Question  Does nicotinamide supplementation prevent skin cancer development?

Findings  In this retrospective study of 33 822 veterans, there was a decreased risk of 3 types of skin cancer associated with use of nicotinamide. The magnitude of reduction was associated with the number of skin cancers before nicotinamide use.

Meaning  The results of this study suggest that use of nicotinamide is associated with a reduced risk of skin cancer development

[AngelPuppy1]

@smoochy 

I have similar problems!  I go for 6 months checkups and it seems like almost every time I go I have more skin issues to deal with.  I have had several skin cancers and several treatments of varying kinds.  I get nervous every time I go now because I don't know what they will find!  I am also very fair and got burned a lot when I was trying to be tanned like everyone else!  I even did the tanning bed thing for a while and got a half decent tan, but now I realize I was really causing so much damage to my skin!  I would love to have strong, resilient skin but that is not in the cards for me!  Good luck with all of your skin issues!  

[Trailrun23]

I am still recovering from lower leg melanoma surgery 5 months ago; lymphema now and the surgery site looks awful, but am so thankful it was in situ and so they got it all removed and it had not spread. I had a third degree burn there when I wa 13 years old, and 60  years later it suddenly the scar turned dark brown and black; I new immediately is was melanoma. I spent many summers at the swimming pool and beach, but am fair-skinned and never just laid out in the sun, but had several bad sunburns in my younger years. The melnoma surgery required going into a major hospital with full anethesia. It's a big deal!

I have learned many things in my experience with melanoma:

every severe 2nd or 3rd degree burn from any source, not just from the sun, has a very high risk of becoming melanoma. It can take years to develop, but you must keep an eye on that area and get a biopsy the minute you see any change at all, such as darkening or growing larger. Get your full body exam from your dermatologist; I now must do one every 3 months.Once you have melanoma, the schedule for exams and monitoring  becomes twice as often.  I was told my melanoma was not caused by sun exposure....but any bad burn you have on a hand or arm from a hot skillet, etc, must be watched when there is a scar.....don't just check your face and chest for spots.

[smoochy]

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@Trailrun23 wrote:

I am still recovering from lower leg melanoma surgery 5 months ago; lymphema now and the surgery site looks awful, but am so thankful it was in situ and so they got it all removed and it had not spread. I had a third degree burn there when I wa 13 years old, and 60  years later it suddenly the scar turned dark brown and black; I new immediately is was melanoma. I spent many summers at the swimming pool and beach, but am fair-skinned and never just laid out in the sun, but had several bad sunburns in my younger years. The melnoma surgery required going into a major hospital with full anethesia. It's a big deal!

I have learned many things in my experience with melanoma:

every severe 2nd or 3rd degree burn from any source, not just from the sun, has a very high risk of becoming melanoma. It can take years to develop, but you must keep an eye on that area and get a biopsy the minute you see any change at all, such as darkening or growing larger. Get your full body exam from your dermatologist; I now must do one every 3 months.Once you have melanoma, the schedule for exams and monitoring  becomes twice as often.  I was told my melanoma was not caused by sun exposure....but any bad burn you have on a hand or arm from a hot skillet, etc, must be watched when there is a scar.....don't just check your face and chest for spots.

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oh my gosh how scary and traumatic for you. A couple of my cancers originated in small scars, one was from a fly bite about twenty years ago. I pray that you stay healthy. So thankful it didn't spread.