mohs on the nose {skin cancer- part 1}
WARNING: some gross shit ahead.
Basal cell carcinoma. Ya know, cause that’s something everyone wants. I noticed a shiny spot on the tip of my nose that looked like highlighter but wasn’t. I went to the dermatologist and it was biopsied. And here we are. Had it removed 4/12 via Mohs surgery and plastic surgery. Just glad it’s not melanoma and everything went well. Plus, it was a cute heart shape. Now it’s the furthest fucking thing from cute there is. She was able to get it all with one pass on the Mohs. However the remaining hole in my nose was deep af. You could put a regular m&m in there!
I left the Mohs surgeon at the dermatologist and headed over to the plastic surgeon later that afternoon. He did a bilobed flap to move the skin around and cover the defect (the picture with the purple lines on my nose). The worst part was the novocaine shots in the nose (I asked the doctor if he would be offended with cursing and he said “let me see what you got”. I told him that was NOT the thing anyone should say to me and then at the first shot I said MOTHERFUCKER really loud. At least he laughed.) The part where he’s pulling the cut skin around and stretching it felt SO gross. The stitches were no party either.
Moral of the story: wear your sunscreen and get your skin checks! And pay attention to any changes in your skin in color, texture or anything that just seems off. We’re all old now, this is apparently what happens.
Also, the doctor explained that none of this is due to current skin exposure to sun. This is all from “well now, isn’t this the consequences of our own actions coming back to bite us in the ass” from childhood/teenage/young adult years. Florida 3x a year during my whole childhood on all school vacations, coming home peeling and sunburned. Sleep away camp every summer, outside all day without a drop of sunscreen to be found. Laying out on my roof with baby oil. Beach all summer. Then 4 years at University of Miami, with a 1.74 and mono my first semester but a rockin’ tan. And an amazing tan for the remainder of my time there , where I improved my grades. And my tan. Using Hawaiian Tropic 2spf (I mean, seriously?! 2??!! Why be any?!) Watching my mom use bain d’soliel and a reflector. It’s a long, sunny history I have.
For the last 20 years, I’ve been religiously using sunscreen at least 30spf and sitting under an umbrella. But the dermatologist said any damage I’m doing now will only show up after I’m dead, so there’s that I guess?
