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When I worked at a VA hospital, we had a patient who had a really nasty skin caner on his face. What started as a basal cell carcinoma, through total neglect, turned into a fungating lesion (an oozing smelly mess of rotten flesh). He could be washed and 5 min. later stink again as it was his face rotting off. Yes, he was a psych patient but by then, it was so deep, they weren't willing to risk surgery on someone who wasn't competent to sign consent and his family could not be found.
Years ago I went to see about a rough brown spot on my back and as the doc biopsied it he said that he had never seen a woman have a positive for skin cancer on her back and he had never seen a man show positive for a spot on his legs. Maybe he was just trying to calm me down but I always thought that was interesting. Of course he was talking in general and my spot came back negative but I was glad I'd had it checked out.
Years ago I went to see about a rough brown spot on my back and as the doc biopsied it he said that he had never seen a woman have a positive for skin cancer on her back and he had never seen a man show positive for a spot on his legs. Maybe he was just trying to calm me down but I always thought that was interesting. Of course he was talking in general and my spot came back negative but I was glad I'd had it checked out.
Your doc has obviously never met me! I'm a guy and I had one basal cell carcinoma (initially diagnosed as squamous cell) on the back of my left leg. The dermatologist burned it off, but I've still got some pigmentation in that area.
About the increase in number of melanoma cases due to use of tanning beds, I was just relaying the info that I heard on the radio news. That was exactly what they said - that there has been a marked increase in the number of melanoma cases seen by (younger) people who have used tanning beds. I do not know where they got their data from.
To PippySkiddles, nmnita and anyone else who thinks I was causing anxiety to the OP with my stories:
I apologize if what I wrote caused anyone any undue anxiety. That wasn't my intent. On the other hand, based on my personal experiences, I do feel strongly about the need to see a medical professional (preferably a dermatologist, since they are trained to deal with skin diseases and disorders) when one becomes aware of any changes to your skin. You don't have to hit the panic button immediately when you do see any changes, but don't ignore them too long either. They could very well turn out to be something benign, such as the OP found out here. Of course not every mole or discoloration on someone's skin is going to turn out to be melanoma. But even if it turns out to be the more common basal cell carcinoma, the longer you put off having it treated, the more damage it can do to your skin. Basal and squamous cell carcinomas rarely metastisize (travel through your body) like melanoma can, but again, as I tried to illustrate with my story, if you let it go long enough, it can potentially be damaging or even disfiguring, requiring plastic surgery to get you back the way you were before it was removed.
Yes, skin cancer is easily treatable, IF you spot it and treat it early enough. As I was trying to point out, even the common basal cell can become time consuming and expensive to get rid of if you let it go too long, however. And don't we all have better things to do with our time and money than to be going to doctors?
thanks, I know you were just repeating what you heard, most of us do this, right or wrong. I am sure tanning beds haven't helped, but early detection is still the answer and one of the reasons we hear so much more about all types of skin cancers, truthfully.
I know you are trying to warn others, which is good and yes, untrreated even skin cancer (basal cell) can cause later problems. I still think too many are too inclined to panic too easily. I think we all need to keep a calm attitude, don't hesitate to get check out any questionable concerns, but don't go into a panic either.
Years ago I went to see about a rough brown spot on my back and as the doc biopsied it he said that he had never seen a woman have a positive for skin cancer on her back and he had never seen a man show positive for a spot on his legs. Maybe he was just trying to calm me down but I always thought that was interesting. Of course he was talking in general and my spot came back negative but I was glad I'd had it checked out.
Don't know how accurate that is, but my husband just saw the dermatologist yesterday for his check up: she said something similar, not quite the "I never have seen' comment, she did mention, men are more inclined to have problems on their backs and women on their shins.
I second that advice. Go to a dermatologist ASAP. And start wearing sun screen . Good daily moisturizers have SPF 30 or so (for going from car to store, etc.) but you still need sun screen for when you go outside to stay.
If you plan on wearing sunscreen you should go to and review their approved list. Since according to the EWG and the FDA "...studies actually conducted by FDA scientist showed vitamin A might speed up the growth of malignant cells, when it is exposed to sunlight."
Keep in mind also, that sunscreen prevents the synthesis of Vitamin D, which is vital to good health and has been shown to actually help in the prevention of cancer, including skin cancer. It has been postulated that the dramatic rise in skin cancer since the 1970s has been due more to use of sunscreen, coupled with getting sunburns more often due to an "indoor" lifestyle, than exposure to sunlight, which has decreased exponentially since that time. It is also postulated that Vitamin D deficiency can also contribute to heart disease and other medical disorders and diseases.
The best approach is to get a tan slowly over a period of time rather than allowing your skin to burn. It is the damage to the skin - the burns - that causes the changes that can result in melanoma and other skin cancers. Getting a slow tan protects your skin from UV radiation.
If you plan on wearing sunscreen you should go to and review their approved list. Since according to the EWG and the FDA "...studies actually conducted by FDA scientist showed vitamin A might speed up the growth of malignant cells, when it is exposed to sunlight."
Keep in mind also, that sunscreen prevents the synthesis of Vitamin D, which is vital to good health and has been shown to actually help in the prevention of cancer, including skin cancer. It has been postulated that the dramatic rise in skin cancer since the 1970s has been due more to use of sunscreen, coupled with getting sunburns more often due to an "indoor" lifestyle, than exposure to sunlight, which has decreased exponentially since that time. It is also postulated that Vitamin D deficiency can also contribute to heart disease and other medical disorders and diseases.
The best approach is to get a tan slowly over a period of time rather than allowing your skin to burn. It is the damage to the skin - the burns - that causes the changes that can result in melanoma and other skin cancers. Getting a slow tan protects your skin from UV radiation.
20yrsinBranson
I will add a couple of additional things here: 1-you hit on, that is the vit D issue, my husbands dermatologist suggests 10 min a day in the sun without any sun screan even for skin cancer survivors. Thus, I think everyone needs to discuss this with their own doctor as I sure there are many opinions on this, the same as doctors differ on how strong the sun screen should be. I have had doctors tell us, anything more than 15 isn't going to offer much more protection and others have said use 30. The other thing, which our daughter pointed out to us: check for the experation date on the sun screen. Like everything else, the strength can diminish after the date.
If you plan on wearing sunscreen you should go to and review their approved list. Since according to the EWG and the FDA "...studies actually conducted by FDA scientist showed vitamin A might speed up the growth of malignant cells, when it is exposed to sunlight."
Keep in mind also, that sunscreen prevents the synthesis of Vitamin D, which is vital to good health and has been shown to actually help in the prevention of cancer, including skin cancer. It has been postulated that the dramatic rise in skin cancer since the 1970s has been due more to use of sunscreen, coupled with getting sunburns more often due to an "indoor" lifestyle, than exposure to sunlight, which has decreased exponentially since that time. It is also postulated that Vitamin D deficiency can also contribute to heart disease and other medical disorders and diseases.
The best approach is to get a tan slowly over a period of time rather than allowing your skin to burn. It is the damage to the skin - the burns - that causes the changes that can result in melanoma and other skin cancers. Getting a slow tan protects your skin from UV radiation.
20yrsinBranson
There are so many different opinions on this that I don't know what to believe anymore I mean I've heard that no amount of sun exposure is ever safe and the whole 'use sunscreen even on cloudy days' thing, and that it's a myth that only burns are bad, that any amount of tanning or sun exposure damages the skin. This is a really concerning topic for me because I'm super super pale, white-skinned with a ton of birthmarks and freckles and very easily pigmented. I'm always terrified of burning so I use sunscreen religiously in the spring/summer, but not year-round, and in general try to stay out of the sun as much as possible, though I've only really become conscientious with this in the last few years (I'm 28). Also, I've got soo much pigmentation on my skin everywhere that I wouldn't know where to look for anything abnormal, there are just too many birthmarks to keep track of. The pictures I've seen of skin cancer online look very distinctive, but then it sounds nothing like what people have described here...I'm wondering if I should start doing the dermatologist check-ups on a regular basis..
There are so many different opinions on this that I don't know what to believe anymore I mean I've heard that no amount of sun exposure is ever safe and the whole 'use sunscreen even on cloudy days' thing, and that it's a myth that only burns are bad, that any amount of tanning or sun exposure damages the skin. This is a really concerning topic for me because I'm super super pale, white-skinned with a ton of birthmarks and freckles and very easily pigmented. I'm always terrified of burning so I use sunscreen religiously in the spring/summer, but not year-round, and in general try to stay out of the sun as much as possible, though I've only really become conscientious with this in the last few years (I'm 28). Also, I've got soo much pigmentation on my skin everywhere that I wouldn't know where to look for anything abnormal, there are just too many birthmarks to keep track of. The pictures I've seen of skin cancer online look very distinctive, but then it sounds nothing like what people have described here...I'm wondering if I should start doing the dermatologist check-ups on a regular basis..
I'd say that anything that causes you to notice it is fair game to get checked out. I have a friend who was wondering what a dry patch was on her face last summer--it was flaky and itchy, but otherwise not all that scary. She asked me about it and I told her she should probably see a dr just to be on the safe side. I guess I was too calming b/c she waited a few months and then they dx'ed it as precancerous something and put a chemical peel, which as I understand it, was supposed to search out and destroy all precancerous cells. Apparently there were a lot of them b/c her face was very red and scabby by the time it was all done. They told her that if she had waited much longer it would have become cancer and she probably would have lost an eye. Since she is blind in the other eye, it was quite a frightening experience for her.
So I would say that anything that causes you to ask a friend about it or post on a forum, and if it doesn't go away like normal skin stuff does, should be checked out.
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I mean I've heard that no amount of sun exposure is ever safe and the whole 'use sunscreen even on cloudy days' thing, and that it's a myth that only burns are bad, that any amount of tanning or sun exposure damages the skin. This is a really concerning topic for me because I'm super super pale, white-skinned with a ton of birthmarks and freckles and very easily pigmented. I'm always terrified of burning so I use sunscreen religiously in the spring/summer, but not year-round, and in general try to stay out of the sun as much as possible, though I've only really become conscientious with this in the last few years (I'm 28). Also, I've got soo much pigmentation on my skin everywhere that I wouldn't know where to look for anything abnormal, there are just too many birthmarks to keep track of. The pictures I've seen of skin cancer online look very distinctive, but then it sounds nothing like what people have described here...I'm wondering if I should start doing the dermatologist check-ups on a regular basis..
