Holy Mole-y! Get Those Checked!

I’m pale. I’m freckled. And I have some moles. I don’t have tons, but I have a handful. I’m painfully aware of the location of all of them because they prevent me from wearing certain things. I have several backless dresses and tops that I refuse to wear because I’m embarrassed to have them show. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to just get them removed. I suppose it took removing the skin tag for me to realize that I didn’t have to live with these moles.Unfortunately, unlike the skin tag, I can’t remove the moles myself. It isn’t a smart thing to do. A doctor should evaluate your skin and look at any moles before having them removed.My sister recently had her skin checked and they found a pre-cancerous mole. The doctor who removed it from her back said that she was lucky she caught it when she did. It was scary. It made me realize that I seriously need to get my skin checked. The moles that are fine I’m going to have removed and if there are some that are not fine…those will be biopsied.I have made an appointment with Dr. Lily’s office in McLean. You’ve heard me mention her before in regard to her abilities with cosmetic dermatology. She’s a genius in that field to be sure, but she is also very serious about skin care in general and believes that getting your annual check-up is vital in detecting and preventing skin cancer.We look at our faces every day and we would probably notice changes on our arms or upper chest, but how many of us know what is happening on our backs or other areas? I couldn’t tell you if a mole on my back had changed shape or darkened in color. Before the summer season begins, I urge all of you to get your skin checked. Skin cancer is preventable and curable if caught early. It is such a simple, life-saving thing to do.We take the time to do our nails and color our hair and a hundred other things that aren’t nearly as important. My husband always says, “we don’t have anything if we don’t have our health.” As I get older I realize how true that saying is. So please, please get your skin checked. Please, please wear sunscreen…every day…rain or shine. These are easy things to do, but so important.