Guest Writer Lynn: Sun Safety

I want to introduce a new feature to my blog. You may have read way back in one of my previous posts that my sister, Lynn and her husband have quite an interesting story to tell about their own trials and experiences. I’ve asked her to be an occasional guest contributor on my blog—after all, it’s not supposed to be just about me. So without further explanation, here she is, my little sister, Lynn from Michigan with a lesson on Sun Safey:

On Tuesday I went for a preplanned outpatient procedure to get a basal cell carcinoma taken from the top of my head. There were three options for removal and I chose the “Mohs” (named after the guy who invented it....see www.webmd.com if interested). They basically take a small area of affected tissue and then check it to make sure they got everything and repeat until the entire tumor is gone. I have an amazing doctor and am pleased he got it all the first time. I didn't realize however that the scar would have 6 staples along the side of my natural hair part, and I got a free haircut with purchase. I plan to single-handedly bring back bandana headbands and thank god I look okay in a do-rag.

The morale of this story is to please always remember sunscreen, especially in the areas we tend to forget--scalp, tops of ears and back of neck. Better yet, wear a hat! Believe it or not, I use sunscreen SPF 50 and 30 and I wear many hats. The damage that I had incurred was 25 - 30 years ago when baby oil and iodine were the norms. Most of all, it is very important for us "Desert Rats" to get a Cancer Screening done by a dermatologist every year. That is how mine was detected, and I am very lucky to have found it early! So please, consider getting one yourself.