Being Aware....truly is important....not ignoring things.....really important. Trust your instinct and be AWARE! Okay.....not that I’m trying to be dramatic, but yes, I am trying to catch your attention. Okay, so I want to share something personal to hopefully help remind all of you how important it is to take care of yourself. Most of you that truly know me, know that I don’t bask in the sun frequently or expose my white skin for the hopes of getting a tan...it didn’t work in High School and I don’t think it will work now. So....I really don’t even get as much sun exposure as most of you all. Thus, I felt I should remind all of you to check your skin for irregularities. If you have moles, observe them to see if they have changed color, or the shape of them have changed, or that they irritate because they are rubbing against your clothes.
So, I had a pretty large, blemish----okay mole, one of those flat to the skin ones....that I just knew had changed color to a dark brown. I have had insurance for years now, and finally I inquired to my doctor about it, I just recently decided that I was getting to the age that perhaps I should have a doctor. She looked at it and confirmed that the color and irregular borders didn’t look, right. So she cut it out. She sent it with another one for testing, and the one on my shoulder had "cancer-like" cells, this means that it could have turned into cancer within time. The lab suggested she go in for another cutting and I am happy to report she got it all! We also tested two other areas, with irregular shapes and they too came back fine too!! To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t too worried as my Mother has had similar instances and I knew it could be a reality for myself. So especially, if it runs in your family, be aware! This being said, yes the sun can have a factor, but also genetics as well.
Please, be aware of your body, and if your gut says something has changed, than by all means get it checked out. I am thankful that I finally did.
Thanks for reading~ xoxoAmers