Sun spots on the skin

Earlier this year in January, I noticed a flaky brown spot on my nose which I did not like the look of at all. This little spot had flaky skin for some of the time and then the “flakiness” disappeared for a few days which I thought was peculiar. Especially in lieu of having grown up in the 60′s & 70′s, exposed to the sun with no, or very little concern about sun protection. We were not aware of the dangers of over exposure to the sun and sunscreen only became a habit in my mid teens if I remember correctly. I was certainly using it regularly by my late teens but now we know that those early years of sun exposure without sunscreen, can cause problems to us as we get older. Of course as a  teenager and young adult, we think we are invincible and nothing can harm us. If only we knew then, what we know now through experience and greater wisdom.

As I had been in Melbourne over Christmas, I asked my husband to arrange an appointment for me with my skin specialist as soon as I returned. I took the first appointment I could get on her first day back after the Christmas & New Year holiday. She took one look at it and confirmed it was indeed a sun spot which required treatment by freezing it with liquid nitrogen. “I hope it won’t hurt too much?” was my question to which she replied I would only feel a stinging sensation for approximately 15 seconds. Phew! Although sun spots are not automatically predisposed to malignant cancer, they can obscure the presence of skin cancer. It is a spot which will require a regular yearly check up which I have been doing for the last four years anyway. Far better to be safe than sorry is my motto.

The Cancer Council of Queensland has a great PDF you can download called Take The Time To Spot The Difference.

Another worthwhile PDF reference is Warning Spots Of Cancer & Moles.

My warning: if any of your spots or moles look or do something unusual, don’t leave it, have it checked out immediately.

Early detection is vital protection.

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