Do You Know Your Spots?

As of this February, my entire gang started wearing hats.

Learning about my skin cancer (Squamous Cell Carcinoma) was a wake up call.  You would think that living in the SUNSHINE state would be reason enough to take caution, but we (I'm sure like many of you) figured that we were young and careful enough.

Thankfully, we caught my spot early.  

Thankfully, Carcinoma is easily treated.

Thankfully, it didn't effect my quality of life.

Sadly, those thanksgivings are not always the case.

I had surgery on Friday, and everything went well.  They were able to find clean margins after only one layer was removed.  They reassured me that the cancer was gone, but they just short of guaranteed me that I will get it again.  I was, BY FAR, the youngest person there, and they said that I already had a "good" amount of sun damage. 
Take heed, friends! 

This lovely picture shows the hole in my face after they removed the cancerous layer.  This will serve as my reminder to apply sunscreen, wear hats, and visit my dermatologist on a regular basis.

Five hours, ten stitches, a swollen face, and a throbbing headache later, we went home.

I urge you to find a dermatologist in your area.  Know your spots.  Observe any changes.  Get a body scan so that you know your baseline.  Don't get too comfortable doing what you've always done.