Be Aware

It all started about maybe a year ago. I noticed I had a spot on my left cheek that was red and scaly ... about an inch or so in diameter.

I wasn't sure how it got there or what it was. I kept the area clean. Didn't help. I put alcohol on it to dry it up. Didn't help. I even put yeast infection cream on it, thinking maybe it was a yeast infection that was eating my skin. Stop laughing. Didn't help.

After several months of hoping it would just go away, I called a dermatologist.

"We are booking about six months out," they told me.

That in and of itself was enough to get me completely annoyed with doctors ... so I hung up, with no appointment. After all, I had a skin problem right then ... seeing a doctor in six months wasn't going to do me any good. They suggested I see my primary care physician, but I figured he wouldn't know what he was talking about ... so I figured I would wait a little longer for the spot to just go away.

Six months came and went ... the spot was still there. It really didn't bother me much, for it was right on my cheekbone and I could cover it with blush so it blended. Although you could still see the scaliness through the blush. Whatever.

About a month ago, it dawned on me that this could be skin cancer. All along, I really did think it was just psoriasis or something. But what if it was skin cancer? So ... I tried calling another dermatologist.

"We can see you next week," they told me.

Fabulous.

My doctor appointment was yesterday. I described my symptoms to the dermatologist and she looked at my cheek.

"You have what is called Actinic Keratoses ... or pre-cancer," she said.

Fabulous.

The dermatologist whipped out her handy can of liquid nitrogen to perform cryosurgery. In other words, she sprayed the spots on my cheek in order to freeze them ... about four spots total. It stung and turned my face really red. Looking good. She said not to mess with the area and to give it four weeks to heal. If the spots are not gone in four weeks, I need to go back for more cryosurgery.

Let's just hope it doesn't go beyond that. Today it looks like I have four huge, flat blisters on my face.

Scary stuff, people. Be aware of your bodies and see a dermatologist every once in awhile for a good looking over. And don't let annoying spots like mine go for a year before you do something about it.