Dermatologist - Check!

If you have ever been to the dermatologist for a mole check, then you know what I went through yesterday. Basically, you get to strip down to your underclothes and the doctor inspects every inch of your skin from fishing through your hair to look at your scalp down to between your toes. Every single mole gets inspected and anything that looks suspicious you get asked about.

I have a couple of moles that look weird, but have looked that way for years without any change. These were fine, but the doctor reminded me to keep a watch on them to notice any changes if they occur. As expected, I had one mole on my side, about 10 inches below my left armpit that looked suspicious, so they had to take it off for a biopsy. It is really no big deal to get them shaved off.

Why is it that the numbing shot hurts? I guess it's better to endure a prick and the sting of lidocaine rather than feel the razor blade slice through your skin. In all, I had a small patch of skin missing under a band-aid when I left. No stitches. The missing piece of skin is about the size of my pointer finger fingernail.

Of course, later in the evening after I had gotten all sweaty on my run, the band-aid from the doctor had to be removed and the area cleaned. Chad was such a sweetie to let me be a baby about it, because it honestly felt like the adhesive from the band-aid had been applied directly to the shaved area. It felt like I was peeling off my skin as I removed the sweaty band-aid.



Yes, this is a picture of a Tigger band-aid. We are both pack-rats and I could not bear to get rid of a package of Disney band-aids that we received in a 3M race packet. As an adult, you don't really want to wear Tigger on your hand or leg or any other exposed area, so I have plenty of cartoon character bandages that I just could not put in the trash. However, since my wound is on my side, underneath my clothing, I got to take advantage of my free bandages and wear the cartoon character proudly. Waste not, folks.

Some other dermatology related items that I got to discuss:
acne issues - I have all kinds of crazy acne on my face. I have tried many prescriptions in the last year and found that Metrogel works well for my skin type. However, the gel formulation does not work well with my make-up. I was able to get a new prescription for the same active ingredient, but as Metrolotion. I tried it last night for the first time, and it felt really good on my skin.

sunscreen - obviously we should be wearing sunscreen all the time, especially if we are running in the sun. The problem I have been having is that I sweat so badly that the sunscreen completely burns my eyes. I thought I had found the best sunscreen for running (Skinceuticals Sport 45 - waterproof and unscented), but I still found that it stings my eyes in the heat of the summer. Also, despite the fact that it is a very nice formulation, after an hour or so, my skin looks and feels oily (not what I want under make-up)

I was introduced to Elta sunblock yesterday, which goes on very dry and oil-free. It has an spf of 45 also, but I don't think it is as waterproof as the Skinceuticals. Tonight will be the first night I try it in a full sweat, so we'll see how it goes. I see that they also have a sport sunblock that is very waterproof, so if the current tube I have is unsuccessful with my sweat, then I may give it a try.

age spots - My face knows that I'm 30. It is like I turned 30 and all of my brown sun spots decided to show themselves at once. Seriously, I have lots of dark spots all over my face. I was a swimmer and a sun girl as a child, and even though I wore sunscreen, there were many occasions where I burned. My skin type is also very prone to getting this kind of discoloration. Rather than talking about getting a peel or laser treatment (which would be kind of excessive at my age), we discussed a cream called Lustra that I am going to try. It has hydroquinone in it at 4%, which is double the concentration of over-the-counter formulations.

Also, the nurse assistant that went over my prescriptions said that Lustra was wonderful stuff and that she uses it morning and night and doesn't need an extra moisturizer. Of course her skin was beautiful and completely porcelain, but that was probably mostly due to genetics and a use of 50 sunscreen every day. She probably hasn't heard of this thing called the sun.

Anyhow, I am ready to battle most of the skin issues that a woman my age battles. I don't mind aging gracefully, but if there are products that can make looking in the mirror a little easier and they don't involve a scalpel or my skin falling off at once, I'm willing to try.