Summer is here! School has been out a week and a half, and camps are starting.
Tomorrow is also 4 years NED for me!
4 years ago, while my then 13 year old son was getting blistered at a youth retreat, I was having a wide excision on my bicep. How far we have come since then. He came home with a blister on his shoulder that covered the whole thing, and had scabbed over already because a girl had scratched him. It was nasty and he was not comfortable at all. Since then, he has resisted my message because "You know how many people get skin cancer, and are okay?" I keep sharing, and last summer he was proud of how little tan he had. He is olive skinned with dark hair, so the burn I mentioned was one of very few in his lifetime.
Yesterday my daughter returned from her first camp. She was gone for two days and had an amazing time. I had heard horror stories of kids coming back from this camp blistered each year. So when I signed her up, I had a talk with the leader. I told her "You know my history, and you see how fair she is, sunscreen is not an option to be avoided" She agreed, assured me that there were plenty of counselors that would help, and that they were aware of how many more fair skinned kids they had this year.
So drop off comes along, and I was talking about how I had packed her bag in a way that she shouldn't be able to lose anything. Another mom, the one who was there with me just last year when I got the call that I was going to have a wide excision on my scalp, says to me "Yeah, she will lose stuff, come home sunburned and exhausted" Nope, I had talked to the appropriate people, drilled my already sunscreen aware daughter about how to make sure she has it, packed enough for her entire cabin... Yet I couldn't get that statement out of my mind the whole time she was gone.
So as I am watching the kids get off the bus yesterday, I don't see any red faces, other than on the counselors. Finally mine comes off. She was slightly pink cheeked, but that was it. After we got in the car, she told me, without me asking, that she had told them to put sunscreen on her every morning and that they listened, but in the afternoon when she asked for more, they had told her to wait. She said she wore her rash guard with her swimsuit, and I have seen pictures of a couple of other kids that had them too, and she was glad that even though her face got too much sun, she didn't burn.
While I am not thrilled that they did not reapply, I am glad that she spoke up and asked for it, and that she used the rash guard. Other than one evening thunderstorm the first night, it was very sunny this week, so to come home with pinkish cheeks that have already faded was huge in my mind.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Hello Again
Hello Stranger, It’s been a while. I can’t really pinpoint why it has been so
long.
There have been many times over the past year that I have
wanted to blog. I am working almost 50
hrs a week, have a side business, my kids are now 7 & 17... There just aren’t enough hours in the day
sometimes.
I think I also put a lot of pressure on myself as far as the
page and blog were concerned. I started
it with the purpose of sharing my story and experiences, but then I somehow
pressured myself to find an additional direction that may not have been
necessary.
Finally, I was very confused about a lot with my
diagnosis. Last May, when I was having a
wide excision on my scalp for a dysplastic nevi that they could not rule out
was in situ from the biopsy (it was ruled out with the WE), the doctor made a
comment about my original melanoma being stage 1. WHAT??
I had no idea and had never heard anything other than in situ. So I talked to my dermatologist, I looked at
my pathology. I still wasn’t clear. Basically, the best way I can comprehend it
was that my original diagnosis was in situ, but they “couldn’t rule out
tumorous spread”. Well, when I got my
results after that wide excision, the surgeon only told me that I had clear
margins. I always wondered why my in
situ follow up program more resembled that of someone who was stage 1. It’s very confusing to me. I think I had to take some time away from
sharing, although I do still on my personal facebook page, and in real life, to
absorb that change.
I’m thankful that my follow up has been more proactive in
the past few years. My last appointment
was the first after graduating from the 3 month to the 6 month screening
schedule. I am still donating 2-3 moles
at each check. The last one, I had a
heart shaped mole on my finger. I have
traded it for a cross looking scar. I
also had one on my leg that was removed.
It was dysplastic, but with clear margins. I have been told to watch it for brown spots
as it heals. I go back in July or August
for my next check.
So that is a quick update on where I have been and what’s
been going on. I have been feeling
inspired to blog about experiences again, but felt an update was needed before
diving back in.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Round 2
I have been wanting to write about recent events, but when I have the time, my mood hasn't been right. I have been on an emotional roller coaster since this happened, and I knew that some of those emotions needed to be shared in a more constructive way than I was prepared to do at that time.
At my last dermatologist check in February, she removed 3 moles, but told me that "The mole on your scalp still looks fine" While she meant that as reassuring, it set off warning bells for me. She had always called it a freckle before. So I began watching..
I went to get my hair cut, and my hair dresser is also a good friend. As we talked, I mentioned it to her. She said, "Yeah, I noticed that too". My dermatologist does free scans on a specific date in May, so I decided that when I took my son in 2 weeks I would just have her take a peek again. Well, paranoia set in. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I thought it was getting darker, raised, irregular borders, irregular colors, etc... Or was it? I really couldn't tell. When my son went out of town the week of the free screening, I decided to call. I got an appointment for the next day, with a different dermatologist on the day that my dermatologist was doing free screenings. I decided if anything happened, I didn't want to have to come back for that biopsy.
He walked in and barely looked at it and told me that it didn't set off warning bells, but since I said it was changing, and with my history, he wanted to biopsy it. He assured me that he wouldn't take more hair than he had to, but of course I told him that would grow back. I left the office with a 3/4" incision with 3 stitches in it.
7 days later, Dr B called me. It was the news I expected, but that I didn't want to hear. I went back the next day and wow, what a procedure. Dr B met me in the waiting room, since his nurse was busy. Before I even sat down in the room, he was looking. He's very tall, so he just stood over me and looked. After measuring he said that he wouldn't be able to do a larger punch biopsy as planned, because it is an odd shape and bigger than he remembered. So scalpel it was.
We talked the entire time. The nurses changed shifts. I thought he was done stitching, but then he asked for the cauterizing tool. I don't want to think about what the tugging I thought was stitching really was. Then he asked the nurse to push my head together like a gift box. He then made a joke about an unnecessary face lift.
Long story short I walked out an hour later, it seemed like a few hours though, with what he called 3 buried stitches and then 4 on the top. Since it was basically taking a larger section around what had already been taken, the new incision didn't look much larger than the first, but it was a lot more painful than the biopsy, I spent the weekend doing a rotation of ice packs and pain pills (not prescribed, unfortunately). I spent the first week getting migraines. My wonderful husband planned a Memorial Day cookout at home, since he knew I couldn't do what I had planned to do, thanks to the headaches.
On the 3 year anniversary of my original melanoma diagnosis, I got the call that the second time the margins were clear. So thankful.
This is just proof that knowing your own body is a good thing, it is required when it comes to melanoma. Considering that he said the spot had gotten bigger in the week between biopsy and excision, it was on the move. If I had waited until my regular appointment in August, who knows where it would have spread to.
At my last dermatologist check in February, she removed 3 moles, but told me that "The mole on your scalp still looks fine" While she meant that as reassuring, it set off warning bells for me. She had always called it a freckle before. So I began watching..
I went to get my hair cut, and my hair dresser is also a good friend. As we talked, I mentioned it to her. She said, "Yeah, I noticed that too". My dermatologist does free scans on a specific date in May, so I decided that when I took my son in 2 weeks I would just have her take a peek again. Well, paranoia set in. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I thought it was getting darker, raised, irregular borders, irregular colors, etc... Or was it? I really couldn't tell. When my son went out of town the week of the free screening, I decided to call. I got an appointment for the next day, with a different dermatologist on the day that my dermatologist was doing free screenings. I decided if anything happened, I didn't want to have to come back for that biopsy.
He walked in and barely looked at it and told me that it didn't set off warning bells, but since I said it was changing, and with my history, he wanted to biopsy it. He assured me that he wouldn't take more hair than he had to, but of course I told him that would grow back. I left the office with a 3/4" incision with 3 stitches in it.
7 days later, Dr B called me. It was the news I expected, but that I didn't want to hear. I went back the next day and wow, what a procedure. Dr B met me in the waiting room, since his nurse was busy. Before I even sat down in the room, he was looking. He's very tall, so he just stood over me and looked. After measuring he said that he wouldn't be able to do a larger punch biopsy as planned, because it is an odd shape and bigger than he remembered. So scalpel it was.
We talked the entire time. The nurses changed shifts. I thought he was done stitching, but then he asked for the cauterizing tool. I don't want to think about what the tugging I thought was stitching really was. Then he asked the nurse to push my head together like a gift box. He then made a joke about an unnecessary face lift.
Long story short I walked out an hour later, it seemed like a few hours though, with what he called 3 buried stitches and then 4 on the top. Since it was basically taking a larger section around what had already been taken, the new incision didn't look much larger than the first, but it was a lot more painful than the biopsy, I spent the weekend doing a rotation of ice packs and pain pills (not prescribed, unfortunately). I spent the first week getting migraines. My wonderful husband planned a Memorial Day cookout at home, since he knew I couldn't do what I had planned to do, thanks to the headaches.
On the 3 year anniversary of my original melanoma diagnosis, I got the call that the second time the margins were clear. So thankful.
This is just proof that knowing your own body is a good thing, it is required when it comes to melanoma. Considering that he said the spot had gotten bigger in the week between biopsy and excision, it was on the move. If I had waited until my regular appointment in August, who knows where it would have spread to.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Life in Situ
Life in situ is a very strange and confusing place to be.
Almost three years ago, when I got that diagnosis, I didn't know how bad melanoma could be. I had my initial screening with the dermatologist. She performed the original punch biopsy that left me with a 1" incision and three stitches. Then she called and said that it was Malignant Melanoma in Situ, but that they could not rule out a tumorous spread, so I needed to see a general surgeon. He would take out a 6 cm x 2 cm section of skin around what had already been removed. Then I would see her every three months for a few years and every 6 months for a few and after 5 years if it hadn't come back, I could go to yearly.
Ok, lets get this sucker cut out and move on with life. But wait! There was more... What is this about seeing her every few months? It's gone. That's when I began doing research.
Doctors hate it when we research. We definitely know which questions to ask, but we also make situations much worse than they really may be. As I researched, I became uneasy. They originally couldn't rule out the tumorous spread, but they believe they got it all the second time. Why was it in situ if they had to go so deep I had two layers of stitches below the skin and a steri-strip seal on top? Why have I never gone for any kind of scan beyond a skin screening with my dermatologist? Should I be?
On on hand, I am extremely thankful that it was caught early. I am so blessed and I thank God for that every day, every time I see my scar, every time someone asks about my scar. I watched this mole for several years, it was a "twin" and the previous dermatologist decided to take the other one first for cosmetic reasons because it was between my toes. It came back fine, so I had a false sense of security, and the "come back next year to check your arm" became 3 years very easily. It wasn't until I realized that people were talking to the mole on my bicep instead of me (or even my chest) that I went back. For it to still be in situ, I have no words for how thankful I am.
On the other hand, you become a bit of a hypochondriac. Every single mole, and even my millions of freckles, are suspicious and many have been sacrificed "just to be sure". As I've done research, I've discovered that melanoma probably wont reappear on my skin. That is worrisome, and I am not the worrying type. Although I was in situ, that ugly bugger was still on my body, so the fear of it returning in my body is sometimes hard to shake. Just this week, while sick and on cold medicines, I was stuttering and slurring. My ADD has gotten much worse since things in my personal life has changed. It's hard not to let the mind go there, when you know what this monster can do. I suffer from polycystic ovaries, if I have pain and it isnt the usual time in my cycle, guess where my mind goes. Now I know that because I caught it early, there is an extremely high percentage of a chance that I will never see melanoma again personally. That does bring me comfort when my mind starts going where it should not go until the time for it to go there gets here. However, it also plays a very motivating factor in why I have changed my and my family's lifestyle and am always eager to get the word out.
People in my life treat me differently. I've mentioned several times that I do not share who I am publicly because my close loved ones are not the most supportive. I'm told that my odor makes them think they are at the beach, that I'm to pale, that I am overreacting because any damage I have now came from my childhood. I'm told that I need to let my child be a child as I put sunscreen on them. That I should relax because they have had pre-cancerous lesions removed too and they are fine. I have been told to stop preaching. I have been taunted with a "well, you cant come out in the sun, you have to stay under that tree". I've gotten eye rolls as I have been creative in my seeking slivers of shade. I have also seen support from unlikely places, like the outdoorsy sun worshiper who tells me to keep sharing, that she may not have changed yet, but she hears me and so do others. Or my former tanning friend who now has a pre-teen daughter and wants her to be confident in her own skin. Or the molemate who was very private in her journey, but one wrong comment about her being pale and now she is getting loud. You have people who stare at your scar, many will ask, some act like they understand, some ask questions.
In the online melanoma community, I really struggled with whether or not I was worthy to go to an event because I was "just in situ", but I was welcomed with open arms by those I met. I have also met adversity in the online community too. I was added to a group, welcomed by many. I was friend requested and emailed by a few. One heard my brief story and disappeared from my friend list. Another responded to my brief story by asking why I thought I belonged in that group, they also are no longer on my friend list. I hesitate to include that, but I wouldn't be as real if I didn't share both sides. More importantly though, I have seen and felt so much love and support among you. Besides, we all are warriors supporting each other and working together to get the word out.
I don't know if there is any purpose to my sharing this. It is something I have had on my heart for a couple of months now, and for the past two weeks every chance I have gotten to sit down I have had an overwhelming urge to share a perspective on life in situ.
Almost three years ago, when I got that diagnosis, I didn't know how bad melanoma could be. I had my initial screening with the dermatologist. She performed the original punch biopsy that left me with a 1" incision and three stitches. Then she called and said that it was Malignant Melanoma in Situ, but that they could not rule out a tumorous spread, so I needed to see a general surgeon. He would take out a 6 cm x 2 cm section of skin around what had already been removed. Then I would see her every three months for a few years and every 6 months for a few and after 5 years if it hadn't come back, I could go to yearly.
Ok, lets get this sucker cut out and move on with life. But wait! There was more... What is this about seeing her every few months? It's gone. That's when I began doing research.
Doctors hate it when we research. We definitely know which questions to ask, but we also make situations much worse than they really may be. As I researched, I became uneasy. They originally couldn't rule out the tumorous spread, but they believe they got it all the second time. Why was it in situ if they had to go so deep I had two layers of stitches below the skin and a steri-strip seal on top? Why have I never gone for any kind of scan beyond a skin screening with my dermatologist? Should I be?
On on hand, I am extremely thankful that it was caught early. I am so blessed and I thank God for that every day, every time I see my scar, every time someone asks about my scar. I watched this mole for several years, it was a "twin" and the previous dermatologist decided to take the other one first for cosmetic reasons because it was between my toes. It came back fine, so I had a false sense of security, and the "come back next year to check your arm" became 3 years very easily. It wasn't until I realized that people were talking to the mole on my bicep instead of me (or even my chest) that I went back. For it to still be in situ, I have no words for how thankful I am.
On the other hand, you become a bit of a hypochondriac. Every single mole, and even my millions of freckles, are suspicious and many have been sacrificed "just to be sure". As I've done research, I've discovered that melanoma probably wont reappear on my skin. That is worrisome, and I am not the worrying type. Although I was in situ, that ugly bugger was still on my body, so the fear of it returning in my body is sometimes hard to shake. Just this week, while sick and on cold medicines, I was stuttering and slurring. My ADD has gotten much worse since things in my personal life has changed. It's hard not to let the mind go there, when you know what this monster can do. I suffer from polycystic ovaries, if I have pain and it isnt the usual time in my cycle, guess where my mind goes. Now I know that because I caught it early, there is an extremely high percentage of a chance that I will never see melanoma again personally. That does bring me comfort when my mind starts going where it should not go until the time for it to go there gets here. However, it also plays a very motivating factor in why I have changed my and my family's lifestyle and am always eager to get the word out.
People in my life treat me differently. I've mentioned several times that I do not share who I am publicly because my close loved ones are not the most supportive. I'm told that my odor makes them think they are at the beach, that I'm to pale, that I am overreacting because any damage I have now came from my childhood. I'm told that I need to let my child be a child as I put sunscreen on them. That I should relax because they have had pre-cancerous lesions removed too and they are fine. I have been told to stop preaching. I have been taunted with a "well, you cant come out in the sun, you have to stay under that tree". I've gotten eye rolls as I have been creative in my seeking slivers of shade. I have also seen support from unlikely places, like the outdoorsy sun worshiper who tells me to keep sharing, that she may not have changed yet, but she hears me and so do others. Or my former tanning friend who now has a pre-teen daughter and wants her to be confident in her own skin. Or the molemate who was very private in her journey, but one wrong comment about her being pale and now she is getting loud. You have people who stare at your scar, many will ask, some act like they understand, some ask questions.
In the online melanoma community, I really struggled with whether or not I was worthy to go to an event because I was "just in situ", but I was welcomed with open arms by those I met. I have also met adversity in the online community too. I was added to a group, welcomed by many. I was friend requested and emailed by a few. One heard my brief story and disappeared from my friend list. Another responded to my brief story by asking why I thought I belonged in that group, they also are no longer on my friend list. I hesitate to include that, but I wouldn't be as real if I didn't share both sides. More importantly though, I have seen and felt so much love and support among you. Besides, we all are warriors supporting each other and working together to get the word out.
I don't know if there is any purpose to my sharing this. It is something I have had on my heart for a couple of months now, and for the past two weeks every chance I have gotten to sit down I have had an overwhelming urge to share a perspective on life in situ.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Friends That Still Tan....
I want to talk about friends who still tan. How can we get through to them? A couple of weeks ago, I came home and checked my facebook. As I scrolled down my feed, three of my "friends" had checked in at various tanning salons on their way home from work.
One of them is a life-tanner. If I share something about melanoma or skin cancer, she changes her profile picture to one of her in the tanning bed. She is very proud of her darker than her brown hair complexion.
Another is someone I met when she was in high school, and I was a little younger. Even then, when tanning with the brown and gold bottle that had to have a number 2 on it was popular, I thought she was very pretty as a fair skinned blonde. Now she is always very tan, and even before melanoma, I saw her golden brown skin as a little overcooked.
The final irritated me the most. This is someone who has liked my posts, sent prayers my way as I had my surgery or have awaited results of the maybe 20 biopsies in the past (almost) 3 years. She has brown hair, fair skin, light eyes. She is our target audience. She is who is at risk. She is aware of my struggle, yet she doesn't care.
A few days before this, a friend had posted a status tagging me, saying that she had been told that she didn't look like just gotten off a cruise because she wasn't tan. In the comment stream that followed, she referred to a statement I had made about being miserably sunburned at the end of my high school cruise and not enjoying it, but even more that after hearing about my melanoma experience, she was more aware. So I texted her and told her that seeing these tanning bed posts were like a punch in the gut. We agreed that I would post a stat later, that wouldn't call anyone out, but just bring more awareness.
As I thought about this through the night, I couldn't decide what to do. Then I logged on to Pinterest. The final girl puts everyone to shame with her pinning habit. There it was! That was my new battleground. The last time I searched Melanoma on pinterest, there wasn't much there. It is there now. Since then I have been randomly repinning to my melanoma awareness board. Between that and my facebook posts, which I admit need to be more, I know it will be seen.
I have another sun loving friend who has told me several times that she is more aware of the risks thanks to me, and she appreciates my posts. She still gets very tan, being outdoors a lot, but I believe awareness is the seed that will grow into action. I have been pleasantly surprised that she has repinned every melanoma awareness pin that I have shared. She has a preteen, hopefully the seed will grow in time to prevent bad habits for the little one.
One of them is a life-tanner. If I share something about melanoma or skin cancer, she changes her profile picture to one of her in the tanning bed. She is very proud of her darker than her brown hair complexion.
Another is someone I met when she was in high school, and I was a little younger. Even then, when tanning with the brown and gold bottle that had to have a number 2 on it was popular, I thought she was very pretty as a fair skinned blonde. Now she is always very tan, and even before melanoma, I saw her golden brown skin as a little overcooked.
The final irritated me the most. This is someone who has liked my posts, sent prayers my way as I had my surgery or have awaited results of the maybe 20 biopsies in the past (almost) 3 years. She has brown hair, fair skin, light eyes. She is our target audience. She is who is at risk. She is aware of my struggle, yet she doesn't care.
A few days before this, a friend had posted a status tagging me, saying that she had been told that she didn't look like just gotten off a cruise because she wasn't tan. In the comment stream that followed, she referred to a statement I had made about being miserably sunburned at the end of my high school cruise and not enjoying it, but even more that after hearing about my melanoma experience, she was more aware. So I texted her and told her that seeing these tanning bed posts were like a punch in the gut. We agreed that I would post a stat later, that wouldn't call anyone out, but just bring more awareness.
As I thought about this through the night, I couldn't decide what to do. Then I logged on to Pinterest. The final girl puts everyone to shame with her pinning habit. There it was! That was my new battleground. The last time I searched Melanoma on pinterest, there wasn't much there. It is there now. Since then I have been randomly repinning to my melanoma awareness board. Between that and my facebook posts, which I admit need to be more, I know it will be seen.
I have another sun loving friend who has told me several times that she is more aware of the risks thanks to me, and she appreciates my posts. She still gets very tan, being outdoors a lot, but I believe awareness is the seed that will grow into action. I have been pleasantly surprised that she has repinned every melanoma awareness pin that I have shared. She has a preteen, hopefully the seed will grow in time to prevent bad habits for the little one.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Dermatologist Appointment Approaching
In September, my dermatologist moved me from the 3 month follow up schedule to the 6 month schedule. I expected that to happen in December, so she did catch me off guard. She told me that I didn't have many moles and the few I did have weren't concerning to her and that it had been over 2 years, so she felt comfortable making that conversion. She made it very clear to me that if I had any concerns to call in, and that I should call her advice nurse and remind them that I've had melanoma, rather than just call the appointment line, so that I would get in faster.
I was anxious and around December, I did convince myself that one of my moles was getting bigger. I knew it wasn't, but it is amazing the tricks you can play on your mind at times. Once the stress of my husbands entire family visiting for almost 3 weeks passed, my mind also calmed.
I also was struggling with an important decision regarding my health coverage. Since my diagnosis, my premium has gone from a figure that was about 30% to about 60% of my part time income. I did explore changing insurance companies. I knew which dermatology group I would switch to, highly recommended by others who have experienced all forms of skin cancer. I got quotes and applied. I was told that melanoma was quite common and normally not a big deal. Since I was able to have my site removed and no further treatment, I was hoping he was right. Needless to say that same agent was surprised that I was ineligible by both applications I sent in, and said he would have to find out why. I haven't heard from him again.
So after admitting that I would have to suck it up and pay the higher premium, I decided yesterday to call and schedule my skin check. I would be due in March, but due to work schedules, I asked if I could come in February even though it would be 5 months instead of 6.. I basically got to pick my date. So I get to go on Thursday. Even though I am not concerned about any spots, I do have a list already made of questions for her and I will be asking her about the spot I allowed to get in my head in December along with two others that we have discussed before.
I was overheard scheduling my appointment and was questioned by a co-worker about why I have to go for follow ups. We have talked about melanoma before, his wife recently had several pre-cancerous places removed, so I do appreciate that he is asking questions.
I was anxious and around December, I did convince myself that one of my moles was getting bigger. I knew it wasn't, but it is amazing the tricks you can play on your mind at times. Once the stress of my husbands entire family visiting for almost 3 weeks passed, my mind also calmed.
I also was struggling with an important decision regarding my health coverage. Since my diagnosis, my premium has gone from a figure that was about 30% to about 60% of my part time income. I did explore changing insurance companies. I knew which dermatology group I would switch to, highly recommended by others who have experienced all forms of skin cancer. I got quotes and applied. I was told that melanoma was quite common and normally not a big deal. Since I was able to have my site removed and no further treatment, I was hoping he was right. Needless to say that same agent was surprised that I was ineligible by both applications I sent in, and said he would have to find out why. I haven't heard from him again.
So after admitting that I would have to suck it up and pay the higher premium, I decided yesterday to call and schedule my skin check. I would be due in March, but due to work schedules, I asked if I could come in February even though it would be 5 months instead of 6.. I basically got to pick my date. So I get to go on Thursday. Even though I am not concerned about any spots, I do have a list already made of questions for her and I will be asking her about the spot I allowed to get in my head in December along with two others that we have discussed before.
I was overheard scheduling my appointment and was questioned by a co-worker about why I have to go for follow ups. We have talked about melanoma before, his wife recently had several pre-cancerous places removed, so I do appreciate that he is asking questions.
Face Mapping
One of the many excuses (notice I didn't say reasons?) people give for wanting to tan is that it gives them a clearer complexion when it comes to the dreaded acne.
I do have to admit that in my early 20's, when I was not living the healthiest of lifestyles, that was one of my excuses too. I have always been lucky, most of my breakouts are thanks to female hormones and are usually just one or two a month. However, at that time in my life, my depressed overeating and the fact that my social life consisted of crashing my friends company happy hours took it's toll on my skin, acne-wise. My answer? I went to the tanning bed. Luckily, I went to a place with sub-par beds and after a month, I quit because I didn't like having stripes down my back.
So the other day I came across this article on face mapping. Basically it is saying that where your acne appears can be linked to your health. I haven't done any follow up to the accuracy of this article, but I do find it very interesting and worth cautiously sharing. I know there are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, a healthier lifestyle and less acne do run hand in hand. I also know that looking back at what was going on in my life at times that my face has broken out at various places, this is definitely worth exploring further.
I do have to admit that in my early 20's, when I was not living the healthiest of lifestyles, that was one of my excuses too. I have always been lucky, most of my breakouts are thanks to female hormones and are usually just one or two a month. However, at that time in my life, my depressed overeating and the fact that my social life consisted of crashing my friends company happy hours took it's toll on my skin, acne-wise. My answer? I went to the tanning bed. Luckily, I went to a place with sub-par beds and after a month, I quit because I didn't like having stripes down my back.
So the other day I came across this article on face mapping. Basically it is saying that where your acne appears can be linked to your health. I haven't done any follow up to the accuracy of this article, but I do find it very interesting and worth cautiously sharing. I know there are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, a healthier lifestyle and less acne do run hand in hand. I also know that looking back at what was going on in my life at times that my face has broken out at various places, this is definitely worth exploring further.
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