WESTSIDE — I truly doubt it will make a difference because those who are young just don’t think about such things or even consider the effect their actions now could have on their lives as they grow older. Even adults who should know better seldom take such matters to heart. Nevertheless, I shall share a little personal information which, if taken to heart, could spare some young people a bit of unnecessary pain in the years to come.
Though there are weighty matters relating to moral issues, this one is not so much related to morals as it is to common sense. I’m talking about covering up when outdoors or, at the very least, wearing sun screen.
The reason I suggest exercising some common-sense caution against too much exposure to the sun was brought home again over the last couple of weeks. It was another trip tothe dermatologist for a checkup and another small lesion removed from my head, just into my hairline. I would not have been surprised if the diagnosis had been basal cell carcinoma since I’ve had plenty of that removed from my face, even requiring some skin grafting by my left eye. What I did not expect to hear was that word "melanoma" - another form of skin cancer which, if not detected and removed before it spreads, can be fatal.
Thanks to the expert eye of a good doctor, it was caught early and the prognosis is good. That, however, did not prevent the need to take centimeter margins on each side of the original lesion, which means a triangularsection of skin removed from my head about 3-inches long, more than 32 stitches on the outside (not counting the many which went underneath the surface of my skin), a bit of a headache for a week and a scar which will be partially covered by my hair when it grows back.
All that might not be so bad if it were the only such surgery, but I’ve had many over the past 10 years and realistically expect there will be more. The “battle scars” on my face and back are already numerous enough that I’ve lost count.
Why do I have skin cancer? I can’t tell you with certainty (with the exception of what is recorded in Genesis 3), but sun damage is one majorfactor. I spent a lot of time outdoors, working and playing, and didn’t cover up and wear sun screen. Perhaps the damage was already done from the youthful hours behind a lawn mower, in a swimming pool or at the beach. It’s very likely that the time spent at the wheel of a big truck and a patrol car are contributors. I usually had a good tan but seldom had sun burns.
Not everyone who has spent a lot of time in the sun will have the trouble I do, but why invite it 20 years down the road? Why purposefully expose your skin to harmful solar rays, or those of a tanning bed, when some moderation and wearing a hat and long-sleeved shirt, or at least some good sunscreen, could possibly prevent repeated minor surgeries, discomfort, scars and even worse?
As I think back now, I wish I had listened to the retired police officer next door who cautioned me about getting too much sunshine and was suffering the consequences of his own lack of caution. Of course, when I was young I never even considered that such a thing could happen to me, but it did and it very well may to the invincible youth of today if they don’t exercise some common-sense caution and cover up.
Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be reached by e-mail at rmoll@nwaonline .com.
Opinion, Pages 6 on 05/25/2011