GRIZ BEAR COMMENTS

Enjoy the outdoors but protect yourself from the sun

— I write this with my reading glasses on upside down, so they set high enough on my nose, and only able to see the computer screen with one eye because of bandages on my face and nose - I’ve got bandages behind my left ear, too.

Why? It was another skin cancer surgery to remove a spot of melanoma on my nose near the corner of my left eye. What looked like a small mole or age spot there was growing, and my dermatologist suggested we biopsy it to be sure. I’m glad he did.

(A couple years ago, he also found another spot of melanoma on my forehead and removed it. And, over the past several years, he’s removed more spots of basal cell carcinoma than I can remember. He’s been good at discerning between the normal moles and lesions on my body and those which are cancerous.)

When the lab results came back and he learned his suspicions were indeed warranted, he sent me to a specialist in such surgeries near the nose and eyes. The surgeon removed surrounding skin from the original biopsy site taking an additional centimeter on each side of it - about the size of an old half-dollar coin in all - sent that to the lab and bandaged me up. Then, two days later, when the lab results were sent to him and he knew the cancer was removed, I came back in for skin grafting, using a patch of skin from behind my left ear.

Why do I tell you all these details? For two reasons. First, I encourage you to protect yourselves and your children from the harmful UV rays of the sun which can do their damage on cloudy days as well as clear and on tanned skin as well as light.

Though no one thought about it in my generation, parents ought to use sun screen on their children regularly to protect them from sun damage whichcould cause cancer and surgeries years later. Of course, adults, too, should cover up or wear sun screen with a sun protection factor (SPF) rating of 30 or greater regularly when spending time outdoors.

That applies to time driving, as well. Much of my cancer has been on the left side of my face, probably due to the years I spent driving a truck and a patrol car with the sun’s rays reflected off the pavement and also coming in through the driver’s side window.

I learned the office where I had surgery - one of many in the region - keeps busy with similar surgeries from morning until evening at least three days each week. The surgical nurse told me that people’s neglect to use sun screen on themselves and their children probably means cases of skin cancer and surgeries will not be diminishing any time soon.

Secondly, don’t let suspicious moles or sores go unchecked. Waiting too long with invasive melanoma can mean death. With other skin cancers, it will certainly make for bigger scars when they are removed and can lead to disfigurement or death, too, if left unchecked.

The general rules of thumb I have heard are to have moles and lesions checked which are asymmetrical in shape, have borders which are irregular, color variations, a diameter larger than a pencil eraser or are elevated above the skin’s surface - remembered by the letters ABCDE. Certainly moles and lesions which are growing, changing in shape or color or do not heal should be checked by a doctor or dermatologist without delay.

I don’t tell you this to dissuade anyone from enjoying the outdoors. I always look forward to time outside with a camera. But I do plan to be wearing protection from the sun’s harmful rays, and I hope you won’t wait as long as I did to start doing the same.

Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be reached by email at rmoll@ nwaonline.com.

Opinion, Pages 6 on 12/12/2012