Skin Cancer Chronicles, Part 2

Tomorrow will be exactly 8 weeks from my Skin Cancer Surgery on my nose.

In case you missed my post about it in June, you can read about it HERE.

The short version is that at my annual skin check with my dermatologist, I had a biopsy taken off my nose & found out it was a Basal Cell Skin Cancer and then had to have MOHS surgery to remove it.

Post Surgery was emotionally traumatic for me because I didn't think the surgery would be so invasive and I ended up with a massive hole in my nose and had to wear a bandage over it for 6 weeks (plus I had a bandaid for 2 weeks before surgery because they did a biospy first)
So, for 8 weeks...my entire Summer....I had a bandaid or a bandage on my nose.
It was very humbling & I was really self conscious.

The first 2 weeks post surgery were emotionally draining because I didn't see much improvement in the healing. But then, once I hit that 2 week mark, I saw improvements every few days.

The instructions from my doctor were simple.
Each day I put on a fresh piece of one of these gauze pads (which I think are basically vaseline/gauze) and then I covered it with a bandaid.
I was VERY careful when I showered and washed my face.
I used our Rodan + Fields Soothe Sensitive Skin face wash.
I didn't dry off my nose with a towel, I just let it air dry for a few minutes and then I put on the gauze and the bandaid. (For the rest of my face I used my regular Rodan + Fields products and of course our RF Reverse SPF 50 Sunscreen.
I did not wear make up the entire Summer.
Yes, you read that correctly, not one drop of makeup.
I mean, I had freaking bandaid on my nose...why even bother with make up? LOL!
I wore a hat pretty much everyday as well.
I also drank SO much water each day.
 I am usually THE WORST with water.
In the past, I have gone days...yes days(!!!) without drinking water.
But, I know that water is good for you & good for your skin and healing, so I MADE myself drink tons of water this summer and it really helped!!!

At 4 weeks post surgery the wound was starting to close up. Up until then it was a gaping hole on my nose but at 4 weeks, it began to slowly close. I was feeling hopeful.

At 6 weeks post-surgery I had my final appointment with my surgeon so he could see my progress.
At this appointment he told me that it was healing beautifully and that I would NOT need a skin graft.
PRAISE THE LORD!!!! I was so thankful to hear that. I didn't want a skin graft because he told me the skin graft would be another 3-4 surgeries.

At that appointment he also told me that starting the weekend before school started I could stop wearing my bandaid and that I could put concelear on the scar for the first day of school (and each day after that!!!) I was SO relieved!
He told me about special concealer to go buy at Nordstrom. Nordstrom doesn't sell it anymore, so they sent me to Sephora.
Did you know that I am 39 years old and this was the first time in my life I have ever been to Sephora? Never been there, never ordered anything from them. Until now! I don't know if I should be ashamed or proud of that.
This is the concealer that I got & I just put a small dab on my nose each day.

Other things I have been doing the past 2 weeks since my 6 week check up.
I have gone back to my regular skin care routine of R+F Reverse in the mornings an Redefine (and Active Hydration Serum) at night.
In addition, every morning I put a dab of this on my nose & then the concealer.
At night, I put a dab of this on my nose...Hopefully this will continue to help with the scarring.
I waited until 6 weeks post surgery (once the wound was closed) to start using it.
My surgeon said the scar will continue to heal for the next several months and that if I feel like he needs to laser it in the Spring, then give him a call.
I told my surgeon (in the nicest way) that I hope I never have to see him again in my life.
My dermatologist is not the one who did the surgery, they have a special surgeon & department for that.

So, here I am from earlier this week...a few days shy of 8 weeks post surgery.
You can still see the scar on my nose.
(I'm not wearing foundation in this photo, but I do have concealer just on this scar)
 I am SO happy with how it is healing. It is still a little indented/flat where the skin cancer was but my doctor assured me that will continue to heal as well & not be so indented as the scar tissue continues to build up.

If you ignore the scar on my nose, the rest of my face has never felt or looked healthier.
I didn't miss a day of washing my face & using my R+F regimens for 8 weeks.
I didn't wear make up for 8 weeks and I drank at least 64 oz of water a day.
 The body is amazing how it heals, you just have to treat it right. 

If you told me on the afternoon of June 28th (which was when I got home from my surgery) that I would have healed like this, I wouldn't have believed you.

So, if any of you out there ever have to have MOHS surgery to get Basal Cell Skin Cancer removed, I hope this gives you hope. If I happen to have another basal cell skin cancer on my face and have to have surgery again, I am going to look back at this post to reassure myself. 8 weeks of post surgery weren't fun and it was a bummer that I couldn't go swimming or in Lake Tahoe this summer, but in the end, it will be okay. And, you will be okay also.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and messages the past 2 months, I really appreciated them & they lifted my spirits.

In case you need another reminder....TAKE CARE OF YOUR SKIN, GET YOUR SKIN CHECKED & WEAR SUNSCREEN.

Skin Cancer Chronicles

Yesterday I had my surgery to get my skin cancer removed.

There was more cancer than my doctor originally thought, but he got it all after a couple tries & had to go deeper than we wanted just to be sure. 

I took this photo a few hours after my surgery.

Pardon my red rimmed eyes, I had a lot of tears post surgery yesterday afternoon. 

Not from the pain but because they gave me a mirror before they bandaged me up. 

I was not emotionally prepared to see that. 

IT.WAS.AWFUL. 

Like, part of my nose is gone. 

He says it will take awhile to heal....4-6 weeks of being bandaged up & hopefully I won’t need a skin graph& plastic surgery. I really, really, really don't want that.

 I have gotten questions about how I knew it was skin cancer.
I go every year for a skin check & I am very aware of my skin.
It was small, like if someone took a marker and put a dot on my nose.
It was just a dry patch that size on my nose that wouldn’t go away.
My dermatologist froze it off last year (we thought it was pre cancerous) and it came back a few months later so I had a feeling it was a basal cell so my dr biopsied it when I had my skin check 2 weeks ago. Came back as basal cell.
The section that they had to remove was SO MUCH WIDER and DEEPER than I could have imagined based on the small spot that was on my nose.

I have had 2 basal cell skin cancers removed from my back & shoulder, but this was SO MUCH WORSE.

The method they use for skin cancer on your face is called the MOHS surgery.
You are awake & they numbed my nose.
They take off layers of your skin, where the skin cancer is, but them under the microscope to see if there is cancer, cauterized my nose to stop the bleeding (so that was fun to smell my burning flesh. BARF) You have to wait an hour each time for them to check the cells and then Repeat the process until there is no more cancer showing up. It leaves you with a wide open gaping hole on your face that takes 4-6 weeks to heal. NOT FUN.

Sorry to share all this, but if I can help someone avoid this by sharing my story, then I've done my part.
I try to keep it positive & upbeat here, but I also want to keep it real.
This is my reality right now and it is not sunshine & roses, but I want to educate others so you (or your kids) don't have to go through what I did.
My doctor also said it's not just people who are fair skinned who get skin cancer.
He has done this surgery on African Americas, Asians, Hispanics, Caucasians, Mixed Races....all ethnicities!

In case you need another reminder: GET YOUR SKIN CHECKED & WEAR SUNSCREEN.

Love,
Mel the White Nosed Reindeer