Annual Dermatologist Visit: How It Went
I finally prioritized an annual dermatologist visit! I’m 43 years-old, and my general practitioner recommended that I get a skin cancer screening.
I dragged my feet for months. Then, when I finally did call to make an appointment with a dermatologist, I couldn’t get an appointment for another two or so months!
So I finally got myself to the dermatologist last week. The visit was quick and easy. I stripped down to my underwear and put on a hospital gown (opening to the back). The doctor looked over different parts of my body, like my scalp, my back, my arms, etc.
She asked me if I was worried about anything, and I pointed to a very small dry patch on my forehead that wouldn’t go away. She said, “That’s actually a precancerous spot and you have another one right above your eyebrow.”
What?!?!?
She continued: “And I recommend that we freeze them off right now.”
Um, if you know me at all, you know that 1) I don’t do surprises well, and 2) I hate medical procedures of any kind. And I especially hate surprise medical procedures! But since it had already taken me a good six months to get to the dermatologist in the first place, I agreed to get it over with.
She warned me: “It’s going to get so cold that it burns. And it’s going to feel like bee stings.”
Aack!
Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. And it was over very fast. I now have some red spots that will apparently blister up, but I can still wash my face, moisturize it, etc.
And I’m so glad that I stopped some precancerous spots in their tracks. I will absolutely go every single year from here on out.
And I’m going to start wearing sunscreen every day. For reals this time. I think I’m going to try this one.
2 Comments
Amber
Similar experience at my yearly checkup. I’d never had the freeze done before but it was nothing like a bee sting (that would have made me even more nervous if my doctor had described it like that), just a little prickley and then felt like a burn that blistered a bit and healing for the next week or so. The most annoying part was it was on my nose right where the bridge of masks hits, so I wore a small bandaid. Also had a biopsy taken on a mole on my back, the numbing shot didn’t hurt at all and then “shaving” it down wasn’t bad either, slight pinch, no real pain after even while it healed.
Sara Cotner
Yeah, mine didn’t feel like a bee sting either! I’m not sure why she said that. She kind of piled it all on while she held the freezer gun super close to my face. Thankfully I didn’t have much time to freak out before she just started doing it! Thank you for chiming in to share your experience. I’m glad to hear that the biopsy procedure was okay for you, too. When I tried to tell my mom and my aunt that I had to get things frozen off my face, they were like, “Yeah, uh, we have to have that done ALL THE TIME and so does your grandfather.” So I guess that’s what’s on the horizon for me in the coming years!