Originally Posted by
Prairie Native
... Totally neat.
That's what I used to say 30 years ago. For the last five, though, I've been saying, "Ow. OW. OUCH. Is it malignant?" as my dermatologist has frozen, pruned and burned various actinic keratoses, basal cell carcinomas and who knows what off my face, arms and legs.
I have dark skin, for a guy whose ancestors came from Ireland, and I've always tanned easily. Growing up in California, it was a point of pride to have the darkest tan on the beach. I don't remember more than one or two mild sunburns as a kid. Until I was in my 50s, I had no visible signs of skin damage, and I thought I was immune. Since about 2005, I've been in and out of the dermatologist's every six months or so trying to stay ahead of things. WEAR SUNSCREEEN, or you'll regret it someday.