If I had not listened to my inner voice and pursued getting an appointment as soon as possible, I do not know what would have happened. When I finally saw my dermatologist, he told me that based on my Fitzpatrick type, it was nothing to lose sleep over. I confessed to frequent tanning but he said he had never seen a case of cancer on the breast in all his years of practicing medicine and not to worry. Nevertheless, he removed the brown spot and did a biopsy. After eight days, he found that I had squamous cell carcinoma. This was shocking news to both of us. He could not believe it and neither could the skin care experts.
Because only a one-layer cut was done for my biopsy, they needed to go back in to see if all the cancer was removed. The day of my surgery, I discovered yet another miniature brown spot. That, too, was cancerous and had to be removed. My surgery took over four hours. Long story short, I had skin cancer.
I lived, I conquered, and I am healing. I made a promise to myself that I will never sunbathe outdoors again. The not-so-small scars on my once pretty and flawless breasts are now a constant reminder that I should have known better. I am a skin care professional. Now, I am on a campaign for awareness. I am going to share all that I have learned with clients and friends. I have expanded the shelves of my business with even more additions to my sun protection department. I hope I have inspired you to do the same for yourself, your clients, and your business. Early detection is key! Let us work together in helping our clients care for their skin in every way. This is another kind of cancer we need to look out for.