Dermatologist & Guest Post

So, Monday I made my very first trip to the dermatologist! Yes.. I am almost 30 years old and have never once been to the dermatologist. I've been blessed with pretty good skin, so I've never had any issues that have forced me to go. But seeing as how I am fair-skinned, red headed and have freckles.. it's about time, right?!

Well, a few weeks ago, I noticed a spot on my nose that I had never noticed before. So.. overly-reactive me made an appointment. And, of course, was obsessing over the spot every day leading up to the apointment. {driving my husband crazy is more like it.. b/c of course no one other than me could notice it! ha!} So.. I went in. Told the Dr. about the spot. And, just like everyone else.. told me I was crazy! haha! Basically just some freckling that looks a bit different. All clear on that! WHEW!

THEN.. while examining me, she notices something else! WHAT???! Something that I hadn't even noticed!! She said that there was a "pearly" spot right under my bottom lip that "looked funny".. her exact words.. "looked funny"! (really???!) So, right then and there, they numb lip and chin area and biopsy the spot! OH MY GOODNESS!!! ok... so I couldn't feel anything she was doing {thank the good Lord!}, but she as she would do something, she would explain it to me. So, they numbed (with a HUGE NEEDLE! - YIKES!) and then slightly cut the area to expose it and then scraped it away... yes, you read that right.. SCRAPED! Then, of course, b/c the lip area bleeds like crazy, they had to cauterize it. So, she got out her handy dandy little lazer beam and did just that.

At this point, I hadn't seen myself, so I had no idea how I looked. When I did... I wish I hadn't! ha! My entire bottom lip was about 3 times it normal size.. I looked like a carpool mama gone mad on botox! ha! and I had a huge (ok, so it was actually the size of a pea) black mark on my face! I was a hot mess for sure! Luckily the swelling went down by the end of the day, but I still have a "scab" of sorts where they cauterized it. This is what I look like today... 2 days later..

{and yes.. this is my no-makeup, middle of the week, 5 hours of sleep look! gorgeous, i know! ha!}

Talk about a crazy experience! She continued to examine the rest of my body, but lucky found nothing else to cut on! She did tell me that I need to start coming in for regular check-ups! WOW! Who knew a 27 year old girl needed to be worried about skin cancer??! I am definitely ALOT more aware now! And will definitely start visiting my dermatologiest more frequently. (Besides.. it's never too early to start considering those botox treatments for all the stress wrinkles you kids cause! haha!) I should have the results of the biopsy later this week.

On another note... I'm guest blogging over at Caroline's blog today.. go take a peek! :)