Cooperative Living May 2018 - 42

Rural Living | by Margo Oxendine, Contributing Columnist
Words of Wisdom
for Fun in the Sun
I
spent much of my youth in a swimming
pool. I was on the swim team, in the
water ballet troupe, and, basically, in the
water as much and as often as possible.
Then, after college, I hied to Key West,
and proceeded to spend most of seven
years out at sea in a boat, and in the sea,
hunting around for fun stuff. Of course, all
this meant more than water: It meant
being in the sun. A lot of sun.
I came into my teen years during the
time of the popular " suntan lotion " : baby
oil and iodine. Good heavens, but what
were we thinking? Then, the French sent
over Bain de Soleil, and I was hooked on
the smell, and the wonderful way you
could tan almost immediately.
What does all this mean today? It means
I must go to the dermatologist at least every
six months (usually every three months)
and get checked out. This is no fun. Sure,
there were times in my early life when I didn't
mind a handsome young man inspecting
my charms. Now? Not so much.
Lately, every time I've gone to the
dermatologist - a handsome younger
man I respect and sort of love -he finds
something suspicious. And those suspects
must be removed immediately. This is
absolutely no fun. It is painful, plus a little
scary when those spots are sent off to the lab.
In the past year, I've had a couple of
carcinomas, a recurring crop of keratosis on
my eyebrow, and, of course, a few melanomas
thrown in for excitement. And it all reminds
me of how much time I
used to embrace basking
in the sunshine.
It's May. Summer's on
its way. I'm sure most
of you are anticipating getting out on the
sparkling lake, or lolling about the
seashore, or kayaking on the river. After
all, summer is all about getting to and in
the water, isn't it? The picnics and
barbecues are secondary. Everything is
better outside, in the sun, near some
body of water.
I still believe that, but I can't go
there. Literally.
Right now, in April, I'm fighting with
that most recent batch of keratosis on my
eyebrow. It's disheartening to see them
keep popping up. They must be frozen off
with liquid nitrogen. That sounds simple
and easy, and it is. But what they don't tell
you is how much that awful stuff stings
and hurts. It's cringe-worthy.
This time, I used a prescribed
medication - a gel called Picato (sounds
like something you'd order in a Mexican
restaurant). It comes in three teensy, tiny
tubes and costs $50. Well, I used it on day
one with no problem. But on day two,
my skin began to redden and swell. When
I woke up on day three, my eye was
swollen shut, and I looked as if I'd been
badly burned, right down to the icky
blisters. Gad! So much for the Picato! I'll
save it for my burrito.
All that is on my mind right now is
getting my poor face back into some shape
where I won't be embarrassed to go out in
public. And that elicits the warning I want
to impart to all of you (for all the good it
will do): Stay out of the sun! Sunscreen -
at least a 50 SPF - is your best friend.
Wear a hat, for heaven's sake; forget about
whether you look " good " in a hat! Believe
me, a silly -or even ugly -hat can save
your face!
A nice, golden suntan can make you
look more attractive. But suntans can be a
killer! Embrace the skin God gave you; it
will serve you well in your later years.
Right now, in addition to the face burn, I
am wearing a bandage - in a place I can't
reach - that must be changed every day.
It covers the site of yet another melanoma,
which was removed two weeks ago from
my back.
So, please take it from me: The sun is
not your friend, no matter how warm and
inviting it may seem. You may look great
now, but you will pay for it later.
(And, please, go see a dermatologist
from time to time. Skin cancers are
sneaky: You don't know they're there until
they come close to killing you.)
I apologize for the lack of
entertainment in this column, but here
at the start of summer, a warning might
be better. 
To order Margo's " A Party of One, " a
compilation of 65 of her favorite
columns, call 540-468-2147
Mon-Thurs, 9-5, or email:
recorderoffice@htcnet.org.
40 | Cooperative Living | May 2018
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Cooperative Living May 2018

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