paging julie brown

I spent the first 20 years of my life in FL, and being blonde and fair-skinned, it shows. I am freckled from head to toe (at least those parts that have ever seen the sun), and have what is charmingly called “trucker’s arm” -- my left arm, in particular, is criss-crossed with little superficial hard spots called actinic keratosis.

So, like every other member of my clan, I am on my dermatologist’s frequent flier program. Every year I go in, strip down and get photographed for posterity (or at least until next year, when we compare these photos to those and look for growths, changes, blah blah blah). And every year I get 3-4 biopsies, which always seems excessive because nothing ever turns up.

Until today.

About two weeks ago I was putting on moisturizer and felt a small bump on the back of my leg that I couldn’t remember ever having noticed before. It was just before spring break, so I didn’t get into the doctor until last Friday, and while I was in had them also biopsy the dark, flat mole on my abdomen: it’s been there a while and hasn’t changed much, but when they get to be the diameter of a pencil eraser you’re supposed to have them checked.

Both came back positive for melanoma. And those were the only two I had drilled.

They’re superficial, and after they get the margins excised next week I should be in the clear. But melanoma killed my paternal grandmother and my brother-in-law, and has also been diagnosed in my dad, brother and cousin. Me no likee.

So, as a public service, please review the A,B, C, D and E of melanoma, get naked with your partner and check each other out (what better excuse?). If a colorless little pinhead that just cropped up on my leg can be melanoma, then those you’ve had a while bear looking at, too.

As for me, I’m going to see if they can’t justify a little belly sculpting while they’re at it; after all, my Florida high school reunion’s coming up in June.

Can I help it if it’s on the beach? (Don’t tell my dermo.)