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In March 2023, I was diagnosed with skin cancer.
This diagnosis came as a complete shock, especially because I was only 31 at the time. Since that diagnosis, I’ve learned a lot about protecting my skin and I want to share that with you!
After meeting with my dermatologist multiple times and reading a lot of research articles on skin cancer, I’ve narrowed down the things I’ve learned into the top five tips I found the most shocking, thus being the ones I want to share!
I think number five might just be the most shocking thing I’ve learned yet!
Let’s jump in…
5 Shocking Things I’ve Learned Since My Skin Cancer Diagnosis
1. Skin cancer takes years to develop.
Jay and I had just finished up a summer in Puerto Vallarta hanging out at the beach, walking in the sun and not having a care in the world about wearing tank tops and getting tan.
After Puerto Vallarta, we went to Sedona for nearly three months where we hiked at all times of the day and were basically out in the sun if the sun was out.
So when we visited our primary care doctor, and she didn’t like the look of a spot on my chest, and one up toward my collarbone — we immediately starting questioning our decisions of soaking in the sun that past year.
However, two different dermatologist let me know that these skin cancer spots were not from those times.
In fact, they were likely started from lack of sunscreen and/or a number of sunburns from the years of 11-17 .. that would be 15-20 years earlier!
2. Sunscreen should be applied 15 minutes before going into the sun.
Okay.. I legitimately have always thought this was so it wouldn’t wash off in the water. But nope, it’s so that it can soak in and actually protect you from the UV rays.
Plan 15 minutes ahead of leaving your house or going outside to apply your sunscreen.
3. Sunscreen should be reapplied every 1 hour and 45 minutes.
This kinda follows up with number two. But it’s worth mentioning because again, it was a holy sh*t, really?! Kind of moment for me.
Since sunscreen takes 15 minutes to actually soak into your skin and do it’s job, you need to be reapplying it every 1 hour 45 minutes, instead of the every two hours you typically hear.
Technically, if you wait the two hours, it then takes 15 more minutes to do it’s job, so you’re left unprotected for that middle time.
4. High UV time has changed to 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Call it global warming, call it whatever you want. But the layer of atmosphere that protects us from the UV rays of the sun is shrinking.
With this shrinking causes a bigger window of time when the UV rays are powerful enough to cause skin damage.
The new time to use protection from the sun is stretched to between 10:00 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoon.
Obviously, that time varies a bit, but that’s the general rule of thumb.
I’d advise checking the weather app on your phone to see what the UV index is and then plan accordingly. The weather app typically shows you a chart and tells you when you should use sun protection and not.
5. It’s important to apply sunscreen INSIDE your nose!
Yes, you read that right… inside your freaking nose!
This one still blows my mind, but let me explain to make it make more sense.
UV rays reflect off of things, especially water. So when you’re on the water, while you may be wearing a hat and your face is in the shade, the UV rays bounce off the water and sneak attack from underneath.
This means they can get you in places like under your chin and actually inside your nose!
When I told my dermatologist I would be camp hosting on a lake for the summer, it’s safe to say she wasn’t the most pleased with me. But she said, be sure to wear your sun protection, and sunscreen the inside of your nostrils.
I was like, WHAT?!?! Why.. and then she explained the above, and told me of a handful of her patients who have had skin cancer inside their noses!
While it makes sense the UV rays can reflect off the water.. it’s still so insane to me! So lather up those nostrils people!
Being Afraid of the Sun
I’ve learned to not be afraid of the sun, but to instead be smart about the sun. At first, I was afraid to go out in the sun at all times. And if I’m being honest, there’s a part of me that still checks myself often with little bits of fear (and sometimes tears) when the sun is shining.
But, I’ve talked to my dermatologist about this. She’s reminded me that I don’t have to be afraid of the sun, but just be smart.
When going outside in the middle of the day, go out with protection like long sleeves, hats, and clothing that offers UV shielding.
And yes, you might say — wait long sleeves on a hot day?! Not for me!!
I was the same way, and honestly, still am. Instead of just wearing long sleeves all the time — there’s no freaking way I could do that.. I wear tank tops and then bring a long sleeve hoodie or button up to put on when I’m in the sun.. that way I can then take the long sleeves off while in the shade or indoors!
Where to Find UV Protective Clothing
I’ve found Columbia offers a lot of actually super cute UV-shielded clothing. They have a fishing line, the PFG line, that carries a lot of cute stuff, so much of my newer UV-protection clothes have come from there.
I’ve also bought a couple of shirts from places like Ross or TJ Maxx, and have even found some in the clearance and “garage sale” section at REI.
Amazon also has a whole lot of great pieces that have awesome reviews!
Don’t go spend thousands of dollars on UV protective clothing though! Just buy a couple of things here and there and have one staple that’s breathable and lightweight that you can throw on over any and all clothes you already have!
My Skin Cancer Diagnosis + Treatment
There are so many different types of Skin Cancer. I had two different forms of Basal Cell Carcinoma.
Basal Cell Carcinoma, or BCC, is a skin cancer that isn’t as “bad” as others. It’s also the most common form of skin cancer.
My basal cell came in two different forms, requiring two different treatment plans.
Superficial Basal Cell Carcinoma
The first was superficial basal cell carcinoma. This is a skin cancer that isn’t deep in the tissue, and can be treated with a topical cream. This treatment process isn’t fun though.
It literally smells like your skin is decaying. Which I guess, in some ways it is.
It’s a six week period of applying a cream every other day.. while the off days your skin literally just rots and peels off. It’s freaking gross and smells so bad.
Check out a video of this process here — I took daily-ish photos.
Nodular Basal Cell Carcinoma
The second spot that came back positive for skin cancer was both superficial and nodular. The nodular part meant that this spot wouldn’t be treatable with a cream, and instead, would have to be surgically removed.
Honestly, this way was much quicker and healed a lot better than the cream treatment healed.
With that said, I’m still glad I went with the cream treatment for the first spot because I’ll likely have more skin cancer pop up as time goes, and cutting into me at every spot isn’t practical.
This was especially true with the placement of the spot on my chest, and the fact that I had two spots somewhat close together. The excisions would not have healed well, so it was the best choice to do the two different treatments — nasty smells and all!
I’m coming up on a year since my skin cancer diagnosis. I’ve since had four biopsies of the original treated spots come back negative, and a full body scan that came back worry/cancer-free.
As my dermatologist has already told me, I’ll likely have more skin cancer come up in the future. So for now, I have to still just enjoy the life I’m blessed to live. Spend time in nature, yet, be smart about the sun exposure, and pray for a long and healthy life ahead.
Skin Cancer Questions?
I’m an open book about my skin cancer treatment, diagnosis, fears — all of it. If you have any questions, please please ask away!
Don’t be afraid of the sun — enjoy it, but protect yourself!
