I had a weird day.
I went to a dermatologist, for the first time since my unpleasant bout with childhood dermatitis. The problem then was cause by my lanolin allergy, but the dermatologist had no idea about that--it was actually a cardiologist who figured that out, ten years later. Today's reason? Acne.
Yeah. Acne. Because 28 is a completely appropriate time for that to start happening. I've been trying different things for it for six months or so, and it has only gotten worse, so I finally went to seek professional advice.
The advice was what I expected: Cetaphil, Retin-A. Some supplements that seem to be mainly zinc and copper about which I feel a bit sketchy. The only part I didn't expect was the good doctor's claim that what is wrong with my face is not only adult-onset acne, but also the beginning of rosacea. Yay.
And from there? From there it was suggested that a "suspicious" mole on the delicate pink underside of my left upper arm be removed. No big deal, they said. Then they shot it up with lidocaine and (no, I am not kidding) cut if off with an Exacto knife.
So maybe it wasn't an Exacto knife. But it looked just like one. I couldn't feel it, so I didn't mind. But then it was cauterized. Which I didn't feel either, but I smelled. And that is so not something you want to smell. Ew.
Then they sent me home with a bag of samples, two sheets of instructions, and an earful of warnings about sunscreen.
It is odd that this, more than anything else that has happened to me recently, makes me feel uncomfortably old?
By the way--the book I haven't read is Walden. I've read lots of things that reference it, but not the book itself. Should I?
Comments (2)
I read Walden in High School and didn't like it. I never liked anything I had to read in school except for 'The Chosen.' Having to read things sucked the joy out of them. I think I'd appreciate Walden a lot more now. I remember something about watching ants and thinking about ants that I thought was lame at the time. Now I find ants interesting and would probably get more out of the passage. I think a lot of what we read in school was stuff you don't appreciate as much until after you've lived a little.
I'm glad they caught your suspicious skin early. Good luck with the acne medicine. Acne sucks poo balls.
Posted by beapea | June 19, 2008 1:16 PM
I hear your pain on the acne. I'm considering another round of accutane - might as well go in guns blazing since I've spent years learning that nothing else works.
And the mole - ouch. I have a couple I'd like removed, though I'm wary to do it in Korea, as when I had this problem with infection on my arm the doctor basically scalpaled it off, without pain meds/numbing of any kind. Not the most fun.
I wish I had read this yesterday. Today's field trip burnt my face quite nicely - I just wasn't thinking when I left the house this morning that we'd be spending such a long time outside.
It made everyone laugh - I burn faster than all Koreans and most foreign folks, apparently. If nothing else, the kids got laugh and a lesson in the drawbacks of pale skin!
Posted by Amanda | June 20, 2008 11:40 AM