I was diagnosed with squamous cell skin cancer yesterday. Five weeks ago, I spent a week in Florida. Only two of those days were warm enough to wear short sleeves. While I was there, I noticed a spot on my arm that got red and irritated looking. After I got home, I called the dermatologist and saw him three weeks later. By then the area got bigger and part of the top formed a scab, which fell off and created a hole that bled. The dermatologist called me yesterday and said it was a small squamous cell skin cancer, and since it was removed, this is probably the only treatment. I have another appointment in two and a half months for a follow-up. I had a melanoma on my thigh six years ago. I had a wide excision and follow-up with blood work and chest X-rays for five years. I am very fair (100% Irish) and got a lot of sunburns when I was a kid. I would just like to encourage people to not ignore anything on their skin because the sooner it is removed, the better the outcome. And I am still shocked at how quickly this came on and that it is cancer. It is scary to hear the word cancer in your diagnosis, and it does help to talk to other people who have gone through the same thing. I'm happy to report that I'm doing well and am encouraged that this new skin cancer was caught early.

I am a 53 year old woman. Being blonde and blue-eyed, I have very light skin. In my younger years, I played and worked in the sun a lot. I would describe my use of sunscreen as sporadic. My mother had skin cancers throughout her life; she had several incidents of squamous cell carcinoma. At least one time, she had a melanoma (on her nose). Recently, I tripped on some metal stairs and injured both of my shins. As they healed, they both produced hard and irregular scar tissue. The one on my left leg was painful to the touch, red, and had a raised "bump." So, I made an appointment with my doctor. After examining the spot on the left shin, he said, “This looks like a skin cancer and will probably have to be removed surgically." He referred me to a dermatologist. The dermatologist took biopsies of both spots and, sure enough, the lab report showed a squamous cell carcinoma on the left shin and a pre-cancer. (I can't remember the name). I just made appointments for the Mohs procedure on the left and a scrape and burn on the right.

I had squamous cell carcinoma on my left ear. Interestingly, it is the side of my face exposed to the sun while driving. I live in Southern California spent extended time in the sun while sailing, biking, hiking during my life. I am 63 years old. It started out, in October, as a small, rough patch of skin on my upper ear. I would scratch off the "scale" and went weeks without noticing anything. Every time it would reappear, only a little worse. In January I noticed a bump which should have inspired me to see my dermatologist considering the fact that I had previously had several basal cel carcinomas removed over the previous 10 years. My first was when I was around 52. It was on my right forearm. Soon the tumor began growing rapidly and I knew I was in trouble. After contacting my dermatologist I scheduled surgery to have it removed. I had waited too long. About one third of the middle of my ear had to be removed including the cartilage. This resulted in having a plastic surgeon reconstruct the ear. The ear is smaller than the other and slightly deformed. Thankfully it did not spread to other parts of my body. I am convinced that early detection and seeking early intervention is the key to staying healthy.

I wish we could get young people to realize how dangerous all the sunbathing is, whether indoor or outdoor. I wish I had known the statistic for fair-skinned people when I was younger and lying in a tanning bed. I try to talk to people about the dangers, but much like I was, they are more interested in their appearance for now than what is a possibility for their future.

I just had MOHs surgery on my nose for basal cell carcinoma with Squamous Cell Carcinoma running over my nose and down over my cheek. It has been a very grueling experience. I have been told that my cancer has been removed, and I have a greater than 98 percent success rate. I am fortunate that my doctor is very good at what he does, and I am told that although my recovery will take 6 months to a year, the scarring will be minimal and the results will be very good. I am 45 years old and have very fair skin. I have always been careful about the sun because I burn very easily. I also live in Southern California. I pray this is the last time I will have to deal with skin cancer.