- Joined
- Mar 1, 2003
- Messages
- 13,454
- Reaction score
- 18
- First Name
- Jack
- Last Name
- Giesecke
Been going to a dermatologist. I had this psoriasis looking stuff all over my face. Turns out partly true, dermatologist gave me a medicated shampoo and some cream to apply. I asked him about all these medications I see advertise, he says if it's on an ad, it's expensive. AND, it doesn't necessarily work that well.
Anyway, so I went back for a follow up today. He says the psoriasis is receding nicely, but that the big red splotches is a pre-cancerous something or another unpronounceable condition caused by too much sun in my past. I've already had a squamous cell cancer cut off my neck at the T shirt line. Guess where I used to get really burned on long rides? And, I never used a tinted screen on my helmet which not only would have kept my cheeks from burning, they used to get REALLY raw, but also would have kept the UV out of my eyes and might have retarded the cataracts I'd later develop....speculation, but I can see where it'd be so.
Were I to go back in time, I would not lock myself up in a house and never come out in the sun, but I sure would have worn sleeves on the bike and covered my neck and worn a tinted screen on my full face helmets. It would have saved me a lot of problems.
He froze some spots on my nose today (liquid nitrogen), but he said to do it on my whole face would be too traumatic. It stings, so I really wouldn't wanna go through that. It kills skin, causes blisters. So, what he's gonna do is use this drug that is "auto-selective". He paints it on the areas needed and pre-cancerous cells are killed while it leaves the good tissue alone. Not sure how it does that, but he is confident in the treatment. He says it has to be left on for an hour while I sit there and vegetate. But, heck, better than than liquid N2.
Ya know, when you're 20 or 30 something, you don't think anything will ever affect you and heck, if it does, it'll be so far in the future, who cares? I knew about the connection of too much sun to skin cancers at some point, but I just sort of ignored it. Add to that the latitude at which I've ridden, the height of some of the mountains and deserts I rode in, well, I guess I was a moron. At least at this point it's treatable, not melanoma or something really bad.
Anyway, so I went back for a follow up today. He says the psoriasis is receding nicely, but that the big red splotches is a pre-cancerous something or another unpronounceable condition caused by too much sun in my past. I've already had a squamous cell cancer cut off my neck at the T shirt line. Guess where I used to get really burned on long rides? And, I never used a tinted screen on my helmet which not only would have kept my cheeks from burning, they used to get REALLY raw, but also would have kept the UV out of my eyes and might have retarded the cataracts I'd later develop....speculation, but I can see where it'd be so.
Were I to go back in time, I would not lock myself up in a house and never come out in the sun, but I sure would have worn sleeves on the bike and covered my neck and worn a tinted screen on my full face helmets. It would have saved me a lot of problems.
He froze some spots on my nose today (liquid nitrogen), but he said to do it on my whole face would be too traumatic. It stings, so I really wouldn't wanna go through that. It kills skin, causes blisters. So, what he's gonna do is use this drug that is "auto-selective". He paints it on the areas needed and pre-cancerous cells are killed while it leaves the good tissue alone. Not sure how it does that, but he is confident in the treatment. He says it has to be left on for an hour while I sit there and vegetate. But, heck, better than than liquid N2.
Ya know, when you're 20 or 30 something, you don't think anything will ever affect you and heck, if it does, it'll be so far in the future, who cares? I knew about the connection of too much sun to skin cancers at some point, but I just sort of ignored it. Add to that the latitude at which I've ridden, the height of some of the mountains and deserts I rode in, well, I guess I was a moron. At least at this point it's treatable, not melanoma or something really bad.