Recently, I had my first “full-body” skin cancer screening.
Before my dermatologist Dr. Deborah Shappell came into the room, a blush-making moment for me happened, as the very nice nurse gave me a folded blue gown and asked me to take off all of my clothes except for my underwear, and put on the exam gown with the opening facing the rear.
I can tell you this, that gown wasn’t an Alexander Del Rossa creation.
The doctor looked at every square inch of my body, but I was particularly diverted when she looked very carefully in between every toe and on the soles of my feet.
“An exam like this checks everything from your face, chest, arms, back, and legs to less-visible places like your scalp, between your toes and the soles of your feet,” she remarked.
The instrument she examined me with is called a dermatoscope, a magnifying tool about the size of a small computer mouse,”that uses light to give a bigger, up to 10 times larger, and clearer picture of a skin lesion,” she was telling me while sizing up my sun spots, spider veins and skin tags.
I was really interested about finding out more about my toes being separated and surveyed.
“Do you know how Bob Marley died?” she asked me. “Melanoma that spread from under a nail of his toe! A football foot injury that seemed more severe than usual, and got worse over time. After the doctors discovered it was cancer, he was advised to have his toe amputated.”
Who would think of looking under a toenail? That’s why a full body check is smart.
Celebrities aren’t immune to skin cancer; no one is, because it strikes three million people every year.
I feel like a weight has been lifted from my chest. It’s a good feeling knowing that I’m 100 percent cancer-free.
Make an appointment for your own peace of mind, especially if you love being in the sun.
KEEP READING: See 25 natural ways to boost your immune system
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Originally Appeared Here