Do People Care about Your Scars?

I’ve had skin cancer and skin cancer surgery twice. Because of this, I have one kind of large scar under one eye, and a smaller scar below the other. Does it bother you to have skin cancer scars? And what about others - do people care about your scars?

I know I’m different from others. Scars don’t bother me. I’m not saying I want to look like Frankenstein’s Monster, but to me, some scars give you character. It means there’s an interesting story there, or something to talk about. In fact, when I use a few filters just to freshen up how I look, I’m always disappointed that most of them smooth out the scar so it’s not seen.

Everyone is different

I do know that not everyone thinks like I do. In fact, I remember my mother having the same surgery long before I did. She specifically asked the doctor if her nose would be okay. He assured her it would, but it didn’t. Until her death, she had a misshapen nose and significant scarring. And for her, she didn’t want to look that way, and I totally understood.

Trust your instincts

If you think that your doctor didn’t make you look how you wanted after surgery, trust your instincts and talk to another surgeon. Many Mohs surgeries will have a plastic surgeon on-hand. In fact, my first surgeon was a plastic surgeon, while the other surgery I had featured a plastic surgeon to work on how I looked after we were done.

Always ask your doctor if you are having any kind of invasive surgery. Find out if plastic surgery is an option that is offered, and if not, you may want to get another doctor. This is always your choice.

Do people care about your skin cancer scars?

That is a question not easy to answer. Some do, some are curious what happened, and some are rude enough to ask. Of course, I shouldn’t say all are rude, some don’t mean to be. I remember asking a model we did a shoot with about her facial scar. I was careful in how I asked so that she wouldn’t be offended - and she wasn’t. In fact she said she loved her scar, and it showed she’d survived something. In this case, it was a dog attack as a child. That scar didn’t change her beauty whatsoever.

You may not love your scars, and I understand that. While I don’t mind mine, not everyone feels that way. Perhaps it is a reminder of their skin cancer journey, or they feel it makes them less pretty or handsome. But your scars are a reminder of your success against skin cancer. Yet, if you’re not happy with it, please reach out to your doctor or someone who can help. You may find out that there are options and you’re not stuck with a look that you'd rather not have. Scars or not, we’re survivors, and every mark reminds me of that.