grammiec's Status Updates

"Thinking about skin today. I was raised in Utah, melanoma leader in the US. High altitude and dry air means lots of sun, and a population mostly from Northern Europe, means pale complexions. As a redhead, summer meant sunburns. I actually made my own swimsuit, so I could put on a bra, while avoiding the burn. When I was 13, I tried to carefully get a tan, starting in April By the end of June the count was 13 sunburns. Waste of time. I was very lucky, and my dermatologist found a 1st stage melanoma at 49. Several cousins had melanoma on their backs in their 30s. One cousin was not so lucky, he died at 47 with a melanoma on his thigh. For ten years I was a zombie, never going outside until sundown. But now I am back in Utah at 4,000 feet, and all the freckles are back. "