I get a skin exam

Photo by Chris Slupski on Unsplash

One of the biggest organs we have is our skin. It covers us from head to toe. If you start googling skin you'll start off with some fun facts and probably very soon go into a dark scary place.

But, hey, that's the internet in general.

I wanted to write this post because I have never done a full-body skin scan thing before. I only ever went to the doctor to solve some weird rash or have warts removed.

This was a little different.

This was someone checking out ALL of your skin.

A few years ago I had flat warts on my face, yes my face. I had to have them removed by a dermatologist. I made this exam because I was worried they were coming back. My primary doctor is fine at freezing planters warts, I've had those too, but will not, and rightly so, remove items off of my face. If I was worried I knew I needed a dermatologist anyway so I figured why not just go straight to the doctor I need.

I called to make an appointment and after rambling about all of my concerns the lady on the phone said the best option is a full-body skin scan.

Fast forward a few months because appointments at the dermatologist's office book up fast. I show up, fill out some paperwork, and then get escorted to a room. The nurse and I chat for a few minutes and then she says here's a robe/sheet please put it on flaps untied in the back. All the way nude, like no undies or anything. The only other appointment where I go all the way to my birthday suit is my yearly women's exam.

I am not really surprised I just assumed undies would be okay. They were not for this office. I say that only because a co-worker who also gets yearly skin exams says she gets to keep her undies. Different doctors I guess.

The doctor then came in, she explained how this is going to go, confirmed I'm not wearing any makeup, and then has me sit on this "chair", It looks like a dentist chair but it slowly raises up and then lays out flat into a table.

So there I am, in a weird sheet/robe, laying flat under a harsh light. Isn't this how weird science fiction horror movies start?

I lay flat on my back as this harsh light is pointed at me and she starts at the top of my head in my hair and works her way to my toes then I flip over and the same thing happens. Flaps are opened and closed as needed and then in just a few minutes I'm done.

That's it.

The doctor lowers me down so the table is now a chair again. The good news is that there is nothing she sees of concerns. I ask her about a few specific spots on my face, these are all just cosmetic things that can be zapped with a laser if I want, However, they are not warts and they show no concerns. I then proceed to ask other questions I wrote down, such as:

Is one type of soap better than another? - Nope

I have dandruff and to keep it at bay I rotate shampoos is that right? - Yup, you've found the best option

Is there a better brand of lotion than another one? - Nope, it is whatever works best for you. They all do about the same so whatever works for you stick with it.

I asked a handful more but it was pretty much to find what works for you and stick with it. There is no perfect anything because there are so many different types of skin. Oh, and eczema will get worse as I age and cause some of my other skin reactions to get worse as well.

Fun!

After I stopped asking a million questions the doctor left, I put my clothes back on, went to the front desk and made my appointment for next year.

Wham bam thank you ma'am.

I wrote this post today because I had no idea what to expect. I could have asked my co-worker, or looked online, or even asked the lady on the phone but I forgot. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up of what they too might experince if they get a full skin scan. I do think everyone should too, as part of their yearly preventative maintenance doctor visits.

Has anyone else gotten a full skin exam? If so, was your experience similar? Please leave a comment below and let me know.