Look at this picture. Do you know what that is?
It’s a machine made specifically to vacuum the odor of burned flesh out of the air. I’m not kidding.
I had a visit with this machine last Friday when I got my second basal cell carcinoma burned off my skin. I’m now the proud owner of a burn mark on my calf that’s about the size of a nickel, should take 3+ months to heal, and 2-3 years to fade.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of cancer and the least likely to inflict any sort of major damage. Still, it is cancer. Thus, my life insurance company charges me more each year for a policy than my blemish-free husband. And all those annoying questionnaires you have to fill out every time you go to the doctor’s office? Yup, I have to check the box next to “cancer” every time.
If you haven’t run away and are still reading, please know this. I’m sharing this so that you are supported in your efforts to protect your kids from the sun.
I know they hate sunscreen.
I know they hate wearing a hat.
But you are a good mom for protecting them. And, you don’t want them to face a future of getting weird little 5 mm blemishes burned off their skin in a circle the size of a nickel while a giant burned-flesh-sucking machine whirs in the background.
Trust me.
Go forth and be protected! Feel free to share your favorite sun protection tip or favorite sunscreen brand in the comments.
Update: You guys are awesome and I don’t want to scare you too badly. Thus, you should all know that I have light skin, light eyes, light hair and grew up frolicking on the beaches of Southern California getting sunburned so bad that my skin bubbled! Then, I spent my teen years in Phoenix working on my tan pretty much year-round. In other words, I had a lot of sun exposure plus a lot of risk factors.
Well if the flesh odor sucking machine is not an incentive, I don’t know what is! Thanks!
Kirsty recently posted…And these are the times when it behooveth one to laugh..
Glad to have helped! Let my pain be your gain.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…Good Moms Use Sunscreen
My kids are pretty good about reminding me to put it on them. My biggest problem is that we usually apply it on the way out the door and I think you are supposed to do it sooner than that.
Rabia @ TheLiebers recently posted…35 Good Deeds for My 35th Birthday
I am deathly afraid of my children having a sunburn because I simply don’t want the extra whining, so I lather them up a few times when being overly exposed to sun. But, this post is good motivation too.
A little side note: my family physician told me to wait 15 minutes AFTER sun exposure before lathering the kiddos up with sunscreen because us Michiganders tend to have Vitamin D deficiencies. I began doing this and they still never have became sunburned. What is your take?
Ashley recently posted…Biometrics, Preparations & Cinci
I would follow a doctor’s recommendation. 🙂 I have asked ours about that and she felt that we need 10 minutes sun exposure/day to get our Vit D and we usually get that walking to our car, etc. So do what works! I have fair skin, light eyes, and grew up in So Cal and Phoenix where I sunbathed 6 mos out of the year from ages 12-16, so I was a “perfect storm” for getting basal cell!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…Good Moms Use Sunscreen
Yeah- we pretty much lather our cherubs up good!! I am just relieved that YOU are okay… thanks for the reminder of this awful truth. I love the sun myself… so I needed this more than my kids!!
Chris Carter recently posted…You’re Doing Something Right
It’s like we have the kids programmed with the generation, since they remind me to put their sunscreen on. Great reminder.
Not Winning Mom of the Year recently posted…Harlem Shake
I would truly have appreciated the burning flesh odor sucking machine during my vasectomy. Anyway, super post. This has been on my mind (and my blog) lately, as you know (thanks for commenting). What can I say? Great minds think alike! 🙂
Justin recently posted…Skin Cancer and I
Yup, great minds think (and burn?!? freckle?!) alike!