TL;DR: Mohs Surgery Friday, my friends are wonderful, wear wide-brimmed hats and sunscreen of 30 SPF or better, with Zinc being the active ingredient in it.
Friday I’m having a basal cell carcinoma removed from my left temple in a Mohs Surgery procedure. Prognosis is good for removal of all the cancer cells. 99% of cancers removed via this procedure do not reoccur.
Thank you to everyone who has contacted me to say “I’ve had that,” “It’s no big deal,” and “You’ll be fine.” Vanity is a hard thing to admit to, but I do worry about surgery on my face. I’m also not a fan of pain and I know there will be some.
Many of you have been very kind to reach out with flattering comments, like this one, from a high school friend:
You’ve got a major excess of gorgeous, and this doesn’t even tap into the petty cash drawer, let alone the endowment.
-A High School Friend I Never Even Dated (I think we made out in the back seat of a car once, though)
The surgeon was very specific about preparing me for the worst.
Due to the way faces work + the way cancer grows, the blood vessels in my face will be affected. I will have great big Frankenstein stitches. There will be swelling and probably a black eye.
He doesn’t want me doing anything that might result in any increase in blood pressure; no walking, lifting, “No ANYTHING,” he said, “for a week.”
It seems the little blood vessels in the face are sensitive, and a rush of blood could just pop open and wreck his careful reconstruction.
Overall healing is supposed to be 3 months.
I’m not happy, but I’m not too freaked out. I just hope that I don’t end up with any nerve damage or one surprised eyebrow for the rest of my life.
I’m trying to get some work done this week just in case I don’t feel much like wearing headphones after the surgery.
More than anything else, here’s what you should take away from my diagnosis: Wear wide-brimmed hats and sunscreen of 30 SPF or better, with Zinc being the active ingredient in it.
What do you think?