What Jessie thought seemed like eczema actually turned out to be skin cancer – this is her story.

Growing up on a farm, Jessie Kangas spent a lot of time in the sun and had her fair share of sunburns. She remembers using vegetable oil as tanning lotion while tanning on the trampoline. Of course, this was all before she knew about sunscreen and skin cancer. 

Around 30, She Decided It Was Time to Get a Skin Check

Her Dad is a red head and very fair skinned. He's had lots of basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, the two most common types of skin cancer. This motivated her to get checked as she is also fair skinned and has lots of moles. During that first check-up, she had a basal cell skin cancer removed. Over the years  Jessie has had multiple skin cancers removed by Dr. Glawe, a general surgeon. He performs a biopsy which is removing the suspicious looking area and sending it in to test it for cancer. He sees Jessie on a regular basis to do skin checks and biopsies. If there is a spot they want to keep an eye on, they take a picture of it with a ruler so they can refer back to it to see if it's changing. 

"I trust Dr. Glawe. If I tell him I have a spot I'm worried about, but he doesn't think it's anything, he'll biopsy it just because of my history. Sometimes they've come back as cancer. A lot of my skin cancers have shown up where the sun doesn't get to them. You really have to check everywhere and watch your own skin so you know if anything has changed." 

Jessie's Next Bout with Skin Cancer Was Not a Mole

"It was a red spot that was itchy and patchy so I thought it was eczema," she says. It turned out to be skin cancer. Dr. Glawe has noticed that Jessie has gotten good at knowing what to watch for and when to come in. "If she has a concern, she gets in to see me right away," he says. "I tell my patients skin cancer can happen to anyone. It's important to watch for new moles, skin patches, or bumps that don't heal, and especially watch for changes in size, shape or color. If it develops a scab or bleeds, this can be concerning and should be looked at by your provider," he adds. 

He is seeing a big increase in younger people getting melanoma, a form of skin cancer that spreads quickly, is harder to treat and can be deadly. "I've seen kids as young as 16, and a large increase in 20- to 40 year olds," he says. He attributes it to tanning both in the sun and tanning beds and not wearing sunscreen. As a salon owner, Jessie had a tanning bed until about ten years ago. She made the decision to get rid of it after she had skin cancer. Tanning beds have the same harmful UV rays as the sun and have been shown to cause cancer.  

Advice to Others

Jessie's advice to others? "Use sunscreen and cover up. Our family loves to fish and camp, so we wear clothing with sun protection built-in and sunscreen. And be sure to look at your own skin. If you notice anything change, go in and have it looked at sooner rather than later. Don't wait." Dr. Glawe's advice? Same as Jessie's and he adds, "Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours and set an alarm on your phone so you remember. And if you're a parent, it's important that you protect your kids. Nothing's worse than seeing a kid with a sunburn. When you're young, it seems fun to lay in the sun, but you're going to regret it later. Biopsies can be painful and leave scars, and melanoma can be deadly so protect yourself," he says. It's okay to be in the sun some, but be smart."

Fortunately, most skin cancers are highly curable if caught early enough. If you have a spot on your skin you want looked at or would like to have a skin check, make an appointment with your provider, the general surgeon or the dermatologist. Don't wait to get something checked out.

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Jessie Kangas and Brett Glawe, MD