Holey Moley

So...I was hoping to use this blog for more than just Blakely. While Blakely may be my favorite blog topic, I also want to share other random, and possibly joyful posts. ;)

Tim and I are finally taking care of those few things that always get pushed to the bottom of the list. One being mole removal.

Now, I'm certainly not worried about skin cancer, because why worry? That doesn't do anything good. But, I figured it couldn't hurt to make sure that all is good with our skin. After all, we get more sun exposure than we want right now (not that I'm complaining)!

I know, TMI. I'm rambling about our moles. But, I genuinely want to share some helpful tips. Oh, and I asked Tim if I could take a picture of his back to show off the cool stitches and cauterized burns that we now sport, but he said no. He thought that was a little weird for the blog. He's probably right. :)

I read that most people have, on average, more than 10 moles and less than 40. Some moles are congenital and some moles develop as we grow. Most of the time we have all our moles by the time we are 20 years old!

Here are the ABCDE's for detecting "suspicious" looking moles--the kind you might want to ask your doctor to check out (from everdayhealth.com):

• A for asymmetry: A mole in which one half of the mole does not look like the other
• B for irregular border: A mole with a scalloped or poorly defined border
• C for varied color: A mole that consists of multiple shades of black, brown, white, red, and/or blue
• D for large diameter: A mole that has a diameter larger than that of a pencil eraser
• E for evolving: A mole that's size, shape, or color changes over time
• New moles: A mole that develops, especially if it appears after age 20
• Bothersome moles: A mole that bleeds, itches, or is painful

For some non-weird pictures of what to look for, go here: http://www.aad.org/public/exams/abcde.html