April 2, 2025- Three of us walked into the Dermatology clinic, at the same time this morning. One went straight for the freshly-brewed coffee. The second wanted only water, which she got from the small refrigerator. I was the third, and took nothing-as I’d drunk water at home and find that drinking coffee before a surgical procedure makes the medical staff’s work harder-as it often increases bleeding.

The procedure, to remove a basal cell carcinoma, went smoothly. The surgeon, grim-faced and all business, did not take long to remove the infected tissue. The longest part of this process is the analysis of the tissue, to make sure all the cancer has been removed. That usually takes 45 minutes to an hour. It took the latter, for my case this morning. The four Licensed Practical Nurses, who helped the surgeon and the plastic surgeon who sewed me back up, were fairly congenial and methodical in their work. All the staff explained each step, as they went along.

I am again carcinoma free. The process of staying that way involves continuing to apply sunblock, of 40-50 SPF and wearing a broad-brimmed bush hat, even when I am not in the desert or in the tropics. The sunblock I use is either Alba or Badger Balm. These are zinc-based, rather than loaded with toxic chemicals. I can get Alba at Sprouts, but have to order Badger Balm online. Of course, in the warmer months, it’s necessary to re-apply the cream in mid-day.

This is all part and parcel of remaining active and largely outdoors. I will continue to have a full-body scan, twice a year and take these precautions even more diligently going forward than I have even up to now. As one ages, and there are fewer layers of dermis, the care taken of the skin, our body’s largest organ, needs constant upgrades. I aim to stay steady.