I Thought It Was Just A Zit. The Actual Diagnosis Took Me By Surprise.
This peculiar blemish was painless, but it wasn't showing any signs of fading and I didn't like how it looked. So, I figured I'd bring it up to my dermatologist, Hooman Khorasani, MD, a dermatologic and cosmetic surgeon in private practice in New York City.
When Dr. Khorasani examined the spot under a microscope, he thought it looked a little suspicious because he could see blood vessels that aren't normally visible in certain types of acne. He didn't immediately assume it was something serious like skin cancer because I was only 31 years old at the time, and incidences of skin cancer rise sharply in those who are 75 or older. But to be on the safe side, Dr. Khorasani collected a small piece of skin tissue and sent it to a lab to be analyzed.
All I had to do was wait for him to contact me with the results.
I was sitting at my desk in my Manhattan office building finishing up a day of work as a marketing professional in the beauty industry when Dr. Khorasani called and told me that the mysterious spot on my forehead was actually basal cell carcinoma—the most common form of skin cancer. He explained that this type of cancer results from mutations in skin cells called keratinocytes. These mutations can be sporadic and happen randomly, but they're often caused by exposure to UV radiation from the sun, or artificial radiation from tanning beds.
Hearing that I had 'the Big C' was scary, but I felt like I was in good hands with Dr. Khorasani. He reassured me that we caught the lesion early and that the prognosis of basal cell carcinoma is excellent. We made an appointment to surgically remove the spot a couple weeks after I was diagnosed.
Of course, there is never a good time to get cancer. But my diagnosis came during a particularly hectic time in my personal and professional lives. For one, I had just married my husband, Sam, in September, and we were really looking forward to a mini honeymoon in Tulum, Mexico, in early February. Knowing I'd still be healing with my forehead covered with bandages, we decided to postpone the trip by several weeks. Around the same time, I was also given a thrilling opportunity to represent my company at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. But like my upcoming vacation, I had to back out and stay home in Brooklyn to recover.
The scheduling conflicts weren't the only thing that made my diagnosis frustrating. Even in the hands of one of the world's top dermatologic and cosmetic surgeons, I still dreaded the permanent scar I would have on my forehead. After all, it's not a spot that's particularly easy to conceal from others. But come January 28th, Dr. Khorasani performed what's called a Mohs micrographic surgery on my face. The procedure is done in stages, meaning Dr. Khorasani removed the cancerous skin cells bit by bit to ensure he spared the surrounding healthy tissue and minimized the size of the scar left behind.
The procedure took about five hours and, all things considered, it was pretty easy and painless for me. What came after that took a larger toll: I was forced to wear white gauze on my forehead in the weeks following my surgery, and it was really awkward to explain why I looked the way I did.
The state of my scar and the various bandages covering it naturally drew attention, but not necessarily the kind I wanted. I didn't always feel like explaining myself or revealing that I had been dealing with cancer. However, I'm comforted by the fact that this phase in my life won't last forever. And that's because in the weeks and months following my procedure, Dr. Khorasani has—and continues—to perform several procedures to help improve the appearance of my scar. These include:
Dermabrasion and CO₂ laser resurfacing: Dermabrasion gently polishes the outermost surface of the scar to help smooth out any uneven texture. And CO₂ laser resurfacing uses a beam of light to precisely remove tiny columns of skin. When that skin heals, more collagen is produced which helps the scar tissue more closely resemble normal skin.
Vascular laser treatment: This procedure involves using a beam of light to target and remove blood vessels in the skin, which reduces unwanted redness.
Bellafill injections: These gel injections help correct contour abnormalities from the scar, like raised areas or indentations.
Botox: This injection helps relax the muscles in the forehead so they don't pull on the incision and stretch the scar.
Nevertheless, the healing process since the surgery hasn't always been picture-perfect (my scar looks especially red immediately after treatments) but on good days, I'm happy to say that you'd hardly know the scar is there thanks to all the help from my doctor and his team.
My mom has olive skin, but I inherited my father's fair complexion, which naturally raises my risk of skin cancer and makes sun care all the more important. Some people can also inherit certain genes that raise their risk of developing the disease. So growing up, my parents drilled into me the importance of wearing sunscreen, not just while lounging on the beach in the summer, but every day, all year round. And despite spending most of my childhood indoors, at a dance studio in my hometown in Wisconsin, applying the right amount of sunscreen multiple times a day was second nature to my family.
Nevertheless, my mom developed basal cell carcinoma on her chest when she was in her 60s, which was about seven or eight years ago. And when I was a child, my dad developed precancerous skin growths when he was in his 50s. My family history combined with my alabaster skin made it feel almost unavoidable that I'd face a similar fate. But in an attempt to protect myself, I stuck to my sunscreen routine, never used tanning beds, and visited a dermatologist annually for skin cancer screenings.
Developing basal cell carcinoma despite my good habits (and getting diagnosed decades earlier in life than my parents) came as a shock. It was a stark reminder that skin cancer can happen to anyone at any time.
Since my diagnosis, I've become even more diligent about protecting my skin. Like always, I make sure to apply (and re-apply) sunscreen throughout the day, using products with an SPF of at least 35, as my doctor recommends. And my day-to-day plans don't determine whether I protect my skin. It doesn't matter if I'm going for a long walk under the sun or leaving my home for a quick grocery run on a rainy day. Wearing sunscreen is like brushing my teeth—a non-negotiable part of my daily routine.
However, when I know that I'll be spending some extra time outdoors, I do like to take extra precautions. During my trip to Tulum, for instance, I wore rash guards while lounging by the pool and beach, and I spent a lot of time hanging out in a cabana rather than exposing myself to direct sunlight.
I also now visit my dermatologist for cancer screenings every six months instead of annually, as is recommended by the American Cancer Society. And I plan to pay for skin cancer surveillance services once a year. The clinic I go to uses artificial intelligence to analyze high-quality photos of my whole body to determine whether I've developed any cancerous moles. But perhaps the most fun change in my life has been learning how to embrace wearing protective hats. Sun hats, baseball caps, bucket hats, you name it! Hats that offer coverage from the sun are a new staple of my personal style. And I'm enjoying experimenting and incorporating them into my outfits.
After months of walking around with various hats and scar coverings, I no longer worry what other people think of me or how I look. When someone asks about my scar, I'm happy to share my story. Because if opening up helps even one person catch something early, protect their skin, or feel less alone, then it's all been worth it. And in the meantime? I'll be rocking my favorite hat.
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