A nagging wife

BY ELIZABETH WHITTINGTON | FEBRUARY 23, 2010

I'm a nagging wife. After a year of telling my husband he needs to see a dermatologist to get a few moles looked at, he finally relented. I'm sure he thought I was just being overly cautious and a little paranoid. Granted, every three months, I wonder if I've developed the cancer featured in the latest CURE issue, but a good baseline body check can't hurt.

He grudgingly went, but I think in the long run, he was relieved to get it over with. The dermatologist scraped tissue from about three moles on his back and chest, and he was eventually diagnosed with dysplastic nevi, which are benign, but people who have them can be at a higher risk of developing melanoma later on.

The National Cancer Institute has a brief booklet on dysplastic nevi and melanoma. It also includes a checklist on how to perform your own body check and help for identifying suspicious moles and lesions. There is also an upcoming mobile application that may allow you to take a photograph of your mole and send it on for a risk assessment of melanoma and other skin cancers.

About a year after that initial visit, my husband went back to the dermatologist yesterday and had one of the moles surgically removed. We're waiting to see if he needs more tissue removed and to confirm that it's still benign. While it's probably nothing to worry about, I'm glad he went. Sometimes we all need a little push to get screenings or have something checked out by a health care professional. I do think I have my work cut out for me when he turns 50, though.