There’s an App for What?!?

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know a lot about technology (my brother can attest to that). I don’t own an iphone either so I really don’t know much about apps. Recently I came across an app that caught my eye and I’m not yet sure how I feel about it. It’s either wonderful or terrible. I can’t decide.

The app in question? It’s called LoveMySkin and it’s a mole map. It’s basically a map of a body and you can tap to add a mole and change the way it looks to resmble your real live mole. I believe there’s a comparison chart for benign vs. malignant moles. What I love about this is that you can track your suspicious moles and make sure they’re not upto any funny business while you’re busy living.

What I don’t like about this is that some folks might look at their mole on the little comparison chart and decide that the mole is benign when it’s actually not. Why do I care? Because I had skin cancer when I was 19. I had a checkup at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, TX and my doc looked at it and said it was fine, nothing wrong with that little mole. It was big and ugly and it hadn’t always been big and ugly. She told me not worry about getting in to see a dermatologist. (This fabulous doc has since left the Cooper Clinic and opened her own practice).

I was in college at the time, it was summer and I was headed home for a few weeks of fun in the sun. One of my best friends was in med school at the time, he took one look at the ugly invader on my face and made me promise to see a dermatologist. It was malignant melanoma. It was removed from my left temple on September 12, 2001. I know have a line across the side of my face that sometimes I hate and sometimes I love because after all, it did save my life.

With a history of skin cancer you have to get checked every few months for a while, then every 6 months and then once a year. I’ve had many a mole removed since then leaving me with some lovely scars that look like I’ve been burned by a lit cigarrette, but that’s ok. I’d rather have a real doctor look at my skin and leave me with a small scar and know that it’s benign than look at a little comparison chart on an iphone.

Maybe I’m just paranoid. Yes, I agree that it may help raise awareness and some people might be more cautios of the moles on their bodies. I just worry about those that will choose the app over the hassle of finding a doctor, making an appointment and actually going. I also think there is too much technology in our lives and that it’s making us lazy and complacent, so I’m not the best critic. What are your thoughts? Have any of you used this app? I’m curious to hear the reviews from someone who’s used it.

Here is a printable chart of the ABCD’s of melanoma. These are some lovely pictures of melanoma that you can look at. If you like to bask in the sun without sunscreen or are a fan of fake baking I would keep these handy.

Speaking of sunscreen, I’m not a huge fan. Think I’m nuts? Not nuts, just a little crunchy. I’m a firm believer that a lot of the junk in sunscreen is terrible for you, it gets absorbed into your skin and who knows how those toxins take a toll on your health. Essential fatty acids are great in high doses when you’re going to be out and about in the sun. When I know I’m going to be in the sun I do wear sunscreen, I’m just very careful about which one I choose. Take a look at the EWG (environmental working groups) list of the safest sunscreens and find reviews for almost anything you put on your skin. It’s an eye opener.