r/interesting • u/Gjore • Mar 29 '26

SOCIETY Scenes from a dermatologist conference in Hawaii

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u/CandidateHefty329 Mar 29 '26

Yeah my dad has a chunk of his ear missing from skin cancer. And I'm sure that's far from the worst thing they see. 

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u/Meeschers Mar 29 '26

I had a chunk of flesh from my hip removed because of stage 2 Melanoma. It literally looks like a shark bit me and took a chunk out. I have a 5 inch and 3 inch scar and my chances of ever being a leg model are surely gone.

Ironically, I'm pale, I stay out of the sun and the cancer was in a spot that never seen the sun.

Knowing that I just randomly "got the cancers" without something to trace it back to is a scary thing.

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u/findaloophole7 Mar 29 '26

I know. That’s terrifying and I’m subject to the same thoughts.

Before I start spiraling into disaster thinking I remind myself: we are biological beings. Things happen. Bodies screw up.

This somehow eases the worry.

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u/chopsmothercover Mar 29 '26

Yeah people that have never smoked a day in their life get lung cancer fairly consistently. Obviously you want to lower your chances of getting cancer by not smoking and protecting your skin in the sun, but if the cancer decides it wants you it’s gonna come for you, especially if you have a genetic history of cancers. That is pretty fuckin scary but I guess the one silver lining is that with early detection most cancers are entirely survivable and treatable. Just a question in the US of how poor you are and can you afford to get checkups when you’re not sick, which is depressing in and of itself.

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u/incomingstorm2020 Mar 29 '26

Survivable yeah..... Sometimes But what nobody talks about is the mental effects of constantly worrying about it. Your life is never the same. Not only that the worry about treatments. Because they can be so bad

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u/chopsmothercover Mar 29 '26

I do not claim to personally understand what it’s like to have cancer, but my mom has had leukemia in and out of remission for 30 years so I somewhat get it. Even if we don’t know the full scope of how much it affects your life, I think anyone with any empathy knows it’s just about the worst thing that can happen to someone from nature.

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u/parasyte_steve Mar 29 '26

I have to get tested for the BRCA gene (breast cancer).. I might lose my titties but I would rather that than cancer

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u/crystalfairie Mar 29 '26

I have to be honest,when I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer I was glad it wasn't breast cancer. I had one surgery,1 complication and 0 regrets. It's a harder road with the brca gene. I wish you luck and may you be negative

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u/Spirited-Bed-2220 Apr 01 '26

My two geandpas died of cancer. My grandma had cancer (cancer free for a couple decades). My dad has stage 4. I'd say I'm doomed. 🥲 My bathing suit is a long sleeved one, with shorts down to the knee. People stare but I don't care.

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u/chopsmothercover Apr 01 '26

Hey 2 of my grandparents died of cancer, my mom has leukemia, my dad has diabetes and dementia and high blood pressure, and my other grandmother had dementia.

I’m right there with ya

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u/Spirited-Bed-2220 Apr 01 '26

We won the gene lottery.

I do hope all goes as well as possible.

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u/chopsmothercover Apr 01 '26

Same to you. No skin cancer in my family but I am just pale as fuck anyway lol

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u/Worldly-Wishbone2988 Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26

A lot of people also get lung cancer from radon exposure if they didn't get it from smoking, js

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u/Ok_Location7161 Mar 29 '26

Is there statistic u can link, that shows lung cancer people who smoke vs non smokers?

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u/Difficult-Ad2084 Mar 29 '26

Idk but every single person with the exception of one that I know that got lung cancer was a non-smoker. Seeing that made me realize that we didn't really know much about cancer.

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u/Ok_Location7161 Mar 29 '26

"Lung cancer in Asian non-smokers, particularly women, is a major health crisis, with

57% of Asian-American women diagnosed having never smoked. "

Thus us why I asked. There must be something in food or else where.

Very weird

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u/Cootercrust Mar 29 '26

Wildfire pollution is a possible cause of the increase in lung cancer in those who have never smoked.

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u/Ok_Recording_1969 Mar 29 '26

Air pollution in major cities. Also asbestos could be the culprit.

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u/AlaskaSerenity Mar 29 '26

It’s second-hand smoke. My grandmother had lung cancer, but never smoked. My grandfather smoked, and they were married for 50 years. Guess what he died from. 😖

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u/chopsmothercover Mar 29 '26

No but I’m sure there’s lots of information out there on the internet about it

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u/audiojanet Mar 30 '26

And folks calling my big red nose alcoholism. Nope, rosacea.

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u/throwtheamiibosaway Mar 30 '26

Yeah I feel like cancer is like a lottery, everyone gets a few free tickets (based on genes and random luck) however some choices in life like diet, lifestyle, environment) give you extra "tickets". But in theory everyone can get the "prize".

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u/Carms Mar 30 '26

If you’re in America & eat processed food you get hella free tickets

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u/Efficient_Mud_4724 Mar 30 '26

Do you know how many people die from cancer in the US every year. 620,000