Apparently I'm Aging

So, I had to go to the dermatologist this week. I've developed a troubling spot on the right side of my nose, and had several people suggest to me that I see a dermatologist to get it checked out. I have a dermatologist, who I haven't seen since 1998. We had a long relationship, a good relationship, built on trust and a $20.00 copay every six weeks. This dermatologist helped me through the worst of the dreaded teen disease called acne. Twelve years later I attempted to contact this doctor to setup an appointment, and the receptionist promptly replied that I was no longer an existing patient. I was in the system. She knew when my last visit was. I was no longer his patient. 5 years of regular visits and this how you treat me? I really thought we had something special Doc...

Alas, since this visit wasn't to be, the receptionist got me an appointment with another member of the group. Yesterday, I went on my merry way, not to have my pimples popped, but to have my nose examined. The folks who looked at my nose informed me that what I had was one of those precancerous spots that needed to be frozen off. In my world anything that includes the c-word is more than a little scary. The doctor took one look at my nose and pronounced my condition as a compacted keratinous lesion. He also informed me that it was no big deal. I informed him it was not on his nose.

The nurse quickly arrived with a bottle of what I will term "freezy stuff" and burned a hole in my nose. No, I'm not being dramatic. 95% of my face looks like it's normal self, while I have an oval shaped spot on my nose that looks like it's a Chernobyl victim. All in all, not too bad. At the end of this month, I'll enter the last year of my 20's and will be staring down the barrel of 30. My dermatologist appointments are no longer friendly visits with admonitions to wash my face regularly and to use a topical astringent. Alas for youth!