Sabine's Cancer Journey
- Popular Denver weather woman Kathy Sabine, 57, recently had cancer removed from her nose and has been sharing her recovery journey as she advocates for the disease.
- Sabine is reflecting on environmental impacts like sun light as she fights cancer.
- Getting regular skin checks and protecting yourself in the sun can help avoid a future diagnosis.
She is sharing with fans her diagnosis, treatment, and even photos of her skin cancer. Her intention in sharing her story is so that other people will get regular skin checks and have greater awareness of skin cancer.
Read MoreKathy Sabine’s Skin Cancer Journey
Sabine says she’s an avid sunscreen wearer and considers herself to be a relatively cautious person when it comes to sun exposure. But, as Sabine says, she wasn’t immune to the power of the Colorado sun. Sabine was scheduled for two operations: one was a Mohs procedure to remove the problem area, followed by plastic surgery that reconstructed her nose using her ear cartilage. There was an additional problem area discovered in her face while undergoing all of this that added complications to an already challenging battle.Mohs surgery is a microscopically-controlled surgery where thin layers of skin cancer tissue are removed until the surgeon reaches clear tissue.
"You're able to remove a very conservative margin around the cancer and study it in essentially real-time," explains Dr. Sumaira Aasi, Professor of Dermatology and Director of Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery at Stanford. If, when the surgeon examines the tissue under the microscope, cancer is found, the surgeon goes back and removes some more tissue.
The idea is that by making the tiniest cuts and evaluating them microscopically, the surgeon knows for certain that all the cancer is out when the last piece of tissue proves to be clear. It is often done as an outpatient procedure with local anesthetic.
Mohs Surgery Removes Skin Cancer With Smaller Incisions and More Certainty
How to Protect Your Skin
Protect your skin by wearing sunscreen daily, avoiding tanning beds, and staying out of the sunlight during peak hours. When it comes to sunscreen, Dr. Snehal Amin, a dermatologist in Manhattan, says in a previous interview, "My recommendation is really focused on the ingredients rather than the brands."
Related: Which Sunscreen Should I Choose To Prevent Cancer?
He continues, "If you like how the brand feels on your skin, if you like the purpose of the brand for instance sport vs. daily use or daytime use vs. short burst of activity use I think those are more important factors than actual brands."
Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer
Contributing: Marisa Sullivan
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
