Thanks for posting this Michael. I'm so glad you caught it early. It's hard in the South to not get skin cancer it seems. My Christy keeps getting spots of it that have to be treated. She was a ball player. Quite a few years ago now she had to have a lot of the top of her nose removed due to it so we keep on top of those small spots when they crop up. Sunscreen is good and a heavy duty one is important, but reapplying matters and the hardest is to just limit the total time spent out in it. Really hard when you're trying to enjoy your life. Covering up is your friend. Again, thanks for sharing and glad you're doing well.

I have very sensitive skin but have never heard of anyone that couldn't wear a face lotion. Can you not find an unscented, sensitive skin face lotion with sun proctection in it? I'm guessing maybe you just don't like the feel of lotions on your face??? I used to be like that and thought they clogged my pores, etc... but you really just need to shop around. If that is the case with you, there are many face lotions that don't feel lotiony and heavy but rather feel kind of light and almost go on more like water. Is that you problem? Of course I wouldn't put regular sunscreen on your face.. but most face lotions contain sunscreen. In fact, it's hard ot find a face lotion without some in it nowadays. And, many brands don't leave your face feeling greasy. There are some make-ups (mineral powders, foundations, etc) that provide sun protection too, but those will usually cause an adverse reaction on sensitive skin far more quicker than a face lotion would. I'm not personally convinced that you need anything over 15 or 30 sun protection on your face.... Unless you're outside all day or something. I think some of the higher protections are just too thick and don't really do much more than the lower ones. You may want to do some research on that yourself. You do need to make sure that UVA and UVB are both included in the sunscreen, and from what I understand, there are some newer products that contain coverage for even more sun protection...not a higher number but more along the lines of coverage from a different spectrum of the sun. If you are highly sensitive to the sun or prone to skin cancer and such, you may want to do some more research on that too. There's a lot out there.. some of it priced quite reasonably.

I have similar issues and have been working with Philosophy's skin care products. Pricier than some, but I look for sales and promotions They seem to be kinder and gentler, not a lot of extra or irritating ingredients and they work well. The oxygen peel is not irritating on my skin, but it is deep cleaning. The Microdelivery Scrub or Miracle Worker cleanser (lactic acid to exfoliate) might help for daily cleaning. I've also gotten a cleanser with pineapple enzymes that was recommended for my son when he had acne. He didn't like it, but I did. I think it is made by alba. I've seen it at Ulta, Target and other stores.

Hi Susan - Yes, I had the surgery on Tuesday. And by then I'd gotten pricked with another thorn, this one at the tip of my right index finger. I removed it, but a tiny piece remained behind. So the surgeon removed the first one from the back of my hand and the second one as well. Strange as it seems, the surgery required an operating room and anesthesia. All for one careless move (okay, two careless moves) in the garden. I get the stitches out on Friday. Meanwhile, I have to say my hand feels worse than it did pre-surgery. I suppose I need to be patient--at least that's what my daughter says. But as you can imagine the tip of my index finger is . . . um . . . rather sensitive at the moment. Parts of it are also numb. I certainly hope the nerves regenerate. Thanks for asking.