I wrote on May 29 about my worry regarding a dry, flaky patch of skin on my nose. Unsure of the status of this unusual spot, I immediately called my dermatologist and made an appointment -- which did not end up being all that immediate. The earliest slot available for addressing my personal crisis was June 12 at 11 AM. I took it. And then the stars aligned and I got a call on this very same day.

"We have a cancellation tomorrow. Do you want to come in then?" said the voice on the other end of the phone. Yes, yes, yes, I wanted it. And so I took this slot instead.

Yesterday I met with my dermatologist. The good news is: what I found on the bridge of my nose is not cancer. The bad news is: it was trying really hard to become cancer.

What I had belongs to a family called Actinic Keratoses (AKs). Considered the earliest stage in the development of cancer, AKs are common growths of the outermost layer of the skin (the epidermis). They are caused by long-term exposure to the sun, dating back as far as childhood. The condition typically appears after age 40 but in geographic areas with year-round, high-intensity sunlight like Florida -- where I currently live and where most of my past tanning pursuits occurred -- AKs can show up in the teens and 20s. Half of all older, fair-skinned -- me -- people who live in hot, sunny areas will develop AKs.

AKs are pre-cancerous, and so mine was caught early and obliterated by a procedure called cryosurgery. The area was essentially frozen and while it looks fine now, it will likely take the form of a blister over the next few days. Then it will heal and fade. A light scar may linger.

There are other methods for treating AKs, depending on the magnitude of each person's lesion. Surgical removal, topical chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, chemical peeling, and laser skin resurfacing are often options.

The only way to prevent AKs is to prevent sun exposure. And while it's never too late to implement sun-safe practices in our lives, it is too late for most of us who have already done damage to our skin to go back to the drawing board. We can serve as key players in the game of prevention, though, by initiating prevention for our children who can be saved by our hard lessons.