All right ... you caught me.

I was trying to slip another cancer surgery by you, but I failed. You who are kind enough to watch me on 10News here in San Diego spotted the bandage on my forehead and wanted an explanation.

I guess I was just trying to downplay this one, because it was Squamous Cell Carcinoma, not another Melanoma.

But truth be told, even Squamous Cell Carcinoma can be deadly if it's not caught in time. In fact, it's number two behind Melanoma when it comes to aggressive skin cancers. The danger is that the cancer will travel from the skin into the lymph system, and spread (metastasize) to other internal organs, resulting in death.

Since my Melanoma surgery two years ago, I have been seeing my dermatologist (Erik Gilbertson) every three months. He spotted the rough patch on my forehead and kept an eye on it till last month, when he said, "You've earned yourself a biopsy." (The picture shows how small it was -- even after the biopsy)

After the pathologist confirmed the presence of SCC, I made another appointment with Dr. Hubert Greenway at Scripps Green's Mohs Surgery Center. I've explained before that the technique developed by Dr. Frederick Mohs of Wisconsin calls for a minimal amount of tissue removal at first, followed by an immediate lab test. If any edge of the excised tissue shows cancer, they go back and remove a tiny bit more -- and so on, until the "margins" are "clear."

Because it was on my face, Dr. Greenway was especially conservative, and wound up having to go back for another "bite." But the second time was the charm, and I was on my way home in a few hours with some stitches and a bandage.

I can't stress enough how important it is for us Southern Californians (especially those of us with fair skin) to get checked regularly for skin cancer; and note any changes on our skin. You can see from the picture how small mine was -- even outlined in pen! So get a professional opinion -- and be proactive. I like having you around.

Bill