I was sitting in my dermatologist’s office last week, you know the one, paper gown, slightly too cold, questioning all your life choices that led you to this exact fluorescent lighting moment, when I thought… how many women are actually doing this regularly? So naturally, I did what any modern woman does. I went home, made a tea, opened Instagram, and asked.

And the answers? Concerning. Not in a panic-inducing way. More in that subtle, eyebrow raise, “oh… we’re not doing this?” kind of way.

Because I had just come from one of my twice yearly appointments. One for my face, because let’s be honest, she gets the most exposure, the most products, the most attention. And one full body check, because there are entire regions of me that I have not visually confirmed since approximately 2007. Between lighting, flexibility, and now eyesight in my 40s, we are simply not equipped to be our own full surveillance system.

I have been going to a derm since my late teens, mostly because I came out of the genetic lottery as fair haired, fair skinned, and generously moley. It was always presented to me as normal, like going to the dentist or buying SPF before a vacation. And somewhere along the way, it just became part of how I take care of myself. Not dramatic. Not optional. Just… part of it.

I will say, in a slightly unexpected turn of events, my derm told me my skin actually looked younger than it did last year. Not because I am trying to turn back time, but because consistent care, sun awareness, and not frying myself in a tanning bed in 2004 apparently adds up.

But then I started thinking about our generation. The tanning bed generation. The bunny sticker era. The slightly unhinged belief that laying in what was essentially a human panini press was a reasonable beauty ritual. I never got into it, something about it always felt a bit… claustrophobic and sweaty in a way that did not align with my idea of self care, but I worked in a spa that had one. And let me tell you, it was booked solid. Women cycling through all day. Clean, yes. But still deeply… moist in a communal way I could never get behind.

And now here we are, years later, with more information, more awareness, and if I’m being honest, more responsibility.

Because here is the thing no one really says out loud. You cannot see everything on your own body. You just can’t. And even if you could, you are not trained to notice what matters and what doesn’t. This is one of those moments where outsourcing is not laziness, it is intelligence.

There have been times during treatments where I am inches from someone’s skin and I notice something that feels a little off. Not alarming, not urgent, just… different. And I will always say something. Softly, casually, like you would tell a friend she has spinach in her teeth. Because that is what this is. Care. Not fear. Not pressure. Just paying attention to the skin we live in every day.

There are a few things worth keeping in mind, and this is one of those rare moments where a slightly clinical tool is actually helpful. Derms use something called the ABCDE rule, which sounds far more intense than it is. It simply means if a spot is asymmetrical, has uneven borders, has more than one colour, is growing in size, or is evolving in any way, it is worth getting checked. And I will add this, sometimes it is just that something looks different from everything else on your body, or it is not healing, or it quietly catches your attention. That alone is enough reason.

What I find interesting is that we will invest in serums, in treatments, in all the beautiful ways of supporting our skin, and I am fully here for that. You know I am. I will talk about oils and barrier support and feeding your skin like you feed your family all day long. But this is also part of that conversation. This is the unglamorous, quietly powerful side of skincare.

It is sitting in that paper gown. It is booking the appointment. It is letting someone take a proper look.

Because we do not chase perfection here, we support real skin, and real skin includes history, sun exposure, freckles, moles, and the responsibility to check in on all of it .

So if you needed a sign, this is it. Book the appointment. Not because something is wrong, but because you are a woman who takes care of herself in ways that go beyond what is visible. And honestly, if we can survive tanning beds and low rise jeans, we can absolutely handle a yearly skin check.