Taking It All Off

Remember the post about a month ago about me having something on my chin? (If not, thanks to the way nothing ever goes away once it's been put on the Internet, it can be found by clicking here.)

Well, this Friday morning we're going to take a stab at finding out what it is.

I'm not sure if this will be one of those dermatology consults where the guy just glances at it and says "hmm..." and that's it. Or if it's going to be one of those office visits where the doctor says "let's just look at that" and the next thing I know there's some kind of cauterizing tool coming at me to whack off the bump and leave a non-bump spot on my chin.

The last time anyone wanted to check on a skin bump was to look at a bump on my left shoulder, just off to the side from my neck. That time the doctor simply said "let's take a look at that" and as he was prodding it, he burned it off with some tool that was like a "hot knife going through butter" (which sounds better than a "hot wire going through skin"). By the time I realized what he was doing, he was telling me that it would be a week or so before I had any results. (It was just a bump - nothing exciting.)

This time, though, I've had some warning. So, for the past couple of weeks, I've been growing out my beard just for the heck of it. But this week, I'm gradually paring it down.

I've contemplated doing a "Wolverine" trim on it (after all, the only area I truly need to shave is right in the middle of my chin - and my hair has been a little unruly lately), but I'm not sure I could carry that off.

So I suspect that, on Friday morning, I'll be completely clean-shaven for the first time in years. (Usually when I want to go short, I simply trim it all down to a rakish shadow.)

I know it will grow back - or at least most of it will. We'll have to see what after-effects there are following Friday's appointment. But, even so, it's a little weird to think about it.

I suspect that the mirror on Friday afternoon will look a bit odd.