It’s just a little freckle, right? Wrong! Since May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, I thought this was the perfect time to share a journey that shockingly ended up with the diagnosis of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and share precautions to prevent it. With over five million cases diagnosed each year, skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, and prevention should be taken seriously.  

It gets gory from here, and no one wants to experience what I am about to share, I promise! This story hits close to home as my husband, David, is the one who had that little freckle. As the story goes, the pivotal point was when the little freckled CHANGED – it got darker brown and changed in size and shape.

For the past few years, David had had a little freckle about the size of a lentil on his right cheek. We all noticed it, and he had visited a dermatologist a few years ago, but it had started to change and was now the size of a small lima bean. Last July 4^th, when our neighbor told him he had dirt on his face, I told him it was time for the not-so-little freckle to go. That said, I wanted it removed by a board-certified plastic surgeon because it was located in the middle of his cheek – you know you want your face to look its best.

I made an appointment with Dr. Endara at PerfecTenn in Columbia to finally have the freckle removed. I will leave out the part where my husband almost faints when he gets injections in his face because of his vagus nerve – that’s another story. As a precaution, Dr. Endara sent the lesion to pathology, and when the doctor personally called with the results, it was clear that the news was not good. It was melanoma, and now larger margins needed to be taken. Unfortunately, the following skin biopsy also showed melanoma.

At this time, Dr. Endara said, “This isn’t about looking pretty anymore. It is time to go see a dermatologist.” Dr. Endara’s office scheduled an appointment with Dr. Robb, a board-certified dermatologist at the Skin & Allergy Center in Spring Hill, to remove a significantly larger portion of my husband’s cheek. This time, we are talking about a gaping hole in his cheek and three and a half inches of stitches, but yet again, the margins were not clear. After one more biopsy, clear margins were finally attained.

At this time, Dr. Endara said, “This isn’t about looking pretty anymore. It is time to go see a dermatologist.” Dr. Endara’s office scheduled an appointment with Dr. Robb, a board-certified dermatologist at the Skin & Allergy Center in Spring Hill, to remove a significantly larger portion of my husband’s cheek. This time, we are talking about a gaping hole in his cheek and three and a half inches of stitches, but yet again, the margins were not clear. After one more biopsy, clear margins were finally attained.

After two months, four separate biopsies, and hundreds of stitches (slightly exaggerating), David was finally ready for the reconstruction of his right cheek. The procedure was under general anesthesia, and Dr. Endara took roughly 90 minutes to strategically rotate the skin on his cheek to minimize scarring and make sure the skin remained viable. Once again, as a precaution, another biopsy was sent to the pathologist.

When Dr. Endara called a week after surgery, it was with utter disbelief as the biopsy came back showing melanoma. How could this be possible? Even Dr. Robb thought it could be a false positive, so a sample was sent to an oncology pathologist for verification, where it was confirmed positive for melanoma AGAIN! The course of treatment this time was six weeks of a topical chemotherapy cream to attack the cancer cells. Once the treatment had been completed, the punch biopsies came back negative. Such good news!

Six months after the initial biopsy to remove a freckle, it was time for the final surgical procedure, which would thin out the grafted skin to make it flush with the rest of the cheek. This, too, was under general anesthesia at the hospital, but a much quicker procedure with minimal stitches. Of course, Dr. Endara did a stellar job!

As David’s cheek continues to heal, the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight. At his last appointment in March, Dr. Endara anticipated a little more thinning would be needed, an in-office procedure this time, and some microneedling to camouflage the scars later this summer. Now, I’m not allowed to tell David, “I told you so,” anymore, but ladies, if you need to wife-guilt your husband into going to the dermatologist – DO IT!

The two key words I want everyone to remember are EARLY DETECTION. Let me say that again: EARLY DETECTION. What does early detection mean? It means going to the dermatologist for annual skin checks and understanding the importance of sun protection. The most notable point is that skin cancer is one of the most preventable and highly treatable cancers when detected early – so there is hope.

The post The Little Freckle That Was … Melanoma appeared first on Williamson County Living.

Both forms of CoQ10 play a vital role in energy production and serve as antioxidants, protecting cells from oxidative damage. They help preserve cell health by reducing oxidative stress, which can lead to various diseases and conditions if left unchecked. Beyond supporting energy production, CoQ10 is involved in heart health and blood sugar regulation and may help reduce inflammation. It is naturally found in high concentrations in organs like the heart, liver, and kidneys, which have high energy demands.

CoQ10 levels naturally decrease with age and can be affected by certain medications and health conditions. Read on to learn why coenzyme Q10 is essential and how it is crucial to overall well-being.

CoQ10 is primarily located in cell membranes and mitochondria, especially in organs with high metabolic activity. Inside the mitochondria, CoQ10 participates in the electron transport chain, a process that creates the majority of the body’s energy, adenosine triphosphate or ATP. It acts as an electron carrier, transferring electrons between different protein complexes in the chain, which is vital for ATP production.

CoQ10 also plays a key role as a lipid-soluble antioxidant, protecting cell membranes and lipoproteins from oxidative damage, which can lead to diseases like heart disease and cancer. Its antioxidant effects are linked to its reduced form, ubiquinol, which can reduce oxidative stress, regenerate vitamins C and E, and help prevent lipid peroxidation or body fat damage.

CoQ10 and Migraine – CoQ10 supplementation has shown promise in reducing migraine frequency, severity, and duration. Clinical trials indicate that a daily dose of 400 mg of CoQ10 can significantly reduce these aspects of migraines. The effects of CoQ10 may be attributed to its ability to reduce inflammatory markers, such as TNFα and GCPR, which are involved in the pathophysiology of migraines. Additionally, when combined with other nutraceuticals like curcumin, magnesium, and riboflavin, CoQ10 may have enhanced migraine-protective effects, providing a more comprehensive approach to migraine prevention.

CoQ10 and Fatigue: CoQ10 supplementation has shown potential in addressing fatigue across various conditions. In patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), combining 200mg/day of CoQ10 and NADH has demonstrated improvements in fatigue levels, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and ATP production. These benefits are attributed to CoQ10’s ability to support mitochondrial activity and its antioxidant properties, which may help manage fatigue in CFS and related conditions. Additionally, studies in healthy individuals suggest that CoQ10 supplementation (100–300 mg/day) can reduce fatigue, with higher doses (around 300 mg/day) showing more pronounced effects.

For athletes, CoQ10 may offer benefits by improving exercise performance, reducing muscle damage, and minimizing exercise-induced oxidative stress, though the results vary among individuals. CoQ10 has also been found to alleviate fatigue in patients with heart failure and fibromyalgia, although the evidence is mixed for other conditions, such as breast cancer or poliomyelitis.

CoQ10 and Diabetes and Vascular Disease: CoQ10 is widely recognized for its potent antioxidant properties and ability to protect against various diseases, including diabetes and its associated cardiovascular complications. Current research highlights that CoQ10 exerts its beneficial effects through multiple mechanisms, including reducing oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory actions, and glucose and lipid metabolism regulation.

One of the key mechanisms through which CoQ10 operates is modulating the Nrf2/Keap1/ARE pathway. This pathway plays a pivotal role in the body’s antioxidant defense system. CoQ10 can reduce diabetes-induced oxidative stress by stimulating the production of antioxidant enzymes, which help mitigate cellular damage caused by free radicals. This action protects cells and supports the body’s overall metabolic function, making CoQ10 particularly valuable in managing diabetes.

Reducing Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure: Clinical studies have shown that CoQ10 supplementation can help lower systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure. In a 10-week trial, hypertensive patients who took CoQ10 experienced significant reductions in their blood pressure—by an average of 17.8 mmHg in systolic pressure and 12.0 mmHg in diastolic pressure.

The proposed mechanism by which CoQ10 supports blood pressure is by improving blood vessel function. CoQ10 helps relax blood vessels, reducing peripheral resistance—the force the heart must work against when pumping blood. This effect is believed to be due to CoQ10’s role in preserving nitric oxide (NO), a molecule that helps relax and widen blood vessels. By enhancing blood vessel function, CoQ10 promotes better blood flow and reduces overall blood pressure.

Fertility and CoQ10: Research on CoQ10 supplementation has shown its potential to mitigate the effects of aging on ovarian reserve and oocyte quality in mice. CoQ10 treatment in aged females significantly delayed the depletion of ovarian follicles and restored mitochondrial function in oocytes, improving mitochondrial activity, ATP production, and reducing oxidative stress. These improvements led to higher ovulation rates and increased developmental potential of oocytes, ultimately resulting in a greater number of pups born. CoQ10 supplementation also preserved the primordial follicle pool by preventing follicular atresia, suggesting that CoQ10 helps maintain ovarian reserve by inhibiting follicle degeneration. Moreover, CoQ10 reversed age-related alterations in gene expression related to mitochondrial metabolism, oxidative stress, and meiotic progression, demonstrating its potential to restore key aspects of oocyte function disrupted by aging. While these findings in the mouse model are promising, the implications for human fertility remain an area for further investigation.

Statins are widely used medications that lower LDL cholesterol, the bad kind, reducing the risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes by preventing plaque buildup and improving blood vessel function. They also offer long-term cardiovascular benefits by stabilizing plaque and reducing inflammation, especially for individuals with existing heart conditions. However, some people experience muscle-related side effects, such as muscle pain, weakness, and cramping, known as statin-induced myopathy. Many have turned to CoQ10, a supplement believed to support muscle function and reduce muscle damage to manage these symptoms. While studies on CoQ10’s effectiveness in alleviating these symptoms provide mixed results, CoQ10 might help improve your symptoms but won’t fix the underlying muscle damage.

Coenzyme Q10 is an essential compound for energy production, cellular protection, and overall health. Its antioxidant properties and ability to support mitochondrial function make it beneficial for managing conditions like migraines, chronic fatigue, diabetes, and even cardiovascular disease. While CoQ10 supplementation is generally safe with few side effects, it is always recommended to consult a healthcare provider before starting any new supplement regimen.

To learn more about how CoQ10 can benefit your health, contact Rx Compound Centre at (931) 388-3999 and let them partner with you on your health journey! Visit rxcompoundcentre.com and follow them on social media at @rxcompound.

DANIEL BRUNNER is a second-year pharmacy student at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy interning at RX Compound Centre with DR. JONATHAN BAIN, PharmD, BCCCP, BCPS-AQ, the head pharmacist and owner of RX Compound Centre. As a student pharmacist, Brunner is committed to providing excellent patient care and focusing on positive patient outcomes.

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