As I said a few weeks ago, I was due for my annual full-body skin exam. And as promised, here is how it went. I’ll apologize in advance because it’s a much longer account that I originally planned. But in any case, I hope you enjoy it. It’s all true and exactly the way it just happened.
I arrived a few minutes early and signed in. My dermatologist has a very small practice since it’s just her – no other doctors. So the waiting room had only one other person waiting to be seen. After just a few short minutes, the nurse poked her head out into the waiting room and called my name. I followed her down the short corridor to one of the exam rooms. All of the rooms are pretty much the same – they have an exam table with an angled top, so when you’re laying back, you’re not really flat on the table – you’re head is higher than your feet. They all have a bright light that is on a stand next to the exam table. And the counter top against the wall has a sink, a sharps container and several boxes of rubber gloves. They also have a can of whatever it is that they use to freeze off skin tags. The room also has one plastic chair in the corner of the room and a small rolling stool in front of the exam table.
I sat down in the chair while the nurse spent several minutes reviewing my current prescriptions, medical history, etc. She’s sitting on the little rolling stool while she’s asking me these questions. She spent a few more minutes reminding me of sun dangers on my skin, the need for a facial lotion with an SPF and that sort of thing. I immediately recognized the nurse as one of the ones that I’ve seen before. I’ve been seeing this dermatologist for several years now and she has 2 or 3 nurses that seem to have been with her for years. This particular nurse was probably the oldest of the bunch, probably a few years old than me (and I’m in my late 40’s). She’s not particularly attractive, but she’s friendly enough.
After reviewing my current condition, she confirms that I’m here for my annual full body exam. Since I’ve been having this done for several years now, I know what this means – but she informs me that the doctor will need to take a look at all of my skin (or words to that effect). I suppose that’s her standard warning to new patients to prepare them for what’s to come. She tells me to “take everything off” and that I can “leave my shorts on if I want” as she retrieves a paper drape from under table and places it (still folded) on the exam table. “Here’s a drape that you can use to cover yourself” she says. As I stand up and begin to undress she leaves the room saying “we’ll be back in just a few minutes”. I know from previous visits that “we’ll” really means that she will be returning with the doctor.
I quickly strip down, removing everything including my boxer briefs and placing everything on the plastic chair. It was nice of her to give me the option to leave my shorts on, but I don’t bother with that. I realize that the doctor will need to see every inch of me sooner or later, so I’m actually more comfortable removing everything right from the start. I detest strip-as-you-go exams. Now completely nude, including my socks and even my watch, I have a seat on the edge of the exam table. I contemplate my options for a few seconds. Should I put the paper drape over my lap to cover myself? Should I leave it folded or open it up? Or should I sit there without any covering at all? As I’m sitting there I realize that I’m directly facing the door. I like the idea of sitting there without any covering at all, but I’m really afraid of the possible shock of seeing me like that when they first open the door. So I decide to cover my lap with the drape, but to leave it folded. It doesn’t cover much, but I figure it will be less of a shock this way. And it might not be quiet so obvious that I’m enjoying the exam.
After a short minute or two, I hear a quiet knock on the door and it opens. My doctor enters, followed by the nurse. My doctor is probably a couple of years younger than I am and she’s wearing a traditional white doctor’s jacket. She’s attractive to look at, but I wouldn’t say that she was drop-dead gorgeous. But she seems to have a great personality and is very easy to talk with. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, she gets right to work and begins her examination. She is directly in front of me and her nurse is right behind her.
My doctor begins by taking my right hand in hers and examining it along with my entire right arm. As she reaches for my arm, I decide that it’s now time to get rid of the drape. I figure that they have now safely entered the exam room and there’s no chance of someone accidently seeing something as they pass by an open doorway. So I lift up the drape with my left hand and place it behind me on the exam table in one swift motion. I’m now completely exposed, sitting on the edge of the exam table with my legs spread slightly apart and my doctor is just a few feet in front of me. The removal of the drape doesn’t seem to bother her at all – she really doesn’t miss a beat and continues to examine my right arm followed by the same type of exam on my left.
Next she examines the top part of my chest, and the area around my neck and shoulders – still from the front. She moves to the side of the exam table and looks at the back of my neck, shoulders and upper back. As she does, I realize that the nurse now has an unobstructed view of me and that she is directly in front of me. She has my chart in her hand and she occasionally writes something in it when directed to by the doctor. She isn’t exactly staring at me (or my exposed genitals) but she isn’t looking away or turning her back either. She can obviously see any part of me that interests her – and that’s ok with me.
The doctor next directs me to lie down so she can take a look at my legs and feet. As I comply, she pulls out the shelf at the end of the table. It’s difficult to really describe how she examines me now since she seems to do it very quickly. I can see that she visually scans parts of my chest and abdomen, before she quickly moves to my legs and feet. My middle section including my genitals is skipped for now – even though I’m completely uncovered and everything is visible. Each leg is examined all the way from the hip down to my toes. As she examines each leg, she lifts it up slightly to get a better view of the sides and possibly the back side. She also examines the bottom of my feet. As she’s examining me, she’s constantly making small talk – she’s good at that. That’s possibly why I’m having a hard time remembering every last detail of the exam since she tends to distract me with her small talk.
After a short minute or two examining my legs, she pushes in the shelf at the foot of the exam table and asks me to stand up – facing the door. It just so happens that facing the door also means facing the nurse who is still not shy about looking at me. As I’m getting off the table, my doctor is putting on a pair of exam gloves. Up until this point, the exam has been done bare-handed. I face the door with my hands at my sides as she sits down in front of my on the little rolling stool. The nurse is basically standing over her shoulder looking at me.
My doctor now begins her exam of that middle section of my body that she previously skipped. She runs her hands over what’s left of my pubic hair – I keep it very closely trimmed but there’s still a small amount of hair left. She then lifts my circumcised penis and examines it – looking at all sides and underneath. She doesn’t really try to get me hard, but she does tend to stretch it just a bit. I don’t know if that’s intentional, but that’s what it feels like. As she’s doing this, I start to get just a little bit hard – not fully engorged, point at the ceiling kind of hard, but definitely thicker and a little longer. She then turns her attention to my scrotum. I won’t say that she examines my testicles, since her concern is only the skin that contains them. She lifts and pulls the skin, gently pulling it tighter between her hands to stretch the skin. I’m assuming that makes it easier for her to spot anything wrong. While she’s sitting in front of my genitals, she also takes the opportunity to examine my inner thighs.
Satisfied that she has thoroughly checked my genital area, she asks me to turn around and face away from her. She’s still sitting on the little stool so I’m assuming that she now has my ass in her face. I can feel her hands running over parts of my rear end. At one point, I feel her parting my butt cheeks to have a better look at the skin between them. In previous years, she’s had me bend over slightly so she could get a better look. This year she didn’t do that – I just stood with my ass to her for a minute or so.
She now stands up from the stool and places the until-now-unused paper drape on it. She directs me to sit down on the stool – facing toward the door – which is once again facing the nurse. I’m now even closer to the nurse, sitting nude on a small rolling stool in front of her with my legs apart. My doctor begins the final part of her examination – my head. She runs her hands through my hair to look at my scalp. She also takes a look at my ears.
After a few more moments, the exam is basically over. She tells me that this year, there are no suspicious moles that they need to worry about – or remove. But there were a few times that they did record the size and position of a mole.
They tell me to schedule another exam in 6 months for just the sun-exposed areas and another one in a year to look at everything. They say their goodbyes as they close the door behind them. Of course, I’m still completely nude, so I’m a bit glad that there wasn’t anyone in the hallway outside the door when they opened it. I get dressed, make my appointments and leave.