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An idle recollection/current comment
I was just examining a mark on the back of my left hand. It looks odd, you see - red, but with different qualities of shininess and paleness. (And two tiny marks where the fangs went in.) It's been there a few days. It's a spider bite, they often heal slowly.
For some reason it reminded me of an examination I received from a doctor on behalf of the insurance people, checking on my ongoing shoulder injury. He poked and prodded, and then, to my mixed bemusement and offence, suggested that it was all painful because I'd been messing with it in the waiting room, clearly - deliberately aggravating it.
His evidence? The skin was all reddened and abused-looking.
Me, put out because the process really hurt: "... That's because you've just been poking it."
Him: "I wasn't doing it hard enough to cause that."
Me: "Yes you were. It doesn't take that much."
In demonstration, I held out my forearm and ran my finger along it with mild pressure.
A red line formed behind it.
Him: "Oh."
My skin is more chromatic than most, I know, but I still wonder how a doctor could be in his position and not even know of the concept. (And also that he could say such a thing when he had not, apparently, looked at the colour of my skin before he started poking it.)
I find myself wondering how this sort of thing works on other people, with different skin tones from mine, but it's not really a socially acceptable question to ask, even of your friends. "Hey, can I poke you so I can see what colour your skin goes and how much poking it takes to cause that?"
Feel free to volunteer answers in comments, though! (Mum, I already know your answer - "exactly like mine" I believe.)
For some reason it reminded me of an examination I received from a doctor on behalf of the insurance people, checking on my ongoing shoulder injury. He poked and prodded, and then, to my mixed bemusement and offence, suggested that it was all painful because I'd been messing with it in the waiting room, clearly - deliberately aggravating it.
His evidence? The skin was all reddened and abused-looking.
Me, put out because the process really hurt: "... That's because you've just been poking it."
Him: "I wasn't doing it hard enough to cause that."
Me: "Yes you were. It doesn't take that much."
In demonstration, I held out my forearm and ran my finger along it with mild pressure.
A red line formed behind it.
Him: "Oh."
My skin is more chromatic than most, I know, but I still wonder how a doctor could be in his position and not even know of the concept. (And also that he could say such a thing when he had not, apparently, looked at the colour of my skin before he started poking it.)
I find myself wondering how this sort of thing works on other people, with different skin tones from mine, but it's not really a socially acceptable question to ask, even of your friends. "Hey, can I poke you so I can see what colour your skin goes and how much poking it takes to cause that?"
Feel free to volunteer answers in comments, though! (Mum, I already know your answer - "exactly like mine" I believe.)
no subject
I have no idea if this is outside the bounds of normal skin behavior; I've never asked! But none of the doctors I've ever been to see have ever remarked on it, so I suppose it can't be that weird.