Do you need a Dermatology appointment?
Experts Recommend Annual Skin Exams and Skin Cancer Screenings
As part maintaining your health, the American Academy of Dermatology and the Skin Cancer Foundation recommend that you make an appointment for an annual skin exam and skin cancer screening, or a skin check more often if you are at a higher risk of skin cancer.
To help you prepare and make the most of your annual skin exam or skin check (skin cancer screening) appointment, follow these five simple steps.
- Perform a self-exam and come to your skin exam appointment prepared with notes of any new, changing, or unusual spots you want to point out to your provider. We recommend you perform a monthly check of your skin. Or website has a handy guide on how to perform a Skin Self-Exam.
- Remove nail polish from your fingers and toes to enable thorough examination of fingers, nails, and nail beds, since skin cancers can form there too.
- Wear your hair loose – Remove pony tails, buns, or hair clips so that your provider can get a good look at your scalp where skin cancers can, and do, develop.
- Pack makeup remover or remove any make-up before your exam so that the skin on your face is easy to examine.
- Ask questions – This is your opportunity to get valuable advice and insight from an expert trained specifically in diseases of the skin. From explanations of unfamiliar terms to pointers on how to do a monthly skin self-exam, your provider is an excellent source of information! Use this time to educate yourself during your annual skin exam.
During your Annual Skin Exam and Skin Cancer Screening:
If you’ve never had atypical moles or skin cancer, the skin exam will likely be brief. However, if necessary, your provider may biopsy one or more suspicious spots. This usually means removing part or all of the lesion and sending it to a lab for analysis. If the report comes back that the spot is skin cancer, our office will contact you and explain the type of skin cancer and treatment options.
Remember that early detection of skin cancer is the key to the most minimal and cost-effective treatment with the highest chance of a cure. Make your appointment soon!