If you notice a change in the colour or shape of a freckle, mole, or skin growth, visiting a dermatologist for a full-body screening is important. The dermatologist will examine the scalp, ears, palms of your hands, soles of your feet, and around your genital area.
They will likely recommend a biopsy. This is where they remove a small amount of the spot and send it to a lab for testing.
Examine Your Skin
Skin cancers are highly treatable when caught early, and regular skin cancer check Memphis can help spot changes before they become a problem. If you still need a dermatologist, schedule a visit for a complete visual exam of your skin. It’s best to wear loose clothing and be prepared to remove makeup (including foundation) at the office so that your dermatologist can examine your natural skin. Also, remove the polish on your fingernails and toenails so they can be inspected.
During a full-body examination, the dermatologist will check every inch of your skin — from the face to the scalp to the soles of your feet. They’ll look for atypical moles and actinic keratosis, a common skin change that may become cancerous if not treated.
If you’ve had a professional full-body photo taken for mole mapping, bring it to the appointment, and your doctor will use it to compare new or changing spots. They’ll also ask about your family history, medications, and health concerns.
Examine Your Moles
In addition to examining the problem area that brought you to your appointment, your doctor will likely do a full-body exam to check for suspicious moles. This is usually performed on areas of the body regularly exposed to sunlight. Still, your doctor will also examine the skin in hidden places, such as your feet and genitalia (provided you haven’t told them not to).
The dermatologist will use the ABCDE rule for diagnosing melanoma skin cancer: if a lesion has one or more of these features, it should be evaluated by a physician:
To accurately assess your moles, your dermatologist may photograph any that are of concern. This will help them compare the size and colour of your lesions over time to see if any have changed. Suppose they are concerned about a particular spot. In that case, your dermatologist will recommend that it be biopsied, which means they will inject you with numbing medicine and scrape off some of the tissue to send to a lab for testing.
Biopsies
When examining your skin, the doctor will focus on any spots that look like they could be cancerous. These spots will be sent to the lab for confirmation of their nature.
If they find something, your dermatologist may recommend a biopsy of that spot to determine whether it’s cancerous. Biopsies involve:
- Numbing the area and then shaving.
- Scraping.
- Cutting a small lesion sample and sending it to the lab for analysis.
Sometimes the doctor will perform a punch biopsy, which uses a circular blade akin to a hole puncher to remove deeper layers of tissue and examine them under the microscope for signs of cancer.
In the case of basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, this usually clears up the cancer without any additional treatment. However, with melanoma and other skin cancers that are more serious, your doctor will likely want to test the area for spread to other parts of the body.
Treatment
Visiting a dermatologist, like a dentist or primary care doctor, can be unsafe. But if you’re at risk for developing skin cancer, it’s one of the most treatable forms of illness. The key is to catch it early with a full-body check by a dermatologist, who is specially trained in spotting the signs of trouble:
If your doctor can spot the issue, blood and tissue specimen tests can be performed immediately. In many cases, however, the dermatologist must send these to a lab for confirmation. The dermatologist may also “freeze off” a questionable lesion or spot with a puff of liquid nitrogen, which can help prevent the spot from growing into serious cancer.