Dermatological consultation

Regular dermatology consultations are crucial in cancer prevention. Each of us has a certain number of moles and nevus. Some have been with us since birth, others appear over time. Unfortunately, we too often neglect changes appearing on our skin, especially if they do not cause pain. Meanwhile, each change, even small and inconspicuous, may turn out to be cancer. Benign skin cancers are most often a cosmetic defect, but malignant changes can threaten our health or even life if they are detected too late. Therefore, regular monitoring of your body and dermatological consultations should be an integral part of cancer prevention. We should also go to an experienced physician when a new disturbing change appears on our body.

Stages of dermatological consultation

• Medical history

A detailed Patient history helps your physician get the full picture. The dermatologist will ask you about your family history of skin cancer and ask you to describe any skin lesions that are of concern. Therefore, the following questions will be asked

• • When did the change appear on the body?
  • Has its shape, color, size, and edge changed? If so, how quickly?
  • Has there been inflammation or redness around the lesion?
  • Has the lesion started to itch, burn or hurt?
  • Has there been a previous burn or injury at the site of lesion?
  • Have you been exposed to toxic substances such as arsenic or fungicides?
  • Do you use solarium and are you exposed to intense sun exposure?
  • What diseases do you suffer from?
• Diagnostics

After taking a thorough history, depending on the nature of lesion, your physician may use the following diagnostic methods:

Palpation examination – involves the physician touching and viewing the lesion, as well as the entire body, to make sure similar lesions are not present on other areas of the skin. This method allows for early detection of benign tumors such as lipoma, but if there is any doubt, the physician will perform further diagnostics.

Dermatoscope examination – this examination is particularly useful in diagnosing pigmented lesions, but not only. It allows a tenfold magnification combined with strong irradiation of the lesion, so the physician can see the place very closely. This method proves effective for example in the diagnosis of lentigines, allowing to distinguish it from its malignant variety. The examination is completely safe and painless.

FotoFinder examination – FotoFinder is a technologically advanced and non-invasive device that allows for very precise determination of the nature of skin lesions. Thanks to the use of Moleanalyzer pro AI Score software, the photographed moles are subjected to a thorough evaluation, which allows to determine whether a given lesion may be dangerous. This device allows to detect alarming symptoms at a very early stage of a possible disease. Thanks to the fact that the photographed images of the body are stored in FotoFinder’s memory, both the physician and the Patient, who cares about the regularity of visits, receive a full picture of the evolution of existing nevi and the nature of new skin changes.

Biopsy – for skin lesions that may carry signs of malignancy, such as a cutaneous horn, your physician may recommend a biopsy. This procedure is also recommended for differential diagnosis – sometimes benign and malignant lesions are very similar. By performing a biopsy and obtaining the results of a histopathological examination, the physician is able to determine the exact nature of lesion. You can read more about this procedure in the Biopsy tab.

Other diagnostic methods – Sometimes an extension of the diagnosis to include imaging methods is necessary to implement appropriate treatment for very advanced skin lesions. If the dermatologist suspects a malignant tumor, such as basal cell carcinoma, he or she may refer the Patient for an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI.

• Treatment plan

Once the diagnosis is made, the physician establishes a treatment plan with the Patient. When developing the plan, the dermatologist takes into account the type of lesion, its size, depth and number, as well as the Patient’s age, history of past or present diseases, psychological and aesthetic aspects. For benign tumors that are only a cosmetic defect and are removed for practical reasons, the physician usually suggests surgical excision or the use of a CO2 ablative laser. As for malignant tumors, the most common treatment methods also include surgical excision (with a piece of skin around the lesion) and photodynamic therapy. It is worth remembering that skin cancer is not a sentence, and the key to recovery is early detection and selection of appropriate treatment.

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