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Allison Vernon
Photo: JASON BREEZE PHOTOGRAPHY
GETTING UNDER YOUR SKIN
NEW SKIN CARE SCANS
By Dr. Richard Bezozo, M.D.
Approximately 62,500 melanomas will be diagnosed this year in the U.S., with nearly 8,500 resulting in death. These numbers should be particularly concerning to women, considering that melanoma is the primary cause of death in women between ages 25-30 and the number two cause of death (behind breast cancer) for women between ages of 30-35. It is ranked as the seventh most common cancer for women and accounts for 75 percent of skin cancer deaths.
MOLESAFE
For most women, this high risk for melanoma is associated with working on the perfect tan. About 65 percent of melanomas are secondary to ultraviolet light exposure from the sun or other sources. Especially this summer season, women should be aware of skin characteristics or personal histories that increase the risk of melanoma. These factors include women with more than 50 moles; irregular moles; previous melanomas; family history of melanoma; at least one blistering sunburn as a child or five sunburns at any age; women with fair complexions; and those who use tanning beds.Until MoleSafe, there was no program available for the early detection and surveillance of melanoma. Recently, MoleSafe’s process and technology – introduced from New Zealand, the melanoma capital of the world – has proven to detect melanoma up to 15 times earlier than traditional evaluations. This four-pronged system is based upon all best practice standards for early detection of melanoma. These four steps consist of assessment, detection, management and surveillance, as follows:
•Your first MoleSafe visit will take about one hour and begins with documenting a complete history of your skin. This information develops your risk assessment for melanoma. The procedure is performed by a MoleSafe certified melanographer – a registered nurse, nurse practitioner or physician assistant with over 80 hours of classroom training in medical photography, dermatology and dermoscopy;
•Next, total body photography is performed. A set of 25 images are taken covering about 96 percent of your total body surface. These images provide a permanent, digital record of your skin that can be examined precisely;
•Once this imaging is completed, the melanographer examines all moles with a dermatoscope – this is referred to as Total Body Dermoscopy. Dermatoscopes use a magnifying lens with a light source to provide an almost three-dimensional view of a mole, revealing different patterns that can help detect a melanoma. Any mole that meets dermatologist criteria will then be digitally imaged both dermascopically and clinically. The mole is provided an identifying number and is mapped on the total body images, as well as on a mannequin;
•After all of the moles are imaged, you will be educated on how to perform effective monthly home examinations of your skin, as well as provided with other suggested UV preventative measures. In addition, you will receive a CD with your images to share with your personal doctor and for personal examination reference.
Once your visit is completed, all of this information is encrypted and transferred over a secure network to a dermatologist who specializes in reading these images, called a dermoscopist. The dermoscopist reviews the information and assesses each lesion, generating a report for you and your doctor.
After a baseline is developed, many patients’ follow up annually so that all previous moles imaged can be re-imaged and compared. This Serial Dermoscopy allows MoleSafe to see subtle changes that might indicate a new melanoma at a very early stage, allowing them to detect melanoma at a more shallow depth. In addition, the melanographer looks for new moles to image.
With melanoma diagnoses increasing dramatically with every passing year, there is an urgent need for precise and effective technology. MoleSafe is striving to be to dermatologists what mammograms are to gynecologists: A tool to help monitor the growing high-risk population with a standardized program of care.
MoleSafe has proven to be an effective system in New Zealand and Australia, and is now expanding in the U.S. with offices open in New Jersey, New Mexico and North Carolina.
Editor’s Note: Richard Bezozo, M.D., is the president of MoleSafe. For more information or to schedule a procedure, visit http://www.molesafe.com To visit Richard Bezozo’s blog, visit http://www.melanomaupdates.com .
