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Digital Dermatoscopy: Skin Cancer Diagnostic Exam

Digital Dermatoscopy: Skin Cancer Diagnostic Exam

Digital dermatoscopy is the test for the diagnosis and prevention of skin cancer. It was developed so that it was possible, through the analysis of an enlarged photograph of the spots on the skin, to identify risky lesions long before the dermatologist's eye. However, digital dermoscopy can also be used to diagnose other skin and hair disorders, such as differentiating nevi from seborrheic keratosis, lentigines, and even problems related to hair loss.

The difference between manual and digital dermoscopy is that , in the first, the dermatologist looks at the spots that have relevance with the dermatoscope itself (a portable device that acts as a magnifying glass) and assess at that time the risk of each injury. In the digital mapping of the skin there is the registration of the photos of the whole body and the documentation of the lesions, so that the results can be followed over time. This increases the sensitivity of identifying new lesions or major changes. In addition, the digital dermatoscopy shows an image of the spots increased by 20 to 70 times, and the manual dermatoscope increases by 10 times and it is not always possible to store the data.

When the examination is requested:

Some people are more likely to have this examination requested by the dermatologist:

  • Patients with many skin (9-pin) or patches of skin
  • Patients with very white skin, light red eyes
  • People who have had large exposures to the sun Life history
  • Family or personal history of skin cancer
  • Persons with suspected skin lesions
  • Congenital (birth, especially large) nevi
  • Rare skin disorders such as nevus syndrome dysplasia and xeroderma pigmentosum.

Therefore, as a general rule, any new sign on the skin or a change in a pint or blemish should be a warning sign to seek a dermatologist. It is important to seek a professional whenever you notice a new lesion or when an old lesion has some kind of modification.

Contraindications:

Manual dermatoscopy uses a kind of magnifying glass - Photo: Getty Images

There are no absolute contraindications , because the patient is not exposed to chemical or physical agents that can cause damage to his health. The examination can be done from children to the elderly - it is enough for the dermatologist to think that a major lesion needs to be assessed and accompanied.

Examination preparation:

There is no special preparation for the exam, but people with many hairs in the areas with nevi may be asked to trim the area to facilitate viewing and documenting the spots. As it does not involve any kind of chemical or physical agent or even radiography, you can go to the lab or office with the clothes you want and well fed.

How it is done:

Upon arriving at the laboratory or office, the dermatologist will ask you to take off your clothes, getting only the underwear. With a digital camera attached to a computer and specific software will be taken photos of the whole body. Then the nevi and other suspicious lesions are identified in the patient and numbered (in the newly recorded images of the patient's body). The dermatologist then takes a dermatoscopic picture of each lesion so that the picture of the pint and its corresponding location on the body can be identified. The photo with the magnification enabled by the dermatoscope can show a pint up to 70 times larger than the original. In this way, the present structures become clearer and are analyzed according to established standards to evaluate the risk of each one.

Post-examination recommendations:

After the photographs are taken, you can go home with no problems. There is no special recommendation or care after the dermatoscopy.

Length of the examination:

Depends on the number of spots. If you do the digital dermatoscopy of a pint only, it can take less than five minutes.

Possible Complications:

There are no possible complications in this examination, however,

Possible Side effects:

There is also no collateral effect in dermatoscopy.

What is the result of the examination?

The result of the dermatoscopy comes with a printed report containing the classification of the lesions. Depending on the method of analysis used by the dermatologist, there may be a numerical reference value or a qualitative analysis - and in this case, there are no notes for the pints.

Moderate risk: when an injury presents some change (even if discreet) that does not allow to completely eliminate the risk of transformation at that moment.

High risk: an injury that is likely to become cancer or a tumor already in place. Together with this report, the dermatologist receives a CD recorded with the digital images of the patient's body, the nevi identified with numbers and with the respective dermatoscopic pictures of the patient. each injury. If there are suspicious lesions of skin cancer, it is suggested that these be removed in a procedure called excisional biopsy.

  • For other lesions, it is still possible to completely rule out the suspicion of cancer, short-term follow-up may be suggested to assess whether the lesion changes significantly - if this occurs, withdrawal is also suggested.
  • What abnormal results mean:
  • It's important to be aware of your body's signs - Photo: Getty Images

A suspected lesion is the dorsal border with irregular borders , non-uniform staining, asymmetry and / or progressive growth. It may be suspected that there is a pint that already existed and begins to present changes in its perceptible characteristics from one examination to another.

Examination frequency:

Low risk: follow up with the dermatologist is annual, to identify possible changes in the spots over time

Moderate risk: a new examination is made only of those suspected lesions three months later. If they change, they are classified as high risk and excisional biopsy is done, if it is not changed, it is classified as low risk and the follow-up becomes annual.

High risk: removal of the pint (excisional biopsy) for analysis and, if a cancer is found, the staging of the disease is done, identification of the type of cancer and the patient is referred for the appropriate treatment.

Is there anything else I should know?

  • It is very important that you know your own body and your skin, to identify changes in your spots or new lesions. This self-knowledge enables a faster referral to the dermatologist, and facilitates the prevention or early diagnosis of skin cancer.

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