Avoid wearing makeup and nail polish to your skin screening
Come to your skin screening without wearing makeup or nail polish. Because they cover up areas of your skin where cancer can occur, it's best to avoid these products the day of your exam to ensure your dermatologist can do a thorough screening.
Dermatologists should consistently offer a genital examination to all patients who present for a routine TBSE. Patients should be provided with adequate education to assess their comfort level for the skin examination.
Nail polish, and the chemicals that make it up, interfere with this. It is important to have clear nails so that the dermatologist can look for any clues and signals. Second, don't mess up the regular skin care routine. It is a good idea to go about the average morning skin regime, just without adding makeup.
Full-body skin exams are relatively short, ranging anywhere between 10-20 minutes. During that time, your doctor will examine your skin from head-to-toe. The timing of the exam may vary, depending on if the doctor performs a biopsy, which is a procedure to remove a small piece of skin for testing.
Patients are asked to remove all clothing and wear a medical exam gown. The doctor then examines every inch of the body, from visible areas like the face and arms to less obvious places such as the scalp and between the toes.
It is always best to give your dermatologist a clear view of your skin. Take a shower before your appointment. Wear comfortable clothing so you can slip easily into an examination gown. Do not use nail polish or makeup, which can hide potentially critical evidence your doctor needs to find.
Changing into a patient gown
You will need to change into a gown for this examination. Please remove your bra and underwear unless you are incredibly uncomfortable about it. Skin cancer can occur on areas of your skin not ordinarily exposed to sunlight.
A head-to-toe, full body, professional skin examination from your dermatologist is an important component to your first visit. This gives your doctor a good baseline assessment of what looks "normal" for your skin and also gives him or her a chance to thoroughly inspect your skin for any areas of concern.
In basic human anatomy, the groin or also known as inguinal, is located between the abdomen and the thigh on either side of the pubic bone. This area is also known as the medial compartment of the thigh. This compartment consists of the adductor muscles of the hip or the groin muscles.
Your body will be checked all over for any other abnormal areas on your skin. The doctor might also feel the lymph nodes (small, bean-sized collections of immune cells) under the skin in your neck, underarms, or groin, as lymphomas can sometimes cause lymph nodes to become enlarged.
While we recommend getting completely undressed, we respect your privacy, and you can follow the guidelines below for your skin exams: Women: if you leave your bra on, we will ask before checking the breast area. Women and Men: if you leave your underwear on, we will not check the genital area.
A typical skin exam usually only takes 20 minutes, and most people don't need them more than once a year. If it's your first visit, it will take a bit longer, as your doctor likely will talk about skin cancer risk factors and ask about your medical history.
For a thorough examination, it's advisable to wear loose-fitting and comfortable clothing that allows easy access to the areas you want the dermatologist to examine. This may include shorts for a leg examination or a loose shirt for a back examination, depending on your specific concerns.
First, dermatologists don't often look at the genitalia, so they may not know what the normal variations are. Second, many patients don't expect a dermatologist to examine genitalia. “Patients may be like, 'You want to look where?
Many health insurance plans include coverage for skin cancer screenings as part of an annual wellness visit. This means that some or all of the cost of the exam may be covered by your insurance policy. In certain situations, insurance may cover the cost of skin exams if they are deemed medically necessary.
If you are seeing your dermatologist for a skin check, plan on getting undressed. Skin cancers can occur ANYWHERE that you have skin so a thorough exam does require you to be undressed. And here's something we hear often, but isn't something you have to worry about: shaving your legs!
Your doctor will want to be able to see your scalp and hair as easily as possible. So, avoiding new dye and other hair products that day is a good idea. However, washing and conditioning your hair should have no impact. In fact, clean hair may make it easier for your doctor to see what is going on with your scalp.
Get undressed to your comfort level. I often ask patients to leave their underwear on but remove their bra if they are unsure of their comfort level. My first question for patients is often "do you have any concerns?" Don't hesitate to bring up any moles or spots that are new, changing, bleeding or hurting.
After having you change into a medical gown, the doctor will examine your entire body, including hard-to-see areas such as your scalp, behind your ears, your back, between your toes, and, when warranted, the buttocks and genitals. We will closely examine any particular areas of concern or areas.
Mole with an uneven shape or edges
Normal moles are usually round with smooth edges. Melanomas are often an uneven shape. They may have 2 different shaped halves and uneven edges.