It’s time for your full body skin exam! Okay, we admit that the phrase “full body skin exam” can sound intimidating, especially if you don’t know what to expect – but we are here to assure you that getting your skin exam is easy and worthwhile.
Why get a skin exam? The most important reason to get a skin exam is for us to screen you for skin cancer. One in five Americans will get skin cancer in their lifetime and we not only want to check you for that – we want to teach you what to look for and how to lower your risk of developing skin cancer. Some skin cancers have the potential to metastasize (meaning spread inside your body) and threaten your life. If caught early – a simple in-office excision can save your life!
Here are some tips to get ready for your skin exam:
- Moisturize your face, arms and hands (and any other dry areas) twice per day if you can the several days before your exam. It can help us tell the difference between simple dry patches and precancerous sun-damaged skin.
- If you have very scaly dry skin, try using AmLactin Cream over the counter.
- It is best to avoid wearing make-up, nail polish, tinted moisturizer or self-tanner so that we can better detect subtle changes on your skin.
- Minimize use of hair products if you have concerns about your scalp.
- Think about what you might have scheduled the several days after your appointment: you might not want to have things treated right before an event.
- Ex) freeze a wart on the foot before a marathon race
- Ex) Treatment of spots on the face before family pictures
- Perhaps the most important thing: don’t worry about anything! We are experts at this and have seen just about everything. We have compassion and understanding about all things affecting the skin. No matter the appearance or condition of your skin, the location of a spot on your body – we are just here to help you and we do this every day.
- Remember doctors are patients too – so we know how uncomfortable it is to get into a gown. We only look at your skin to the degree with which you are comfortable.
We hope you are feeling comfortable and ready to schedule your skin exam; we are always here and ready to help take care of you.
Eleni Moraites, MD