Coupled with at-home screening, your full-body exam with your dermatologist in Delray Beach, FL, is one of the best weapons in the war on skin cancer, says the Skin Cancer Foundation. At Atlantic Derm, Dr. Yvette Tivoli likes to see her adult patient annually for this preventive service. Here's what an exam involves.
The in-office exam
One in five American adults receive a skin cancer diagnosis by age 70, says the Skin Cancer Foundation. Caught early, it is curable...to the tune of 99 percent even for malignant melanoma. Left undetected and untreated, however, skin cancer disfigures or, in the case of melanoma, spreads beyond the original site and kills.
In addition to limiting exposure to the sun's UV radiation, your dermatologist in Delray Beach, FL, recommends an annual skin exam at Atlantic Derm for everyone 40 years of age and older. Using her expert and experienced eye, Dr. Tivoli will look you over from head to toe--literally.
She inspects your entire skin surface--even your scalp and between your toes. She often uses a magnifier called a dermatoscopy which helps her differentiate between benign moles and harmless freckles and more suspicious spots, such as sores that have not healed or moles which have changes in:
- The symmetry of shape from top to bottom and right to left
- Border integrity
- Evenness of color
- Diameter (nothing should be bigger than a pencil top eraser, please)
- Evolution (harmless skin spots and moles tend to look, feel and act the same year after year)
Dr. Tivoli will take a tissue sample for a biopsy if an area appears questionable.
Your at-home screening
Do a self-exam once a month. Use a mirror as needed, or ask the help of a loved one to inspect hidden areas. Look under your hair and then proceed to do a top-to-down exam, looking for anything new or unusual. Report anything concerning to Dr. Tivoli right away.
Your healthy skin
Protect it from the sun, look at it every month, and catch any potential problems early. Then, we'd love to see you once a year for your skin exam at Atlantic Derm in Delray Beach, FL. Call for an appointment with your dermatologist, Dr. Yvette Tivoli, at (561) 802-7546.