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Studies have shown that total body photography is an important tool in helping track skin changes that could indicate skin cancer. Don Allen Studios offers total body photography as one of its many medical photography services.
Total body photography involves taking a series of photographs encompassing almost all the skin on the patient’s body. The total body photography images are used as a baseline. Both patient and physician receive copies of the images on CD.
Future examinations of the skin – whether self-examination by the patient or a professional exam by the physician - are compared to the total body photography images, allowing a reliable method of tracking changes. Physician exams are essential, but more frequent patient self-exams are also quite important.
Typically, a patient only undergoes total body photography once, as these images are the baseline from which future visual exams of the skin are compared.
While total body photography is not the only method of detecting skin changes, studies have shown that total body photography is quite effective in the early detection of melanoma and other skin cancers. While melanoma can be difficult to treat in its advanced stages, when caught early it is treatable. Which means that total body photography can and does save lives.
Total body photography also helps reduce anxiety in patients with a high risk of developing skin cancer. These patients are often instructed to conduct self examinations, but without a baseline to work from, patients must rely on memory. As a result, patients are often anxious about benign moles and often schedule unnecessary appointments.
When dermatologists must rely on memory, they often excise benign moles, adding to patient anxiety and expense. High-quality total body photography images offer physicians a diagnosis tool that is far more reliable than memory. Melanoma is a deadly disease, and with early detection it’s treatable, so such a tool should be taken seriously.
While the majority of dermatologists use total body photography, there are a significant number who do not. We would urge those dermatologists who do not use total body photography to carefully review studies on its effectiveness.
Even when total body photography is not the primary method of skin cancer detection (typically when the dermatologist prefers to excise all suspicious moles and skin changes), using these baseline images for comparison is a valuable aid.
The most common indicators of cancerous moles are their shape and color. Therefore, high quality total body photography is essential. The use of digital photography is important because it allows the physician to zoom in on a particular mole, making it easier for him or her to assess its characteristics.
Only highly trained medical photographers should be hired for total body photography, in order to ensure that the baseline images are as accurate as they must be in order to be effective.
Don Allen Studios transfers the total body photography images to CD using MoleMap CD™, a highly respected total body photography software program. MoleMap is clearer than chart notes, easier to manage than slides or paper photos, and allows enlarged viewing of specific areas instantly.
At Don Allen Studios, we understand that total body photography can be a sensitive issue for patients. That’s why we have both male and female photographers on staff. When patients call to make their total body photography appointments, they should be sure to indicate whether or not they have a preference for a male or female photographer. We also process photos on site, ensuring privacy and confidentiality.
At Don Allen Studios, we understand the life-saving potential of total body photography. With over 50 years experience as medical photographers, we have a strong knowledge of the medical profession and of the important differences between medical photography and other forms of photography. Dermatologists and their patients can trust us to create the most reliable, useful, high-quality total body photography images possible. We’re DonAllenStudios.com, the most trusted name in total body photography.