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The early detection of skin cancer is intrinsic to optimal patient health outcomes. Within these various techniques, certain methods such as dermoscopy and total body photography are non-invasive solutions utilized for skin cancer early detection. This article looks to outline the top 5 key benefits of non-invasive dermatology tools while discussing the primary advantages for both patients and dermatologists.

It is highly acknowledged that the early diagnosis and detection of skin cancers such as melanoma are essential for the continued well-being of patients. However, in addition to the importance of early detection for a patient's health, how the condition is diagnosed is also important.

Although there are a wide variety of benefits associated with non-invasive dermatoscopy screening techniques, 5 of the top benefits include:

1. Lack of tissue processing or staining: removes an additional step for medical professionals while minimizing additional agitation to the patient’s condition
2. Ability to examine tissue in its natural state: allows for the continued monitoring of the skin site in an uninterrupted state
3. Minimized trauma to patient’s skin: Painful healing processes for the patient are reduced while avoiding unnecessary biopsies
4. Examination of larger areas affected: non-invasive techniques such as dermatoscopy allow for the overview of larger skin conditions for thorough investigation
5. Simplified monitoring of potential treatments: once diagnosed, dermoscopy also allows for the review of treatments such as topical creams with minimal disruption
   
   

In addition to its non-invasive nature, dermatoscopy offers a wide variety of benefits, such as enhanced image magnification, polarized imaging, enhanced diagnosis accuracy, and portable, affordable purchase options.

By equipping dermatologists with dermoscopy tools such as MoleScope II, they are able to view higher resolution images of their patient’s skin for optimized diagnosis outcomes while minimizing the risks associated with undetected skin cancer cases or unnecessary biopsies.

In recent years, total body photography (also known as full body imaging or whole body imaging) as become a valuable accessory for dermatologists and physicians interested in providing streamlined skin cancer screening services to their patients.

In contrast to standard dermoscopy, total body photography software such as DermEngine allows for the fast and effective imaging of all skin spots/lesions on a patient’s body. This is essential for high-risk patients or those with a large number of spots, as traditional dermatoscopy methods may take a larger portion of time or risk having spots left undetected due to overwhelming quantities.

Together, the dermatoscope and total body photography software allow for the fast, effective imaging of potential skin cancer cases in a non-invasive manner.  Key benefits include lack of tissue processing, staining, and trauma while eliminating any pain and allowing for the examination of larger skin surface areas and monitoring of topical treatments. With the continued development and utilization of these techniques, research suggests patients will receive optimized health outcomes while dermatologists are able to offer enhanced diagnosis accuracy and workflows.

-The MetaOptima Team