The healthcare world is putting a real emphasis on identifying healh-changing lesions and diseases earlier, and I try to make sure that I keep up!

Dermoscopy has been around for a very long time however is infrequently used by podiatrists and doctors alike. It is highly effective for assessing skin lesions that may be cancerous and can also be used to reassure you of lesions which are not.

Clearly the best placed clinicians for assessing these lesions are dermatologists and GPs who specialise in dermatology, however getting in to see one can be expensive and mean long waiting times. As a result, I purchased a dermatascope and will often assess lesions with it for greater reassurance or for justifying onward referral.

It is not yet a 'specialist' service which I offer, however I have developed the skills to use it safely for identifying 'concerning' and 'not-concerning' lesions. Whilst this is not the strongest sales pitch - I owe it to you as a potential patient to be up-front about my skillsets, and so I will advise you that I offer dermoscopy for differentiating malignant from benign lesions, but my use of it for complex diagnosis is limited and I will always be honest with you on this.

The use of a dermascope is significantly more accurate and useful than using a magnifying glass or 'loupe' as is used in a lot of clinics. This is because the lesion is not obscured by external light sources and the dermascope is engineered so as to ensure that all aspects of the structure can be visualised.

Any images I take which are for cataloguing purposes can be made available to you upon request.

Any lesions which cause me concern will have a referral letter written.