Skin Check and Skin Cancer Treatment

What is dermatoscopy?

Dermatoscopy is a procedure to examine skin lesions with the help of a device called a dermatoscope.

What is a dermatoscope?

The dermatoscope is an illuminated hand-held optical system which produces a magnification of up to ten times. Observation is usually performed with a single eye (monocular).

Photodynamic therapy is a type of treatment which uses photosensitising agents (drugs that work after being activated by specific light) along with oxygen and light to destroy cancer cells by creating a photochemical reaction. The drug is administered in the form of an injection or topical application to the skin. It is absorbed by the body and gets concentrated in the cancer cells. Light helps the drug react with oxygen to form an agent that kills the cancer cells.

Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, begins in skin cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes produce the pigment, melanin, which determines the colour of skin, hair and eyes. It is the leading cause of death from skin disease. Melanoma begins on the surface of the skin and can grow down into the skin reaching the blood vessels and spread around the body. When cancer spreads, it is called metastasis.