Skin Cancer Surveillance Exams: What to Expect

When you think about surveillance, you might picture sophisticated technology or people in black outfits. This kind of seriousness shouldn't be reserved for protecting your home or for spy movies. Taking a surveillance approach to watch for skin cancer means spotting it early, when it’s easiest to treat. 

That’s why Ali Hendi, MD, and Joanna Dong, MD, offer skin cancer surveillance services to our patients throughout Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. You can visit our office in Chevy Chase, Maryland, for this comfortable but critical type of preventive care.

Understanding skin cancer surveillance

Per the American Academy of Dermatology Association, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer across the country and will affect one in five Americans in their lifetime. 

Fortunately, skin cancer is also highly treatable. If you catch it before it has the chance to spread, you can remove the cancerous cells and effectively eradicate them. Dr. Dong and Dr. Hendi offer skin cancer removal services — including Mohs surgery — here at our office.

The trick, then, is getting screened often enough to detect cancerous growths on your skin before they spread. That’s where skin cancer surveillance exams come in. With this type of preventive care, one of our experts thoroughly checks your skin for any areas of concern. 

If we see anything that could be cancerous, we biopsy it and send it to our on-site lab. This allows us to determine if the cells are cancerous and, if so, develop a treatment plan to fully remove them and protect your overall health. 

What happens at your appointment 

We aim to make your exam as comfortable and convenient as possible. The whole process should only take about 15 minutes and is completely pain-free.

When you’re at your appointment, we ask you to put on a gown. Then, your provider thoroughly checks your skin for any potentially concerning areas. They look at areas you might have a hard time seeing, like your scalp, behind your ears, and on your back. 

Your physician may ask you how a mole or other spot on your skin has been changing or feeling (e.g., itching, painful to the touch). They may also use additional tools, like a special lighted magnifying glass, to more closely evaluate any areas of concern. 

You only need to do two things to prepare. First, remove any nail polish so we can check for moles under your nails. Second, if you have long hair, either come with it down or be ready to take it down so we can check your scalp. 

To schedule your quick skin cancer surveillance exam, call 301-812-4591 or book an appointment online today.