Mapping moles
In this article we will talk about dermatoscopic mapping of moles and how to carry out mapping at home.
Imagine a classic doctor's appointment: a person comes and shows a mole, the doctor examines it with a dermatoscope, finds no signs of melanoma and concludes that everything is fine. Next year, the same patient shows the same mole to the same doctor and again there are no signs of melanoma, so see you next year.
But! In this chain of events, an important point falls out: if dermatoscopic images of the mole are not saved, then there is no way to track the changes that occur with the nevus. One of the most important parameters is not monitored - E (evolving – changes) from the ABCDE rule. You can take a picture of a mole through a dermatoscope on your phone. However, such snapshots, as a rule, do not have the quality necessary for accurate tracking of changes.
But! In this chain of events, an important point falls out: if dermatoscopic images of the mole are not saved, then there is no way to track the changes that occur with the nevus. One of the most important parameters is not monitored - E (evolving – changes) from the ABCDE rule. You can take a picture of a mole through a dermatoscope on your phone. However, such snapshots, as a rule, do not have the quality necessary for accurate tracking of changes.
Read about the topic:
E is for Evolving (Before)
E is for Evolving (After)
It is also not very clear what to do if there are a lot of moles. For example, 100, 200 or more. Take pictures of each one on your phone? This is too time-consuming, and again, the quality of the images will not allow you to notice small changes.
And this is where digital dermatoscopy comes to the aid of doctors, it is also the mapping of moles.
There are no differences in the study process, but there is an advantage: with digital dermatoscopy, the result is stored on an electronic medium and can be compared with previous data at any time. The doctor takes pictures of moles with the help of special equipment and enters them into the medical program, where suspicious nevi are marked on the map of your body, as on a geographical atlas. And coming to the appointment a year later, the doctor will be able to visually compare the images of the mole "then" and "now" and draw a conclusion about its changes.
But a year is a long time interval, and people with a large number of nevi have the need for an independent examination of moles and home mapping.
In the NOTA app, the mapping function is initially laid down. When creating a new study of a mole, you need to select it on a part of the body (atlas), enter the size, take a picture and only then take measurements.
Depending on the result, you can set up a reminder for the next scan.
And this is where digital dermatoscopy comes to the aid of doctors, it is also the mapping of moles.
There are no differences in the study process, but there is an advantage: with digital dermatoscopy, the result is stored on an electronic medium and can be compared with previous data at any time. The doctor takes pictures of moles with the help of special equipment and enters them into the medical program, where suspicious nevi are marked on the map of your body, as on a geographical atlas. And coming to the appointment a year later, the doctor will be able to visually compare the images of the mole "then" and "now" and draw a conclusion about its changes.
But a year is a long time interval, and people with a large number of nevi have the need for an independent examination of moles and home mapping.
In the NOTA app, the mapping function is initially laid down. When creating a new study of a mole, you need to select it on a part of the body (atlas), enter the size, take a picture and only then take measurements.
Depending on the result, you can set up a reminder for the next scan.
And now, the next time you decide to check the nevus, you will be able to compare two or more photos with each other. Thus, a double examination is obtained - visual and impedance. Add to this regular visits to the doctor, and you can be sure that skin cancer will not hide from you!
Abstract: Digital dermatoscopy in general and digital mapping of nevi in particular help to increase the accuracy of diagnosis of melanoma in people with multiple nevi. The NOTA mole tracker application allows you to map moles at home and monitor nevi between doctor's appointments.
Abstract: Digital dermatoscopy in general and digital mapping of nevi in particular help to increase the accuracy of diagnosis of melanoma in people with multiple nevi. The NOTA mole tracker application allows you to map moles at home and monitor nevi between doctor's appointments.
