Sees What Might Be Hiding Under Your Skin

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What is Melanoma?Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, responsible for about 75% of skin cancer fatalities. There are an estimated 130,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in the U.S. every year. Every hour, one person in the U.S. dies of melanoma and 13 people are diagnosed with the disease, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Melanoma is frequently caused by exposure to the sun, which triggers the uncontrolled growth of skin pigment cells or melanocytes. On the surface of the skin, melanoma can look like other irregular, but harmless moles. It’s beneath the surface where there may be a peculiar cellular growth pattern.

While melanoma can be deadly if caught too late, it is almost 100% curable if it is detected early and treated properly, usually by completely removing it. That is why the ACS recommends that Americans have skin exams when visiting their doctors for any reason, and why dermatologists recommend an annual skin exam. Over 10 million people in the US with dysplastic nevi, a type of mole associated with an increased risk of melanoma, may benefit from more frequent skin exams.

For more information on skin cancer and melanoma, please visit the

American Cancer Society website at www.cancer.org

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Know Your MolesCheck your moles between skin exams. Melanoma often appears in an existing mole or looks like a new mole. By knowing where you have moles on your skin, you can find melanoma when it first appears. When treated early, melanoma is often curable.1 If you notice any of the warning signs listed below, see your dermatologist immediately. Here’s what to look for:

. A mole on the skin that is growing, changing shape, or changing color

. A mole that looks scaly, oozes, or bleeds

. New dark spot on the skin that looks like a mole, but grows quickly

. Pain, itching, or bleeding in a new spot on the skin

. Streak (usually brown or black) underneath a fingernail or toenail

. Bruise on the foot that does not heal

While MelaFind® is intended to be used when a dermatologist chooses to obtain additional information for a decision to biopsy, MelaFind® should NOT be used to confirm a clinical diagnosis of melanoma. As with all tools to provide additional information during skin exams, there is a risk that melanomas will be missed and benign moles will be biopsied.

MelaFind® is indicated for use on clinically atypical cutaneous pigmented skin lesions with a diameter between 2 mm and 22 mm that are accessible by MelaFind®, sufficiently pigmented (i.e. not for use on non-pigmented or skin-colored lesions), that do not contain a scar or fibrosis consistent with previous trauma, where the skin is intact (i.e., non-ulcerated or non-bleeding lesions), that are greater than 1 cm away from the eye, which do not contain foreign matter, or that are not on special anatomic sites (i.e., not for use on acral, palmar, plantar, mucosal, or subungual areas).

Reference: 1. http://www.aad.org/skin-conditions/dermatology-a-to-z/skin-cancer/signs-symptoms

MelaFind® is brand new medical technology that may be used during a skin exam or mole check to help dermatologists see under the skin’s surface.

Why Did My Dermatologist Decide to Use MelaFind®?The purpose of a skin exam is to identify potentially harmful moles that could be skin cancer. Before MelaFind®, dermatologists used their eyes to determine if a mole needed to be removed. 

MelaFind® is designed for use on moles that are peculiar.

During a skin exam, dermatologists visually evaluate moles. Sometimes, your mole may have irregular features that can cause your doctor to take a closer look. Irregular moles can be harmless, but in some cases, they can be melanomas. The hard part is determining which of these irregular moles should be removed. MelaFind® can be used to give your doctor more information about the mole from under the skin.

MelaFind® should be used when a dermatologist needs more information about an atypical (peculiar) mole.

Clinically atypical moles have one or more of the following characteristics:

A = Asymmetry. One half of the mole is different from the other half

B = Border. The border or edges of the mole are uneven, fuzzy, notched or irregular

C = Color. The mole has multiple colors or the color is uneven

D = Diameter. The size of the mole is greater than 6 mm (larger than the width of a pencil eraser)

E = Evolving. A mole that has changes in ABC or D over time

P = Personal Concern. You have a concern about your mole

R = Regression. Mole has scar-like white appearance

U = Ugly Duckling. A mole that looks different from other moles on your body

Moles that have one or more of these features could be cancerous and should be checked by a dermatologist as soon as possible.

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When Should MelaFind® Be Used?The data are

processed by the system, which uses advanced computer programs to analyze the features of the mole.

In under a minute, MelaFind® tells your dermatologist if the mole has irregular growth patterns underneath the skin. Your dermatologist will receive either a “High Disorganization” output, or a “Low Disorganization” output. This is an indicator of the extent of peculiar cellular growth patterns under the surface.

Based on the MelaFind® output and the other key characteristics of the mole, your dermatologist will decide if the mole is potentially a melanoma and should be removed.

What is MelaFind®?

MelaFind® uses 10 different wavelengths of light to “see” beneath the surface of the skin and obtain hidden data from a mole as deep as 2.5 mm.