Typically, when a doctor suspects that a mole or a spot on a patient's skin might be cancerous, the first recommended step is to perform a biopsy, which often involves cutting a sampling of the skin, in order to send it off to a laboratory for testing. But, with a new, non-invasive skin biopsy test that is currently available to patients of Dr. Lawrence Schiffman at Miami Skin Dr, the sample can be easily taken with a procedure that does not leave behind a scar or involve painful cutting.

Signs & Symptoms of Melanoma

Skin biopsy testing is primarily conducted in order to identify the probability that moles and other skin issues might be cancerous in nature.

Blemishes, unusual sores, moles, lumps, or general changes in the appearance of the skin might be potential signs of melanoma or other types of skin cancers.

One of the most significant warning signs of melanoma is a new spot that may appear on one's skin that changes in color, shape, or size over time. Additionally, a spot that has an appearance different from others may also be a warning sign of melanoma. This sign is usually referred to as the ugly duckling sign. Once you notice any of these warning signs, you should contact us to have your skin checked as quickly as possible.

There is also the "ABCDE Rule" that provides guidelines for typical warning signs of melanoma, which is made up of warning signs like:

Asymmetry – Where one-half of the birthmark or the mole does not match the other one.

Border – The edges will appear ragged, irregular, blurred or notched.

Color – Changes in color or color that is significantly different than other spots on the skin is worth a more in-depth look.

Diameter – The spot will be bigger than six millimeters.

Evolving – The mole will keep on changing in shape, size, and even color.

There are also other signs and symptoms that may show the presence of melanoma on your skin. They include the following;

• A sore that does not heal
• The pigment may spread from the spot's border up to the surrounding skin
• Changes in tenderness, itching or pain
• Changes in the mole's surface including the bleeding, oozing, scaliness, and the appearance of the bump or lump

How The New Non-invasive Skin Biopsy Testing Works

This new, non-invasive skin biopsy test utilizes an adhesive patch, rather than a scalpel. With this new, advanced method, no instruments or tools are used in the body of the patient.

The adhesive patches come with special features that enable an effective collection of various skin samples, while also ensuring that the process gives the patient little-to-no discomfort. This also allows for quicker patient recovery times as well as no risk of scarring.

This advanced testing option from Dermtech is now available at Miami Skin Dr.

This test uses an adhesive tape to pick up cells from the surface of the skin that displays signs and symptoms of the melanoma. The sample is then sent to laboratories where it is analyzed after the technicians have extracted the ribonucleic acid (RNA) from it. DermTech’s PLA MAGE (Melanoma Associated Gene Expression) detects the expression for two specific genes, PRAME and
LINC00518. These two genes belong to separate classes of molecules that are known to have roles in oncogenesis, and both
are elevated in melanoma. These gene expression results are summarized in a molecular pathology report.

Melanoma cancer is a very aggressive form of cancer that requires timely diagnosis for optimal patient prognosis. This type of diagnosis can only be provided by experienced skin care doctors like the dermatologist in Miami, FL: Dr. Lawrence Schiffman of Miami Skin Dr.