September is just around the corner!

That means we are almost ready to chose a winner for our monthly "facebook friend drawing"! Add us by the end of the month and you will be entered to win!

Full Body Skin Exams are very important!

Study indicates importance of dermatologist-initiated full body skin examinations (FBSE) in detection of melanoma.

Following a MedPage Today story, MedWire (8/21, Albert) reported that, according to a study published in the Archives of Dermatology, "most melanomas found in a dermatology general practice setting are diagnosed as a result of a dermatologist-initiated full-body skin examination (FBSE) and not patient complaint."

For the study, researchers from North Florida Dermatology Associates conducted "a retrospective analytical case series of 126 melanoma patients attending a private dermatology practice in Florida."

The team noted that, "overall, 56.3 percent (n=71) of the melanomas were detected by the examining dermatologist whilst doing a FBSE and were secondary to the presenting complaint." Notably, "a greater number of the physician-detected melanomas were in situ and therefore at an earlier and more treatable stage."

In fact, "dermatologists were five times more likely to detect melanomas that were under one-mm thick than patients," the authors said.