Bronze, glowing, sun-kissed skin may look healthy but it's far from it. But for many people it's already too late. Craig Willis and Jason Miller are both melanoma survivors.
More than 51,000 Americans will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of skin cancer this year and 7,000 of them will die from it.
But
there's a new weapon in the fight against the disease.
It’s called the Molemax. Dr. Kaufman says, “We can look
for very subtle changes that probably wouldn't be picked
up with the naked eye.”
The Molemax is basically a handheld microscope that allows dermatologists to closely examine suspicious spots on your skin. Using a special light, doctors can look for changes underneath the mole without cutting them from your body.
The Molemax is a godsend for Jason Miller whose body is covered in moles.
Although he’s only 22 years old, he's already had close to 30 biopsies. Luckily only one was malignant.
Now the college sophomore relies on the Molemax instead of the scalpel.
Craig Willis had a malignant mole recently removed from his back. Now cancer-free he depends on the Molemax to keep a close eye on other moles on his body.
Willis says, “It is like having a photographic memory and almost like having X-ray vision.”
The Molemax stores a digital image of each mole so doctors can quickly determine if it has grown, darkened, or changed shape changed from a previous visit, all signs of cancer. That means early detection, which for Craig and Jason could be the difference between life and death.
Dr. Kaufman talks about early warning signs of
melanoma
Dr. Andrew Kaufman
Office: Thousand Oaks California
805-497-1694
