Thank you to everyone who attended my plenary presentation at the Society of Chiropodists & Podiatrists Annual Conference in Liverpool (16th November). The topic focused on melanoma of the foot and its early detection. As part of this presentation I introduced the idea of dermoscopy. The technique has been used by dermatologists for over a decade as a means of examining more closely suspect lesions. Dermoscopy, although not a diagnostic tool has been proven to be much better at melanoma detection that using the naked eye. In addition, I briefly touched on the other applications of the device when looking at other types of skin lesion.
Following this presentation, I have been overwhelmed by the response to this so will now be looking to develop some more information on dermoscopy and dermatoscopes. I will be speaking to colleagues about potential courses introducing the technique as well as providing more information through this blog.
To begin with, the most common question is where can I buy a dermatoscope from? I would say NEVER buy one without doing research. Unfortunately, like most products these days on line, you can always easily find cheap and inferior products at too-good-to-be-true prices. There are only a few manufacturers who make the quality, professional devices with the after sales service. In addition, the most important aspect is training to use the device appropriately. This is also something to consider when making the purchase. There are a few providers of these courses but the retailers should be able to guide you to these if you are going to make such an investment.
My personal recommendation would be Brymill UK. Brymill stock a range of quality dermatoscopes, books and accessories and have been doing so for many years. Visit the website : www.brymilluk.com
I will post further information soon on my blog and will look to review some of the available dermatoscopes.
Note: I wish to declare that I have no financial interests in Brymill UK and recommend them purely as a customer.