When YouTube influencer Amanda Muse discovered she had skin cancer earlier this year, she was “shocked.” Luckily, the skin cancer was found and removed early. The spot underneath one of her breasts hadn’t actually raised any alarm bells with either Amanda or her doctor. It didn’t look like skin cancer. But a biopsy was ordered anyway, “because we’re here.”
That spot turned out to be basal cell carcinoma. Amanda shared her emotional journey in real-time with fans on her YouTube channel.
A few months after her all-clear diagnosis, we invited Amanda into ICLS for a skin surveillance and Molemapping session using Fotofinder. Fotofinder is a computerized system that increases early detection of skin cancers. Patients with suspicious lesions or with a strong family history of melanoma/skin cancer can be closely monitored using Fotofinder’s magnified photo imaging.
“If you’ve got weird spots on your body, please get them checked out.” ~ Amanda Muse
Photos are taken at 6-12 month intervals. The Fotofinder system automatically compares baseline and follow-up images, and tries to identify new lesions or changes to current ones. Suspicious lesions can be quickly marked for Dr. Sapra to determine the best course of action.
Skin cancer is not only highly curable, but is also the most preventable form of cancer when detected early. The most obvious way to protect yourself is to steer clear of ultraviolet rays – wearing a broad-based UVA/UVB sunscreen with a 50 SPF and avoiding sun exposure when the sun is at its strongest between 10am and 4pm.
Click on Amanda’s video above for her tips on fun and easy ways to protect yourself from the sun. Learn more about Molemapping with Fotofinder here.