Total body photography

Total body photography is a diagnostic technique where a series of high resolution digital photographs are taken from head to toe of the patient’s skin. This photographic record is then used as a baseline for the patient to track changes over time in existing moles, in addition to checking for the presence of new moles and skin cancers, including melanomas. Changes in moles can be in the form of size, shape and colour change.

The photographs are saved to a CD which has built in specialised viewing software that allows you to zoom in for close up views of suspicious moles. The main advantages of total body photography is that it reduces unnecessary biopsies and melanomas are caught at a much earlier stage.

The following people may benefit from total body photography:

• People that are fair skinned with sun damage
• People who have a personal history of melanoma
• People with a family history of melanoma
• Patients with previous non-melanoma skin cancers
• People who have many moles, including dysplastic naevi (moles that are irregular in shape, non-uniform in colour and generally larger than ordinary moles)
• People that are anxious about moles

This is a service offered at the Poche Centre. For more information, please visit the Skintography website or phone 02 9911 7200.