Preventive Mole Screening with Digital Dermatoscopy

Preventive whole-body mole screening and pigmented lesion assessment by MUDr. Irena Hejcmanová using manual dermatoscopy and, for concerning lesions, the Canfield Scientific D200evo digital dermatoscope. The D200evo captures high-resolution images of each mole with AI-assisted pattern analysis and stores them for longitudinal comparison at follow-up visits — detecting early changes in pigment distribution, structure or size that are invisible to the naked eye. Patients covered by OZP health insurance (code 207) pay nothing at the clinic for this service.

Skin cancer — and melanoma in particular — has one of the most favourable treatment outcomes when detected early: melanoma identified at stage I carries a five-year survival rate above 98%, falling sharply at later stages. Regular preventive mole screening by a trained dermatologist is the principal tool for catching malignant transformation before it progresses. At Derma-plus in Tábor, MUDr. Irena Hejcmanová conducts mole screening using a systematic two-tool approach. The first is manual dermatoscopy: the dermatoscope — a handheld illuminated magnifier with cross-polarised or oil-immersion optics — eliminates the surface glare that obscures sub-epidermal structures, revealing pigment network patterns, vessel morphology, regression zones and other dermoscopic criteria predictive of benign versus malignant pathology. A whole-body manual examination is priced at 500 Kč and covers all accessible skin surfaces including the scalp, between the toes and mucous membranes where relevant. For lesions flagged as requiring closer analysis, the Canfield Scientific D200evo digital dermatoscope is used. This system uses a high-resolution optical camera mounted on a standardised body mapping grid that captures each lesion's exact anatomical location, magnified dermoscopic image and metadata in a single digitally archived record. An AI-assisted analysis module evaluates dermoscopic structures against established algorithms and provides a risk stratification score that MUDr. Hejcmanová reviews alongside the clinical picture. The key advantage of digital archiving is longitudinal comparison: at each follow-up appointment the same lesion is re-imaged and the system overlays current and historical images side by side, making subtle changes — a slight expansion, a new atypical vessel, a shifting pigment pattern — perceptible before they would be clinically apparent. Long-term surveillance is provided for patients who have had a malignant tumour removed — basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma — as part of oncological follow-up. These appointments are covered by Czech health insurance for patients in the relevant dispensary programmes. The clinic also recommends annual screening for individuals with multiple dysplastic naevi, strong personal or family history of skin cancer, significant cumulative UV exposure or use of immunosuppressive medications.