Skin cancer screening, answered

Partly, and the split is worth understanding. The clinical exam is typically covered the way any dermatology visit is. The total body photography itself is not currently covered by insurance, Medicare included; it is an out-of-pocket charge, quoted up front so there are no surprises.

The Villages, FL (flagship clinic)

Most major plans accepted for the exam. We verify your plan and quote the photography charge before your visit.

New Jersey (partner practices)

The partner practices bill through their own offices; verify coverage with them directly.

New York (concierge program)

Typically self-pay, as part of a comprehensive health assessment.

Traditional Medicare, yes: the flagship clinic and most partner practices accept it, and it generally covers medically necessary skin exams, such as when you have a history of skin cancer, notable risk factors, or a spot of concern. Medicare Advantage is plan by plan and often out of network, so call with your card handy and we will check yours before you book. Either way, the total body photography is a separate out-of-pocket charge, quoted in the same call.

It depends on where you are seen, and in every case insurance applies to the clinical exam; the total body photography is an out-of-pocket charge.

The Villages, FL (flagship clinic)

Medicare and most major plans, including Aetna, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Sunshine and WellCare, and MultiPlan. When in doubt, call with your card handy and we will check.

New Jersey (partner practices)

Each partner practice bills through its own office; verify your plan with them directly.

New York (concierge program)

Typically self-pay.

Self-pay patients are welcome, and pricing is straightforward but varies by location and visit type, so we quote it rather than publish numbers that drift out of date.

The Villages, FL (flagship clinic)

Call (352) 914-3451; the front desk gives current rates before you book, and payment plans can be discussed.

New Jersey (partner practices)

Partner practices set their own rates; call them directly.

New York (concierge program)

The concierge assessment is priced by Elitra Health; contact them directly.

It depends on your location.

The Villages, FL (flagship clinic)

Book online through our Klara scheduling system, or call (352) 914-3451.

New Jersey (partner practices)

Contact Navesink Dermatology in Red Bank or the Skin and Laser Center of NJ in Ramsey directly.

New York (concierge program)

Appointments are arranged through Elitra Health.

Availability changes week to week, so the honest answer lives in the online scheduler, which shows real open times at the flagship clinic in The Villages. If nothing online works, call (352) 914-3451 and the front desk will look for options. Partner practices in New Jersey manage their own calendars, so call them directly.

The scan itself takes about a second; the rest is your medical history and the head-to-toe exam with your clinician.

The Villages, FL (flagship clinic)

Plan on about 45 minutes for a full screening with total body photography. Follow-up visits are often shorter.

New Jersey (partner practices)

Visit lengths vary by practice; ask when you book.

New York (concierge program)

Concierge visits run longer because the screening is part of a broader health assessment.

Whatever is easy to change out of. You will wear a gown for the exam and imaging, the same as a regular dermatology visit. Skip makeup, heavy lotions, self-tanner, and sunscreen that day, since they interfere with image quality, and wear your hair so the scalp can be checked.

You keep your underwear on. For the photography, the cameras need to see your skin, so you will be in minimal clothing for about a second in a private booth. For the hands-on exam you wear a gown, with one area uncovered at a time. A chaperone is available if you would like one; just ask.

Yes. A companion is welcome in the consultation, and can step out during the photography and exam if you prefer privacy. Many patients bring their spouse; a second set of ears helps.

Your clinician starts with a short history and any spots on your mind. You change into a gown and step into the imaging booth, where 92 cameras photograph your entire skin surface in about a second. Then comes the hands-on part: a head-to-toe exam, with the new images available for comparison against your baseline. You discuss anything of note together, and if a spot needs a biopsy, that can usually happen in the same visit.

You will know before you leave. Depending on the spot, your clinician may monitor it with closer follow-up, take a biopsy, or recommend treatment. At the flagship clinic, most diagnosis and treatment happens in the same office. Partner practices offer their own treatment options, and concierge patients receive referrals to the right specialists.

The screening itself has no waiting: your clinician goes over what they see during the visit. If a biopsy is taken, the sample goes to a pathology lab and we call you with the result as soon as it returns, whatever the answer is.

A baseline record of your entire skin surface, captured as high-resolution images in about a second. It turns your skin into something that can be compared over time: at each visit, new images sit next to the old ones, and change becomes visible. Our clinical guide to total body photography covers it in depth.

You stand in a private booth and a ring of 92 cameras photographs your entire skin surface in about a second. Nothing touches you and there is no radiation; the system, a Canfield VECTRA WB360, uses ordinary visible light, like any camera. The images become a high-resolution map of your skin that serves as a baseline at future visits.

It is the same idea, done comprehensively. Traditional mole mapping photographs selected moles one at a time. Total body photography captures the entire skin surface at once, so nothing depends on choosing the right spots to track in advance.

Yes. Visible light only, no radiation, nothing invasive, no known side effects. It is safe at any age, during pregnancy, and with pacemakers or other implanted devices.

A supporting one. Software compares new images against your baseline and flags spots that look new or changed, and AI-assisted lesion review gives your clinician a second set of eyes. Every assessment and every recommendation comes from your clinician, not from a computer. We evaluate what is changing, not what no one can remember.

No, and this is worth being clear about. The photography documents your skin and makes change visible over time; it does not diagnose anything. Diagnosis comes from your clinician's exam and, when a spot warrants it, a biopsy read by a pathologist. Think of the images as the map, not the verdict.

Yes. The cameras cannot see through hair to the scalp, the bottoms of your feet while you stand, or deep skin folds such as the groin. That is why the visit is never photography alone: your clinician examines your scalp and feet directly at every screening, and examines the groin area on request. If you want it included, just say so.

Your clinician examines you for all common skin cancers: melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma, along with precancerous spots like actinic keratoses and atypical moles. The imaging supports that exam by making change over time visible.

Each visit adds a new set of images to your record, compared side by side against your baseline. A mole that has grown, or a spot that was not there last year, stands out. Anything flagged gets examined directly by your clinician.

Yes. They are part of your medical record, and you have a right to your records. Ask at the office and we will arrange it.

Images and personal information are encrypted and stored in compliance with HIPAA. Only the clinicians involved in your care can access them, and we never share your information without your consent.

SpotDoc is a dermatology practice built around one thing: skin cancer. Screening with total body photography, clinical exams, biopsies, and treatment. The flagship clinic is in The Villages, Florida, led by Tyler Long, DO, a board-certified dermatologist. Partner practices in New Jersey and a concierge program in New York carry the same screening approach.

Most skin checks rely on the clinician's memory of your skin. Ours don't. Every screening pairs a head-to-toe exam with total body photography, so each visit is compared against a baseline map of your skin rather than against recollection. And because skin cancer is all we do, detection and treatment happen under one roof at the flagship clinic.

At the flagship clinic in The Villages, the team is Tyler Long, DO, a board-certified dermatologist, and Kim Nguyen, NP-C. Visits are with the team, and because skin cancer is the entire practice, you are seen by clinicians who look at this all day. At the New Jersey partner practices, you are seen by that practice's own clinicians, with SpotDoc's imaging as part of the visit.

Both. At the flagship clinic, detection and treatment happen under one roof: biopsies, surgical excisions, cryotherapy, prescription topical treatments, and photodynamic therapy for precancerous spots. When a finding needs a specialist beyond our scope, we refer you and say so plainly.

No. SpotDoc's flagship is a fixed, physician-owned clinic at Brownwood Square in The Villages, open year-round. We are not a van, a booth, or a traveling event.

No. There is no Botox, no fillers, no laser, and no vein treatment here. Skin cancer is the only thing we do: screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

Screening makes sense for most adults, and especially for people with fair skin or light eyes, a history of sunburns, a personal or family history of skin cancer, many moles or atypical moles, a weakened immune system, or years of outdoor work and recreation. Risk climbs as the decades add up. If you are over 40 and have never had a baseline exam, that is reason enough.

Once a year for most adults. If you have had skin cancer, have atypical moles, or carry other significant risk factors, your clinician may recommend visits every three to six months. The imaging makes each visit sharper than the last, since there is more history to compare against.

Most patients don't. A few HMO plans, such as Humana Medicare Advantage, do require one. We check your plan when you book and tell you exactly what it needs.

Yes. The flagship clinic in The Villages books online through Klara or at (352) 914-3451, with no referral needed for most plans. The partner practices and the concierge program take their own bookings; the Locations page has each one's details.

Yes, patients of all ages can be screened. For anyone under 18, a parent or legal guardian must be present and provide consent.

A photo ID, your insurance card, a list of your medications, and any relevant records, especially prior biopsy reports if you have a skin cancer history. It also helps to note any spots you want examined. Come without makeup, lotions, or sunscreen if you can.

Plans change; the flagship clinic asks for at least 24 hours' notice so the slot can go to another patient, and repeated late cancellations or no-shows may carry a fee. If you need to move your appointment, call the office you booked with and they will reschedule you. Partner practices set their own policies.

Flagship clinics are owned and operated by SpotDoc, with screening, diagnosis, and treatment under one roof. Partner practices are established dermatology offices that have added our screening technology. The concierge program offers the screening as part of a comprehensive executive health assessment with extended appointment times.

Brownwood Square in The Villages: 3614 Kiessel Road, The Villages, FL 32163. This is the practice SpotDoc owns and runs directly, and the full range of services lives here.

No. The flagship clinic sees patients from across the area: The Villages, Lady Lake, Wildwood, and well beyond. If you can get to Brownwood Square, you can be seen.

Yes. Brownwood Square has ample free parking steps from the door, golf cart parking included.

Navesink Dermatology in Red Bank, New Jersey, and the Skin and Laser Center of NJ in Ramsey, New Jersey. Both are established dermatology practices that have integrated SpotDoc screening technology. The Locations page keeps the current list.

Elitra Health in New York City includes SpotDoc screening in its comprehensive executive health assessments, with longer appointments and a broader health workup around the skin exam.

The network grows as the right partners come along. If there is no SpotDoc location near you yet, the Locations page always has the current list, and the newsletter announces new locations first.

Watch moles for the ABCDE signs: asymmetry, border irregularity, color variation within one spot, diameter over 6mm (about a pencil eraser), and evolution, meaning change of any kind. Also take seriously any sore that will not heal, a spot that bleeds or itches, redness spreading beyond a mole's border, or a new bump that keeps growing.

The big ones are UV exposure from sun or tanning beds, fair skin with light hair or eyes, a history of sunburns (especially blistering burns in childhood), a personal or family history of skin cancer, many moles or atypical moles, older age, a weakened immune system, and certain chemical or radiation exposures. Anyone can develop skin cancer, though, whatever their skin type.

Yes. Melanoma in particular can appear on the soles of the feet, between toes, under nails, and in other places that rarely see daylight. That is one reason a proper screening is head to toe, including the scalp and the soles.

Three account for nearly all cases. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common; it rarely spreads and often looks like a pearly or flesh-colored bump. Squamous cell carcinoma comes second and can spread if untreated; it often appears as a firm red bump or a scaly patch. Melanoma is the most dangerous, can spread quickly, and often develops in or near a mole. Rarer types exist, including Merkel cell carcinoma.

It depends on the type, size, location, and stage. Common options include surgical excision, Mohs surgery (a technique that removes the cancer layer by layer while sparing healthy tissue), cryotherapy, curettage, topical medications, radiation, and, for advanced disease, immunotherapy or targeted therapy. The earlier a cancer is found, the simpler the treatment tends to be.

Mohs surgery is a specialized way of removing certain skin cancers: the surgeon removes the visible cancer plus a thin margin, examines the edges under a microscope right away, and repeats until the edges are clear. It spares as much healthy skin as possible, which matters most on the face, ears, and nose. Whether Mohs or another treatment fits your situation is a conversation for your clinician after diagnosis.

The honest answer: the numbing pinch does, for a second. After that the biopsy itself is painless and quick, usually done in minutes during the same visit. Most patients say it was easier than they expected.

No. The cameras photograph the surface and cannot see beneath a scar. Whether an excision removed everything is answered by the pathology report on the removed tissue, and a biopsy is a sample rather than a treatment, so next steps follow its result. What the photography does well is document the site, so any change there stands out at follow-up visits. If a healed spot starts changing, growing, or bleeding between visits, call us rather than waiting for the next scan.

Risk can be cut substantially. Reduce UV exposure: broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher sunscreen reapplied every two hours outdoors, protective clothing and a wide-brimmed hat, shade during the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. peak, and no tanning beds, ever. Then catch what does happen early, with monthly self-checks and a yearly professional exam.

A great deal. For melanoma, five-year survival is over 99% when it is found before it spreads, and it falls sharply once it reaches distant organs. The same pattern holds for the other skin cancers: found early, treatment is simpler and outcomes are better. That is the entire case for regular screening.