INTRODUCTION
A new wave of clinically dedicated evaluations of non-invasive medical innovations are published in the 2022 HEALTH TECH REPORTER series- and the work of Dr. Roberta Kline. Her contributions to wellness advocacy are highly sparked by her extensive background as an ObGyn, a Genomics Specialist, a Functional Medicine expert and an advocate for personalized medicine. This tech review is on the performance of SKLIP from both a personal and professional angles. "Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S., and the number of cases is rising dramatically. Basal cell and squamous cell cancers are the most common, but melanoma is responsible for the majority of skin cancer deaths. When detected early, skin cancer is much easier to treat and cure."
MY EXPERIENCE WITH SKLIP By: Roberta Kline, MD
When I was practicing as an ObGyn physician, one of the more challenging dilemmas was determining the urgency of referrals for suspicious skin lesions that were outside my area of expertise – particularly because the typical wait time for an appointment with a dermatologist was at least 3-6 months. Who needed to be seen quickly, and who could watch and wait?
But physicians aren’t the only ones looking at skin. In fact, most skin cancers are initially detected by non-physicians or people themselves. One of my children had a precancerous skin lesion noted by a hair stylist at age 8. A number of years ago, I had a skin lesion on my back that turned out to be cancer. In both cases, had we not detected these early, the outcomes could have been very different.
I was introduced to SKLIP through Mary Nielsen of Spectrum Aesthetics, where she was using the device in her aesthetics training programs. I immediately saw the potential value of the technology to enable early detection of precancerous or cancerous skin lesions, and determine who needs to see a dermatologist more urgently.
It soon turned out I was able to test drive the device myself when I noticed a new skin lesion on my face. My next regularly scheduled skin check was months away. Should I call for an appointment sooner, or could it wait? Now I could get answers quickly using SKLIP.
I opened the box with the dermoscopy lens, mineral oil, and instructions. I then downloaded the app, finding it was easy to set up and navigate. The instructions for preparing the lesion for scanning, charging and attaching the dermoscopy lens, and then taking the image were also clear. There’s also a lot of great educational information about skin.
But actually getting a good image was a little more difficult. I had to do this using a mirror so I could place the lens correctly, and it took me a few tries before I realized the icon for my camera app was hidden by the lens so I needed to turn it on before attaching it to my iphone.
The app then gives immediate feedback as to whether the image is of sufficient quality. It asks for some basic information before submitting the lesion for analysis, including history of skin cancer and a written description of the lesion.
Despite it being a weekend, I got a report back in less than 24 hours. You can see a sample report below.
This report prompted me to contact my dermatologist right away, rather than “wait and see”. I was able to use this report to be seen quickly for a biopsy. My dermatologist was impressed with the technology for improving early detection and knowing when people needed to be seen more urgently.
Luckily, my lesion was caught early enough that it had not yet turned to cancer, and I was able to avoid potentially disfiguring surgery to my face. And going forward, it will be so much easier to check out any new moles or skin lesions that crop up in between regular checkups.
Skin cancer guidelines recommend doing a skin check monthly, but often people do not follow these guidelines for many reasons – including not really knowing what to look for, or the stress of finding something and not knowing what to do next. Having the SKLIP makes it easy for people to incorporate this into their health routine.
The only potential downside is that you have to be able to place the dermoscopy lens directly on the lesion. If you have a lesion on your back, or other location that is not easy to reach or see directly, you would need someone else to help you.
Beyond personal use, there are so many other professionals who see clients and their skin on a regular basis and could easily incorporate this device into their work: massage therapists, aestheticians, hair stylists, makeup artists, cosmetologists just to name a few. Even other healthcare professionals can use it to better triage referrals to dermatologists.
"HERX IS NOT A SIDE EFFECT!" By: Josh Schueller, PT
INTEGRATING NON-INVASIVE TECHNOLOGIESYears ago, I learned about biofeedback and electromagnetic field therapy. The market was robust with choices, but something called ONDAMED® won me over- largely due to the functional health strategy by design, indicating a heavy focus on a whole-body care. It combined the diagnostic abilities of biofeedback science to "communicate with the body" to monitor conditions and imbalances. Then the intuitive energy healing aspect comes in the form of its PEMF element (pulsed electromagnetic field) to 're-balance' the body or support the body to repair itself painlessly and non-invasively. Treating patients showed many positive results including tissue stimulation for pain relief in soft tissue injuries and wound healing. Next, patients would tell me about having difficulty with reducing their stress. I was introduced to BINAURAL BEATS therapy, an auditory illusion perceived when two different pure- tones, separated in frequency by only a few Hertz, one in each ear - the brain is left with a unique third tone. Many claim that binaural beats can induce a meditative state more quickly and is said to: manage/reduce anxiety, improve focus and concentration, support positive moods and even help with pain management. (see complete feature)
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