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Performing an ‘assisted self-mole check’ at home with a DIY dermatoscope

In this section, we will discuss the types of images you need to take for the skin lesions you wish to submit for medical assessment and how to capture them. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of providing good-quality images for medical evaluation. Please read our refund policy concerning inadequate images. For the last time, we encourage you to purchase a home dermatoscope by clicking here.

For each skin lesion you want to submit for medical analysis, along with the relevant medical history, you need to provide three sets of images:

  1. Regional image: A photo showing the body part where the mole is located, capturing its wider surroundings.
  2. Close-up image: A close-up photo of the specific skin lesion, covering roughly a palm-sized area.
  3. Dermatoscopic image: A photo taken with your DIY dermatoscope.
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Your Assistant in Action

Previously, we explained why a trusted family member or friend should aid a self-mole check. The person who assists you with your self-mole check process will perform the following steps. Your assistant must have a solid understanding of the process to ensure the subsequent steps are executed with high quality.

If you use a DIY dermatoscope, having a helper is even more important. 

Taking Images

Read the following guidance in the context of ‘assisted self-mole check’ so your helper takes the images of your moles. Stand still while they are capturing the images.

Complete the assisted self-mole check

  1. Follow the examination order explained earlier and available for download using the link below.
    Download the guide to perform an assisted mole check. Adhere to the order and instructions provided.

  2. Identify odd, ugly duckling or changing lesions based on the criteria detailed earlier, but you can also download a summary using the link below.
    Download the guide on identifying odd lesions for submission to a medical assessment (maximum of 5 moles).

  3. Mark the selected moles in the order of examination with numbers on a sticker or with a pen on the skin (not closer than 1cm and in a manner that clearly indicates the marked mole).

    Review these images of benign skin lesions.

    Examine these images of potentially concerning lesions.

 

Take regional images

  • Capture images of the numbered moles in their wider surroundings, following the numerical order.
  • Take multiple images of the same lesion and keep the best one. You can use a camera or smartphone.
  • Zoom out to show the entire body part where the skin lesion is located.
  • We recommend using a flash, regardless of the room’s lighting, to ensure uniform illumination (activate the flash in the settings).
  • Use autofocus and hold your hand steady while taking the images.
  • After capturing the images, check their quality, especially the sharpness of the mole and whether it is overexposed due to flash reflection.
  • Save the images to the device you will use to complete the submission process. (We recommend saving your mole check images on your computer in a dedicated folder under Health/Mole check/todaysdate, so you can easily find them later if needed.)

Take close-up images

Capture close-up images of the numbered moles. The process is the same as above, with the only difference being selecting a zoom or camera setting that provides a close-up image roughly the size of an adult’s palm. Make sure the mole in question is clearly visible in the centre of the image, well-lit, and sharp.

Capture DIY dermatoscopic images

User your DIY dermatoscope.

You will need:

  • A reading glass cleaned

  • Some water or clear gel as an immersion liquid between the glass and your skin

  • A light source such as an adjustable lamp or the flash lite of your camera(phone) 

  1. Ensure that the reading glass you are using and the lens of your phone is clean. 
  2. Ensure that the skin is clean and free from any impurities (cream, make up, fake tan, etc)
  3. Before taking the images practice the following steps:
  4. Hold the reading glass in your non-dominant hand by the two temple tips together in a triangle shape. 
  5. Hold your phone in the dominant hand with the settings allowing short distance, macro photography.
  6. Place the phone above one of the glasses in a way that the glass is shown on your camera screen, preferably filling the whole area. Hold the phone with both of your hands, so it is fixed to the reading glasses and the two create one stable unit. 
  7. Check the focus and the image quality in general.
  8. Take some images of moles or skin using a small amount (a few drops) of immersion liquid on the skin in contact with the glasses.
  9. Gently place and push the glass and phone unit against the skin.
    Don’t push too hard, though, because blood vessels are an important part of skin lesions and the diagnosis, so we don’t want to push all the blood out of them. We want them to be seen in the image.
  10. Use autofocus and hold the camera still while capturing the photo.
  11. Try taking some images with the built-in flash or using an outside light source such as a standing lamp. Check which results in the best quality, reflection-free images. 
  12. Once you are confident with the set-up and happy with the consistent quality, you can proceed to take the DIY dermatoscopic images of the moles in the same order as you did the macro images.
  13. Put the images on a big screen or zoom in and check whether the details come through clearly. You need to aim for a quality like this.
  14. Save your images in a dedicated folder for future reference (e.g., Health/Mole check/Today’s Date).

Conclusion

By now, you and your assistant have:

  • Checked your entire body surface
  • Selected and cross-checked a maximum of 5 moles for submission
  • Numbered these moles
  • Taken regional images of all of them
  • Taken close-up images of all of them
  • Captured DIY dermatoscopic images of all of them
  • Checked image quality and re-taken images if needed
  • Saved these images in a folder on your computer for future reference

You are now ready to submit your moles for medical assessment on the following pages.

Summary of Next Steps

  1. Provide medical history related to the moles you submit.
  2. Upload high-quality images.
  3. Read and acknowledge legal statements and consent.
  4. Make a payment.
  5. We confirm your submission.
  6. The medical assessment will commence.
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