Dermatologist... Full body skin exam

I've never had a dermatological exam. Seems that they vary depending on the doctor.

@Aladdin Couple of things:

1) If you have no family history of skin cancer and have no suspicious moles you're concerned with, there is no reason to do a full exam. If you have a suspicious mole, call it out.

2) If they give you a gown, wear the gown. You have NO right to expose the medical team to your kink without their consent. That's no different than flashing someone at the mall. I get we have a fetish and exposure is part of that fetish but you do NOT have the right to expose yourself to someone without their consent.

@Aladdin Couple of things:

1) If you have no family history of skin cancer and have no suspicious moles you're concerned with, there is no reason to do a full exam. If you have a suspicious mole, call it out.

2) If they give you a gown, wear the gown. You have NO right to expose the medical team to your kink without their consent. That's no different than flashing someone at the mall. I get we have a fetish and exposure is part of that fetish but you do NOT have the right to expose yourself to someone without their consent.

I have been getting full body skin checks from a dermatologist for the last several years at the behest of my pcp. IMHO it’s a sensible precaution since lay people have no idea what is suspicious and what isn’t. Some spots on my skin that I thought were suspicious were dismissed by the doctor as harmless. She removed a few others, however, that she thought were potentially dangerous that I barely even noticed. Btw even though it was a full body exam I only exposed skin as it was actually being examined.

@Norton i agree and I wasn’t discouraging anyone from getting an exam. I was talking about when a doctor will usually order a full body exam. I was discouraging someone from refusing a gown when asked to put one on. We should not be including our medical professionals in our fetish without their consent. They’re there to do a job, not get us off.

@Norton i agree and I wasn’t discouraging anyone from getting an exam. I was talking about when a doctor will usually order a full body exam. I was discouraging someone from refusing a gown when asked to put one on. We should not be including our medical professionals in our fetish without their consent. They’re there to do a job, not get us off.

amen

1) If you have no family history of skin cancer and have no suspicious moles you're concerned with, there is no reason to do a full exam. If you have a suspicious mole, call it out.

2) If they give you a gown, wear the gown. You have NO right to expose the medical team to your kink without their consent. That's no different than flashing someone at the mall. I get we have a fetish and exposure is part of that fetish but you do NOT have the right to expose yourself to someone without their consent.

@Nurse_Phillips 1) I don't think there are no reasons, but that's certainly the practice here and now. My dad died of melanoma that originated in his butt crack when I was a teenager. I'm in basically the highest risk group there is. I think I have reasonable anxiety about not getting a sufficiently thorough exam. Part of me can't wait for the day when these are done like going through security at the airport (if that happens in my lifetime)

2) I agree! Some previous posters in this thread have said that they just ignore the doc/nurses requests and just sit there naked and I'm just not willing to do that. I'm just trying to figure out how to best convey to them that I want a complete exam without being pervy or exhibitionist or demanding. I'm actively trying to be considerate here, I'm just somewhat frustrated that I feel like I have to advocate for myself here and some docs will still act like this is some unreasonable imposition and I'm a weirdo for asking :/

@Aladdin thanks for clarifying. I had nothing to go by as it was your first post. Flat out tell them ‘my dad died of melanoma, I want a full body skin check. I’m very concerned.” 👍👍

I do still wonder if private practices would be more likely to default to full body skin exams (potentially because they don't have to be as strictly procedural as hospital megacorps and may allow for more time per patient) and if older providers might be more responsive because they were around and got their education before modesty became such an overwhelming concern

@Aladdin If I could add my 2 cents.....

I get a true TBSE from my dermatologist. I am a 60s male who has had basal cells as well as pre cancerous cells removed. I am also a nudist. I did some research on dermatologists regarding who is most through. Research states female dermatologists will spend more time per patient than male dermatologists. Research did not make any age distinction regarding patient care. So I have a female dermatologist who is early forties. I selected a younger dermatologist so that I would not have to look for a replacement due to retirement.

On my first visit I explained that I had a basal cell and many pre cancerous cells removed. I also told her I was a nudist. She asked if I wanted my buttocks and genitals checked. I said yes and it's been that why ever since.

I've been trying for several years to find someone to do a genital exam, no luck yet. There are parts I have never seen and even if I could how would I know if something's not right. That's why you go to a professional. So far I've been to 2 dermatologists for a TBSE but they don't even look there and my new doctor under Obamacare seems too shy to look. I'm trying a urologist next month.

Full body skin exams from a dermatologist are very important. I was diagnosed with melanoma about 11 years ago. I was one of the most popular patients with the nurses and doctors for the next year with weekly exams then every two weeks and eventually I graduated to once a year exams. A plastic surgeon removed the melanoma growth and so far it has not recurred. The doctors also removed so many other cancerous growths I lost count, I have been cut up, stitched and froze so much that it just turned into a routine procedure. I received very good care and they were extremely concerned that it had already spread. I was checked head to toe by multiple doctors some did check around my head, balls, butt, feet and every other part of me. I did not bother me at all. A few times the dermatologist was female and the entire exam was professional and I did enjoy the exam with them more than I did with a male doctor. A good friend of mine died from melanoma and another one died from squamous cell carcinoma. Both of them neglected to get examined even though it was very obvious there were skin issues. Terminal skin cancer it's a very cruel way to die. So trust me don't worry about a dermatologist doing a very thorough exam they are just doing what they are supposed to do.

I had my skin check earlier this week. It was frustrating and disappointing. Here's an abridged retelling.

I'm brought back to the room by the assistant, where she has me sit on the exam table while she pulls up the appointment information on the computer. She asks what I'm here for today, and I tell her my yearly skin check. She notices my family history of melanoma in my medical records (almost all the medical institutions in my area share records) and asks if there's anything I'm concerned about. I say not really, but I have a lot of moles so it's hard to keep track of all of their evolution. She tells me to take off everything but my underwear and offers me a gown, but makes it clear it really doesn't matter if I take it or not, so I decline. She leaves to fetch the doc.

I disrobe and sit back on the table. Sometime shortly thereafter there's a knock on the door, and the doc and assistant come in. She seems friendly, introduces herself and shakes my hand. She also acknowledges my family history of melanoma, and I chat with the assistant briefly while she skims my file. We go over my history of having moles removed. And with that it's time for the exam.

She has me lay back on the table (it's comically small; I'm spilling over all 4 sides despite being pretty fit) and starts examining me from top to bottom. She pauses to measure a spot on my abdomen, before moving to my feet and working up. She barely pulls up my boxer briefs to peek at my mid-thigh before having me turn over. She repeats the same process on my back at a blistering pace, tells me everything looks good, and the assistant leaves. The entire exam couldn't have been more than 3 minutes.

I then mention I have a perineal spot that I'd like her to check. She agrees, and says they could remove it for me so I don't have to do this in the future. I pull down my boxer briefs and sit back, holding my genitals out of the way. She acknowledges that it's in a hard to see spot for me and would be nasty to remove. I pull my boxers back up and we keep talking. I have some other spots (e.x. on my butt) below the boxer line, but didn't want to be pushy, this interaction is already awkward/tense (from my perspective) as it is.

I tell her it feels awkward to me to ask her to check that out, and ask if there's any way to make it less awkward in the future. She thinks for a second and then doesn't answer the question. She alluded to having 'seen it all before' and says some men are weird. We talk about scheduling my next appointment, she leaves, and I get dressed. I check my phone as I walk out and notice from check-in to leaving had only been 18 minutes.

UK Female - i have had many of these checks over the years due to an ongoing condition. Usually by males and always fully nude - although tbere is always a female nurse present.

@Aladdin I don’t want to seem as if I’m picking on you, but why are you disappointed with the exam. Sounds like she looked at everything you were concerned with.

@Aladdin I don’t want to seem as if I’m picking on you, but why are you disappointed with the exam. Sounds like she looked at everything you were concerned with.

@Nurse_Phillips the doc and I talked about how my dad died from a melanoma in his butt crack that got caught late, and how these exams make me anxious. Guess where she never checked?

Ultimately it just felt like probably the least thorough check I've ever had. She went at a blistering pace, and I have plenty to look at, particularly as a new patient. It felt like she was trying to bang it out and made her earlier kind/caring demeanor come off as fake and put on.

I don't think I'm asking for too much if I want a (reasonably slow) thorough exam that doesn't make me feel bad afterwards. I'm looking for a doc that actually makes me feel comfortable, and that's not how I left feeling.

Some doctors will just be fast, they are good at their job. However, if you had concerns about awkwardness and you voiced them and the doctor did not give you an answer, it sounds like you just need a new doctor and I would leave that one a bad review. In particular if you had highlighted a specific area that need to be examined and they did not do that - that's a red flag and not giving you the proper standard of care.