Full body skin exams, mole evaluation, and biopsies in one Westchester clinic.
Call (786) 738-9515A full body skin exam takes about fifteen to twenty minutes, is a medical visit billed to insurance, and is worth doing yearly for anyone in South Florida with significant sun exposure, many moles, fair skin, or a family history of skin cancer.
Questions about your own skin? Call the dermatology clinic at (786) 738-9515.
You change into a gown and we examine the skin systematically, including the places patients cannot see: scalp, behind the ears, the back, the buttocks, the soles of the feet, between the toes, and the nails. Anything unusual is examined closely with a dermatoscope, which shows pattern and structure the naked eye cannot.
The exam itself is quick, commonly fifteen to twenty minutes. Most visits end with reassurance and a note of which spots we will compare next year. See our full body skin exam and skin cancer screening pages.
Once a year is a reasonable baseline for adults here, because year round sun and reflected light off water and pavement add up faster than in most of the country. More often if you have had a skin cancer or precancer, many or unusual moles, fair skin that burns easily, a history of tanning beds or bad childhood sunburns, a family history of melanoma, or a suppressed immune system.
Between visits, check your own skin monthly and photograph anything you are watching. Do not wait for your annual appointment if a spot is new, growing, changing color, bleeding, itching, or not healing.
The familiar pattern is asymmetry, irregular borders, more than one color, a diameter larger than a pencil eraser, and change over time. Just as important is the spot that behaves differently from all your others, or a sore that keeps almost healing and then reopening.
Not every skin cancer is dark. Basal cell carcinoma often looks like a pearly bump or a persistent scab, and squamous cell carcinoma can look like a rough scaly patch. Read basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma detection.
More pigment lowers risk but does not remove it, and skin cancer in Black and Hispanic patients is often found later, when it is harder to treat. Part of the reason is where it appears: palms, soles, under nails, and inside the mouth, areas nobody associates with sun.
That is why our exam always includes the feet, between the toes, and the nails. A dark streak under a nail that was not caused by an injury is worth having looked at rather than waiting out.
If a lesion needs to be confirmed, the biopsy is done in the clinic at that visit. It is a small local anesthetic procedure that takes a few minutes. The tissue goes to a pathology lab, which bills separately, and we review the result with you rather than leaving it in a portal.
Most biopsies come back benign. When one does not, we explain the diagnosis, the treatment options, and the timeline in plain language, and coordinate surgical care when that is the right step. Removal of benign lesions is also available: mole removal, keratosis removal, and skin tag removal.
Our clinic is at 8364 SW 8th St in Westchester with parking on site. From West Miami, Sweetwater, Westwood Lakes, and Tamiami it is a short drive along SW 8th Street or Coral Way. From Hialeah, the Palmetto to SW 8th Street is the usual route, generally around twenty minutes outside rush hour.
Skin checks are medical visits, so they are billed to insurance. Confirm your plan on our insurance page and check whether an HMO referral is required, then call (786) 738-9515. Neighborhood pages: Hialeah and West Miami.
Once a year is a reasonable baseline for adults in South Florida, and more often if you have a personal or family history of skin cancer, many or unusual moles, fair skin, or a suppressed immune system.
Commonly fifteen to twenty minutes, including a close look at the scalp, back, soles, between the toes, and nails.
A full body skin exam is a medical service and is typically covered. Confirm network status and whether your plan requires a referral before the visit.
Yes. Risk is lower but real, and it is often found later. In darker skin tones it appears more often on the palms, soles, under the nails, and in the mouth, so those areas are always examined.
Yes. If a lesion is suspicious, the biopsy is performed in the clinic at the same visit under local anesthetic, and we review the pathology result with you directly.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Teresa Moreno, DNP, founder of Paradise Medical Center. This article is patient education, not a substitute for an in-person evaluation.
Paradise Medical Center Dermatology & Aesthetics — 8364 SW 8th St, Westchester, Miami, FL 33144.
Call (786) 738-9515