Is beauty more than skin deep? Who knows the answer but skin health certainly is. The skin grows from the deeper layers and ultimately whatever hides beneath will appear on the surface. Blood vessels, pigment cells, collagen and other structural proteins are all held together in the so-called ground substance, a hydrating jellylike substance. All of these elements make up the skin and contribute to its health and vitality. Each and every one of these may have been subject to damage; all are subject to the passage of time.

We have two non-invasive methods of looking at the skin and the underlying structures. The VISIA camera looks at the face and skin in general, and the Mole Mate is a specific diagnostic technique for moles and other lesions.

Mole Mate

We all have a few strange lumps and bumps on our skin. With age, we get more funny spots, lumps and bumps. Most of them are harmless but we may not like them. Some are not so harmless and need removal.

Mole Mate is a diagnostic tool that allows us to look at these lumps and bumps through the computer screen without cutting them out. Mole Mate helps us to decide whether they are safe to leave or need removing. If you have a mole that is suspicious, Mole Mate will tell whether or not it is suspicious, without the need for a biopsy (and of course the anxious wait).  Even if they are safe to leave, we can remove them simply in the knowledge that they will not cause any harm in the future.

Mole Mate is a hand-held computer based camera that takes a picture of the lesion up to 2mm depth in the skin. The image is presented on the screen and then a series of criteria (the so-called Hunter scoring system) are applied to the images. This will give us a score that enables us to decide whether or not to refer the mole for further investigation.

Most moles that are removed need not be, or are removed with too great a margin of healthy tissue; Mole Mate saves you the inconvenience of a potentially unnecessary biopsy and the wait for the pathology report, it also gives you instant peace of mind.

Mole Mate is also useful for monitoring the growth and development of moles that may be borderline.

Mole Mate is clean and simple. It takes about 3 minutes to check each mole. You will be provided with a print-out of the results that you may keep or take to your doctor. If we find something suspicious we are able to refer you directly to a surgeon. The images will enable the surgeon to plan the best option for treatment.

Visia Complexion Analysis

In the same way that we can look at a single mole with the Mole Mate, we can look at the whole face with the VISIA and be able to determine the health of the skin components; collagen, blood vessels, pigment, pores and the oily covering.

VISIA for surface diagnosis; lines, pores and smoothness

VISIA provides an image of the surface of the skin, indicating the presence of lines, open pores and surface irregularity. 

VISIA for acne

VISIA also looks at the oily layer and can determine the amount of bacteria through the porphyrins that they produce. This is helpful when diagnosing and treating acne.

VISIA for pigmentation and red veins

VISIA can also look deeper and define the condition of the blood vessels and the underlying pigment. The condition of the deeper layers of the skin represents the future skin health and the development of future lesions, for example red veins and pigmentation problems.