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Preparing for Your Visit - What to Expect
Full Body Skin Examinations Policies and Preparations
We encourage full body skin exams for patients at high-risk for skin cancer. Patients are asked to disrobe completely, and will be supplied with a cloth gown. It is best to avoid wearing delicate or expensive clothing, makeup, hairpieces, hair accessories, hairspray, moisturizing creams, bulky jewelry, perfume, and nail polish. A medical assistant will be present during this exam. Please inform her if you need assistance undressing or dressing, or if you suffer from incontinence. We will take your eyeglasses from you for the exam, but ask you to keep any hearing aids in. Contact lenses are permissible.
Please be sure to inform the assistant and the doctor if you have a concern involving a special body part, such as the genitals, perianal area, mouth/lips, eyes/eyelids, nose, scalp/ears, or fingernails. It is best to schedule full body skin exam appointments well in advance, ideally as you exit from your previous visit. It is advisable to shower before your visit, in case bathing is restricted afterwards. We love seeing babies and young children in the office, but please arrange care for them for your full body skin examination visit. If you and your partner are both having exams, and you prefer to share a room, please let us know.
Cosmetics Procedures:
Preparing for a Procedure:
Some skin procedures are considered to be cosmetic, i.e. not medically necessary. These include, but are not limited to, removal of skin tags, seborrheic keratoses, enlarged oil glands, milial cysts, telangiectasia (visible veins), spider veins of the legs, pilar cysts, epidermal cysts, and angiomata. Dr. Goldwasser will do her best to inform you if you are receiving such a procedure. Neither insurance companies nor Medicare will cover these. Medicare patients must sign a form (advance beneficiary notice) to acknowledge this.
Please do let us know well ahead of time if you believe you might require premedication for any reason, if you feel you are taking a medication or have an allergy that may pose a problem, if you are immunocompromised, if you have a bleeding problem, if you have an important upcoming event or travel, if you have special needs before procedures, if you have an implanted electrical device, if you have a tendency toward raised scars or keloids, or if you suffer from fainting spells in medical situations. In general, we do not recommend stopping aspirin or blood thinners for minor skin procedures. If you have been instructed to "pre-numb" an area with cream, you may purchase LMX-4 cream without a prescription (online or ask your pharmacist) and apply it thickly like frosting to the area 90 minutes before your appointment time. You may cover the cream with plastic wrap if necessary. We will remove the wrap/cream in office. Unless you have been instructed to bring a chaperone/driver, you will not need one.
Teledermatology
Teledermatology visits are available to established patients through an app called Spruce Health (www.sprucehealth.com). Regular fees apply. Many insurers now cover this service. The fees are payable by credit card only. Patients must transmit photos beforehand, and we arrange a video visit in real time. This is useful for evaluation of problems such as acne, rosacea, rashes, or isolated growths, or for homebound patients. It is especially useful during this Covid-19 pandemic. This service cannot be used for full body skin examination.
We request that you silence your mobile phone during your time in our office. Please refrain from eating in the office. Drinking water is permitted. Please let us know if you prefer NOT to be addressed by your first name. Feel free to bring your own small robe and/or slippers/flip-flops if you prefer to wear these during your exam. We cannot address the issues of your family members during your visit. Please refrain from contacting the doctors through social media, through their personal phone numbers, or through their personal email to ensure your privacy and to allow for proper documentation of your care.
Office Etiquette
It is advisable to contact us through the email portal (preferred) or by phone for all laboratory and biopsy results. You can expect results as follows:
Routine skin biopsy: 7-10 days
Bacterial culture: 3 days
Viral culture: 2-14 days
Fungal culture: 30 days
Blood work: 2-14 days
Holidays, vacations, and special add-on tests may prolong the waiting period.
Laboratory and Biopsy Results
