Newer guy here going down the article and podcast wormhole and after listening to the podcast about unnecessary screenings I wanted to see if there is an evidence based answer to should/when should you get a general screening by a dermatologist? I’ve heard that’s something you should do on an annual basis in order to have a dermatologist go over your whole body to look for potential issues.
Going by the general discussion in the podcast it would seem like you would not need to if you were asymptomatic but this could be something you can’t see well or even know what something is that would be considered symptomatic.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated, thanks for all the knowledge you have already opened my eyes to.
Unfortunately there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend this on a broad scale in asymptomatic, average-risk general population, as discussed in detail here: Recommendation: Skin Cancer: Screening | United States Preventive Services Taskforce , although there is active controversy around the question as well.
As mentioned in the recent screening podcast, things may differ for particular risk sub-groups however. For example, for patients who have a history of skin cancers, those who are on certain immunosuppressive medications (e.g., azathioprine), who have particular genetic conditions may be advised to pursue regular screenings.
Thank you, I can see how this would have some controversy and be more complicated than something like getting tested for low T