Conventional medicine
Every new, growing, or changing skin lesion gets examined, photographed, and biopsied if suspicious. Skin cancer outcomes are excellent when caught early, the bottleneck is showing up.
Skin-health / monitoring
Once cancer is ruled out, the skin is an organ that responds to UV, sleep, gut health, and inflammation. The holistic track is prevention, surveillance discipline, and supporting healing, NOT replacing biopsy of a suspicious lesion.
Initial exam. Photograph the lesion with a ruler. Triage: clearly benign (skip), needs in-person derm, or urgent referral.
Any lesion meeting ABCDE (Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter >6mm, Evolving) gets evaluated. This page is for cleared, stable lesions and prevention, not replacement of biopsy.
Full-body skin exam if first-time. Dermoscopy of the lesion. Mole map / digital photography for high-risk patients (≥50 nevi, family history, prior melanoma).
Photograph every “watch” lesion with a coin or ruler for scale. Date-stamped folder. Repeat every 1-3 months. Diff against baseline.
Shave (raised lesions), punch (full-thickness sample), or excisional (whole lesion + margin). Pathology in 5-10 days.
Broad-spectrum SPF 30+ daily, reapplied. Wide-brim hat, UPF clothing for outdoor work. Topical retinoid 3-7x / wk (reduces actinic damage, AK progression).
BCC / SCC: standard excision or Mohs (face / high-risk sites). Melanoma: wide local excision ± sentinel lymph node biopsy by stage. Benign lumps: excise if symptomatic.
Reduce ultra-processed food, vegetable-oil-heavy diet. Increase fatty fish (omega-3), polyphenols, vitamin D. Hydration. Sleep 7-9 hr. Stress: any wound-healing chronic stressor.
Skin exam frequency: every 12 mo (no history), every 3-6 mo (post-melanoma, high-risk). New / changing lesions get photographed and re-biopsied as needed.
Self-exam quarterly with photos. Annual full-body derm screen (free at many derm practices). ABCDE check on every new lesion >6mm.
Every step has a price.
Here’s what we found.
We called clinics across Austin and pulled cash-pay quotes. Click any tile for the full provider list, phone numbers, and last-verified dates.
Who built
track B.
All four sources here are dermatologists or MDs. Track B is not a replacement for biopsy, it’s for prevention, surveillance, and supporting healing.
Gut-skin axis. "Skin cycling" routine: retinoid → exfoliant → recovery nights. Anti-inflammatory diet.
Evidence-graded skincare. SPF + retinoid are the only two with strong cancer-prevention data.
Skin reflects systemic inflammation. Sugar, ultra-processed food, vegetable oils → skin flares.
Public-facing derm education. "If it changes, biopsy it", demystifies cysts, lipomas, and what looks scary.
- AAD Clinical Practice GuidelinesSpecialty body
- JAMA Derm · Mohs vs excisionMeta-analysis
- NCCN Cutaneous MelanomaGuidelines
- Dr. Whitney Bowe · The Beauty of Dirty SkinDermatologist
- Dr. Shereene Idriss · PillowtalkDermDermatologist
- Dr. Mark Hyman · functional medicineMD · author
- JAAD · Topical retinoid + SCC preventionRCT