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