When’s the last time you went to a doctor’s appointment – your yearly physical or typical check-up?
If thinking about the answer to this question makes you wince, you’re not alone.
Because, if you’re like most Americans, life has probably gotten in the way of more than one annual doctor’s visit over the years. Since the onset of the pandemic 18 months ago, proactive and preventative health measures have ground to a halt for many of us. And that’s no surprise. Hospitals and doctors’ offices have been the last places we want to be, if we can help it, as we watch COVID statistics rise. Whether it’s genuine fear or a good excuse for our continued inertia – or a combination of the two – COVID-19 has taken an incredible toll on preventative health. In a study conducted by The Journal of the American Medical Association, 41% of American adults reported forgoing medical care in the early months of the pandemic. And among those who reported needing care, nearly 60% missed their scheduled preventative care appointments.1 This trend ensures two things: people are presenting with health problems later, and they’re presenting sicker.
Skin cancer is no exception.
Proactive, preventative care has always been our greatest weapon against skin cancer. All of us have skin, and 1 in 5 of us will develop skin cancer by age 70. But unlike other cancers, skin cancer is incredibly easy – and cost effective – to catch and treat early. The trick, of course, is getting proactive skin checks from your physician or dermatologist at least once a year. Like all types of preventative cancer screenings, professional skin checks experienced a dramatic fall-off in 2020. Between March and May, skin cancer diagnoses dropped by 46% compared to the same time in 2019.2 As a result, incidence of skin cancer – already at record highs – is poised to become another true pandemic.
But the future is not yet written. And there’s still time to change how the story ends.
SkinIO lets you bring preventive skin screening home or to your workplace. So that everyone can keep up with their annual skin health checks and protect themselves from the most common form of cancer. SkinIO is quick, easy to use, and cheaper than a doctor’s visit. All you need is 10 minutes, a photo-taking partner, spouse, or friend, and a smartphone. After your partner takes photos of your skin using the SkinIO platform, those photos are automatically removed from your phone, securely sent to an expert dermatologist for review, and results arrive by email a few days later.
Skin cancer is simply too pervasive, too important, and too easy to detect and deal with early to be allowed to languish the way it currently is. With SkinIO, we can all keep up with our annual skin health checks and protect ourselves from the most common form of cancer – without leaving home.
Ready to Learn More? Contact SkinIO at hello@skinio.com.
1: https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/why-41-patients-have-skipped-care-during-covid-19-pandemic
2: https://www.verywellhealth.com/covid-19-skin-cancer-diagnosis-delays-5104970
