W
hen the sun does decide to shine on our damp island, it is nigh-on impossible to resist basking in its rays, even if almost every dermatologist and skin expert insists that the sun — and UV rays in particular — are the single worst thing for the skin.
If you are a sunbather, it is important to get check-ups — wrinkles have never killed anyone, but skin cancer has. At OneWelbeck in Marylebone, central London, where a squad of specialist surgeons, doctors and consultants are housed under one roof, is a state-of-the-art Vectra WB360 mole mapping machine — the only one in the UK. You stand inside it, arms akimbo, and within seconds multiple images have been taken of your skin, creating a 360-degree image of your body, with all moles, lesions and areas of pigmentation rendered in high-resolution 3D.
This image is then assessed by a dermatologist, such as Professor Jane Setterfield, who has more than 25 years’ experience in the field. The image is stored on a USB stick and can be compared with subsequent images to monitor changes (this is offered as a standalone check-up, or part of the comprehensive OneWelbeck Health MoT).
The Montrose Clinic in Belgravia uses the Canfield IntelliStudio device, which maps, using the highest-resolution cameras, and magnifies, with the help of AI, any moles that should be monitored or removed then tested with a diagnostic biopsy. Since Montrose is the home of consultant plastic surgeons and derma-tologists, all of this can be done in the comfort of its immaculate interior-designed clinic.
