Most skin cancers are curable when they are found early — and finding them early is exactly what a professional skin exam is for. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for melanoma caught while it is still localized is over 99 percent. Once it has spread to distant organs, that figure falls to 36 percent. The difference between those two numbers is usually nothing more than time — how long a changing spot went unexamined.
At Elect Dermatology in New Braunfels, a full-body skin cancer screening takes about 15 minutes. It is one of the simplest appointments in medicine, and one of the few that can genuinely save your life. If it has been more than a year since a dermatology provider looked at your skin — or if you have never had a professional skin exam at all — this page will tell you exactly what to expect.
Why Skin Cancer Screening Matters in Central Texas
Living in New Braunfels means living in the sun. Between the rivers, the ranches, youth sports, and a sun that barely takes a day off, Central Texans accumulate ultraviolet exposure at a pace most of the country never approaches. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies solar radiation as a Group 1 carcinogen — the same top-tier designation given to tobacco. That exposure is cumulative: the sunburns of your twenties become the suspicious spots of your fifties.
The good news is that skin cancer is also the cancer most visible to a trained eye. It grows on the surface of the body, where a dermatologist can find it in minutes without a single scan, scope, or needle. Screening is how basal cell carcinomas get treated while they are still small, how squamous cell carcinomas are caught before they invade, and how melanoma is found at the stage where survival exceeds 99 percent.
What Happens During Your 15-Minute Screening
A full-body skin exam at Elect Dermatology is quick, private, and painless. You will change into a gown, and your provider will systematically examine your skin from scalp to soles — including easy-to-miss areas like the ears, the back of the neck, between the toes, and under the nails. You are covered except for the area being examined, and you can decline examination of any area you prefer to keep private.
Where a spot deserves a closer look, we use a dermatoscope — a handheld magnifier with polarized light that reveals pigment structures beneath the skin’s surface that the naked eye cannot see. This is not a gadget for show: a meta-analysis published in The Lancet Oncology found that, in trained hands, dermoscopy improved diagnostic accuracy for melanoma by 49 percent compared with naked-eye examination alone. It is the difference between guessing about a mole and actually reading it.
The entire visit takes about 15 minutes. Most patients are back to their day faster than a trip through the H-E-B checkout line.
SkinMap™ Total Body Photography
For patients with many moles or elevated melanoma risk, we offer SkinMap™ total body photography — a full-body photographic scan captured in about 60 seconds. The HIPAA-compliant system organizes the images into a complete map of your skin, so at every future visit your provider can compare today’s skin against your baseline and spot what is new or what has changed. Your clinician makes every assessment; the technology’s job is simply to make change visible.
This baseline-and-compare approach is well supported in the dermatology literature: a long-term study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology following high-risk patients monitored with total body photography and digital dermoscopy found that every melanoma detected was either in situ or thinner than 1 mm — the stages where treatment is simplest and outcomes are best. Total body photography is billed under CPT code 96904 and is reimbursable by Medicare and major carriers for eligible patients; our front desk can help you confirm your coverage.
Curious how mole monitoring works in practice? Our guide to mole mapping and dermoscopy in New Braunfels walks through it step by step.
Who Should Be Screened — and How Often
Our clinical recommendation for most adults is a full-body skin exam once a year. We recommend more frequent checks — every three to six months — for patients with a personal history of skin cancer, atypical (dysplastic) moles, a family history of melanoma, or heavily sun-damaged skin.
You should put screening on your calendar sooner rather than later if any of these describe you: fair skin that burns easily; a history of blistering sunburns or tanning bed use; more than 50 moles; a previous basal cell, squamous cell, or melanoma diagnosis; an immune-suppressing condition or medication; or years of outdoor work. That last one matters more than most people realize — a systematic review in the British Journal of Dermatology found that people with occupational UV exposure had 77 percent higher odds of developing squamous cell carcinoma. If you earn your living under the Texas sun, we wrote about your risk specifically in our article on outdoor workers and skin cancer in Texas.
The ABCDEs: What We Look For — and What You Can Watch For
Between annual exams, the most valuable screening tool is your own attention. Dermatologists evaluate moles using the ABCDE criteria, and you can use the same checklist at home:
- A — Asymmetry: one half of the spot doesn’t match the other.
- B — Border: edges that are ragged, notched, or blurred.
- C — Color: multiple shades of brown, black, red, white, or blue within one spot.
- D — Diameter: larger than about 6 mm — roughly the size of a pencil eraser.
- E — Evolving: any change in size, shape, color, or a spot that starts itching, bleeding, or refusing to heal.
“E” is the one that matters most. A spot that is changing — or a sore that will not heal after several weeks — deserves a professional look regardless of how it scores on the other four letters. And prevention still counts: checking the UV index before long outdoor days and using sunscreen properly (our Texas sun protection guide covers exactly how) lowers the lifetime exposure that drives most skin cancer.
If We Find Something Suspicious
Finding a concerning spot is not a diagnosis — it is the start of a clear, unhurried process. If your provider sees a lesion that warrants investigation, we will discuss it with you on the spot and, in most cases, can perform a small biopsy during the same visit under local anesthetic. The sample goes to a dermatopathology lab, and we call you with results and next steps.
If a skin cancer is confirmed, treatment happens here in New Braunfels. Elect Dermatology offers in-office surgical removal as well as nonsurgical options — including superficial radiation therapy (SRT) for appropriate candidates who cannot or prefer not to have surgery. You can read more about the cancers we treat on our skin cancer overview page. Whatever the finding, you will leave with a plan, not a referral runaround.
Why Have Your Screening at Elect Dermatology
Your skin exam is performed by a team that does this every day: Dr. Stahr and Dr. Hockley, both board-certified dermatologists with decades of combined experience, and Michelle Hockley, physician assistant. We are locally owned, we see all ages — skin cancer screening is just as relevant for a rancher in his seventies as for a fair-skinned teenager who lifeguards all summer — and we typically offer same-week appointments. No long waits, no assembly-line medicine: fifteen focused minutes with a provider whose job is to know your skin.
Common Questions About Skin Cancer Screening in New Braunfels
How long does a skin cancer screening take?
About 15 minutes for a full-body exam. If we add a SkinMap™ total body photography scan, the capture itself takes roughly one more minute.
Does insurance cover a skin cancer screening?
A skin exam is a medical dermatology visit and is generally billed to insurance like any other office visit; copays and deductibles apply per your plan. Total body photography (CPT 96904) is reimbursable by Medicare and major carriers for eligible patients. Our staff can verify your benefits before your appointment.
Does the exam hurt? Do I have to undress completely?
The exam is completely painless — it is a visual inspection with a magnifier. You will wear a gown and be covered except for the area being examined, and you may decline examination of any area.
How should I prepare?
Come with clean skin: no makeup if possible, and remove nail polish if you can, since nails are part of the exam. Wear your hair loose so the scalp is easy to check. Before your visit, note any spots that are new, changing, or bothering you so we can look at those first.
How often should I get screened?
We recommend annual full-body exams for most adults, and every three to six months for patients with a history of skin cancer, atypical moles, or other elevated risk factors. Your provider will give you a personalized interval at your first visit.
I only have one spot I’m worried about. Do I still need a full exam?
Bring it in — we will absolutely look at it. But we recommend the full exam while you are here: patients are good at noticing spots in the mirror and far less likely to catch changes on the back, scalp, or the backs of the legs, which is where a trained exam earns its keep.
Schedule Your Skin Cancer Screening in New Braunfels
Fifteen minutes, once a year. That is the whole ask — and it is the most effective habit in dermatology. Elect Dermatology is located at 2154 Gabriels Place, Suite 103, New Braunfels, TX, serving patients from New Braunfels, Seguin, Schertz, Cibolo, and throughout the Texas Hill Country.
Schedule your skin cancer screening → or call us at (833) 353-2875. Same-week appointments are typically available.