Dr Thomas Stuttaford's next online forum (live on February 20, after 1pm) is : moles and skin cancer. To ask the doctor your question on this topic and to read other recent topics he has answered click here

After months of being battered by more winter viruses than usual, the less than hardy can now creep out into the sun without having to face a cold drizzle. In February the sun at last seems to have some power in its rays. Not surprisingly, the ancient belief, inspired by the increasing volume of the dawn chorus, thought that St Valentine’s Day was the appointed time for the birds to begin to mate.

The sun may now tempt the slothful to exercise, but it is still too low in the sky for its rays to stimulate the body in laying down vitamin D. By now our vitamin D levels are running low. Inadequate exposure to sunlight in summer will deprive people of the vitamin that protects them from osteoporotic brittle bones and several common cancers.

The risk of developing a melanoma, a malignant mole, or other skin cancers, has made some people wary of sunlight. But if you treat the sun with respect, in moderation it is beneficial, even essential, to health. But you must remember to use enough sunscreen strong enough to keep out UVA and UVB rays, wear long-sleeved shirts and a hat and to sit in the shade.

We are used to checking breasts. Most doctors accept that mammography, MRI scanning, possibly with ultrasound and biopsy when necessary, are needed for efficient breast examination. Similarly, the cervix, the heart and the prostate can be examined effectively with sophisticated diagnostic aids. Less well understood is the need to check regularly to make certain that childhood and adolescent sunburn hasn’t led to the formation of malignant moles.

Unfortunately, the hazy memory of a GP or a doctor’s nurse, supplemented by a cursory glance at the mole, was for years considered an adequate way of checking patients’ skin. Skin-screening clinics, such as those that have revolutionised the approach to skin cancer in Australia, have become established in Britain over the past ten years. These clinics must attain certain standards. Whether patients are seen at the request of GPs or just walk in, there must be a good rapport between the clinics and the patients’ doctors.

The clinics should offer detailed photographic mapping of a patient’s skin as a baseline record of his or her complete skin surface. High definition is essential. Two types of viewing and recording equipment are available to analyse the structure of the mole and the skin under and around it. Both have their advocates. Some clinics have computer-aided dermoscopy, others the more expensive but less used SIAscopy. Both systems provide a good microscopic picture of the structure of the mole without breaking the skin, but SIAscopy possibly gives a better image overall of the patient’s skin condition. As of April, MoleNet at selected Boots stores will offer excellent medical supervision, by appoinment. The SIAscopy makes a high-definition assessment of any suspicious mole by an expert and gives an opinion of the general condition of the skin. As yet there is no arrangement for medical photographic mapping of the patient, but this is under consideration. The cost will be £49 for every three moles analysed.

Mole Monitor service, now at 1 Harley Street, provides first-class skin mapping and computerised dermoscopic analysis of relevant moles. It works closely with dermatologists and GPs and provides a noninvasive service that gives patients peace of mind and doctors a good indication of what their patients need. The cost is £195 for the mapping and £165 for six moles. A discounted price of £315 for both is available.

The Mole Clinic has its own flagship in Argyll Street, and 20 larger branches of Superdrug work with the clinic, which is also providing medical photographic skin mapping and mole analysis. It charges £45 for analysis of the first mole and £20 for each subsequent one. A whole body map costs £195, the back alone £65.

MoleNet: at Boots: 0800 0854428

Mole Monitor: 020-7291 0945 www.molemonitor.co.uk

The Mole Clinic: 020-7734 1177 www.themoleclinic.co.uk