Sponsored By Sylton;
Improvements in imaging and lighting technology have yielded remarkable leaps forward in the ability to visualize the skin and what is happening within it. Pushing to lead the pack, the Observ 520x from Sylton (Ann Arbor, Mich.) is more than a visualization platform. It is a workflow catalyst as much as an educational and clinical tool, designed to rapidly provide pictures worth much more than 1,000 words. This valuable information can then be used to craft more effective and compelling individualized treatment plans for patients.
Ten seconds is all it takes for the portable Observ 520x to capture consistent high definition (HD) images from five useful angles, employing ten different assessment light modes. The patented face positioning system and hood are designed to maintain consistent placement and isolate the face from contamination by outside light sources. These are essentials for capturing clinically relevant images consistently and reproducibly, according to dermatologist James Wang, MD (Los Angeles, Calif.). “Observ 520x is a fantastic improvement over the technologies we have been relying on for years,” he mentioned, “but you must look past the dazzle to see that the real advantage, by far, is the improvement in workflow. After the patient intake staff can bring patients to the device or wheel it into their room, capture the necessary images, and electronically deliver these as well as related information for immediate review.
“Compare this to what we were used to with the devices we used previously,” Dr. Wang continued, which amounted to a substantially lengthened or even completely separate patient appointment dedicated to the capture and analysis of high-level imaging.” After moving the patient into a separate room to obtain the images, which itself took time, users would then jump through various hoops to successfully shuffle the images wherever they needed to go for further analysis.
This device can be seamlessly integrated into office workflow with immediate impact, explained Dr. Wang. “Images and information are securely sent to wherever needed, including office iPads for immediate use during consultation.”
Observ 520x cloud portal information sharing allows for remote consultation. Patient data is neither transmitted to, nor accessible by, Sylton. Observ 520x itself features ten assessment light modes including Daylight, True UV, WOODS (Wood’s Lamp), Cross and Parallel Polarized, Surface Texture, Pigmentation, Vascularity and 360 Light Mode in both daylight as well as greyscale. “These allow you to visualize different depths and characteristics of skin to isolate problem areas, vascularity and pigment concentrations, and much more. You can quickly click through the image sets at different levels and light modes, which helps the patient as well as the practitioner see what is going on,” explained Dr. Wang. “It also gives you consistent before and after photographs of all types that help reveal results when compared to baseline.
“From a medical perspective we treat things like rosacea, conditions that are not necessarily obvious at the surface of the skin just by looking at a lesion. Observ 520x gives us a much deeper understanding of what the issue is, guiding treatment options rather than us simply trying different things to see what works, which may take weeks. It is really just a more tailored approach, which patients appreciate,” Dr. Wang concluded.
