A photographer, haunted by deadly skin cancer, is using his snap-happy talent for good by helping Scots get life-saving mole diagnoses during the pandemic.
Kenny Macfarlane, his mum, dad and close friend have all been struck down with malignant melanomas - a type of skin cancer that can spread to other parts of the body.
The 59-year-old has had five suspicious moles removed, one of which was cancerous, and is due to have two more removed that recently appeared on his arm and shoulder.
But the snapper was shocked to hear that, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Scots must take a clear photograph of their mole and email it to doctors, rather than book a face-to-face appointment.
Fearful for the vulnerable, those who live alone or with moles in hard to reach places, Kenny has offered to take professional pics of locals' moles and markings for free.
To puts minds at ease, he assures that photos can be taken in public places, gardens or in people's homes, with his partner stepping in to help where needed.
Less that 24 hours after announcing his mission, one woman has already had a photo of a mole taken, sent to medics and passed onto dermatologists for further inspection.
Kind-hearted Kenny hopes the gesture will help ensure others get vital diagnoses and stop the spread of this killer disease.
He told the Record: "Taking a photo of a mole is so simple for me to do, yet it can help stop potentially terrible things happening health wise.
"Getting your moles checked is so important.
"A good friend of mine died a couple of years ago after brushing off a mole that got darker.
"A lot of people don't want to pester doctors with moles, especially during the pandemic.
"But malignant melanoma can kill, I know how it can affect people."
Kenny's mum Helen also fell victim to skin cancer a number of years ago, before her death this year aged 91.
A mole on her lower back led to a huge skin graft that left the doting mum both physically and emotionally scarred.
"She was left disfigured," Kenny added.
"The mark was right across her back, she never wore a swimming costume again, you could tell it affected her.
"My dad, Angus, 91, went on to get skin cancer too, just a couple of years ago.
"Again, that started with a mole that he thought nothing about, on his face.
"He too had a skin graft that's scarred one side of his face.
"Only one of my previous five moles was malignant melanoma and my two new moles are yet to be analysed."
With mole pictures on the mind, photographer Kenny came up with the idea of helping others while working on close up shots of diamond rings.
"It got me thinking, I could do this for people with moles," he added.
"The close up images are better than eyesight so will allow dermatologists to spot anything suspicious really quickly.
Kenny reached out on social media, offering to take photos for anyone in his local area.
"The response in just one day has been overwhelming,"Kenny said.
"I've already taken a photo of a mole for one girl, her picture has been passed on to doctors and is now with dermatology.
"Helping just one person makes it all worth it.
"And maybe if other photographers from elsewhere see this, they could help their neighbours too."
If you live in the Battlefield area of Glasgow and require Kenny's services, please message him on Facebook.
For more information on melanoma head to the NHS website.
An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokesman told the Record: "Photographs can be a useful aid as part of a consultation or assessment, and can help to inform next steps including any further referral required.
"All patient cases are treated on an individual basis and there is no blanket approach telling patients to take their own pictures of moles.
"While it may be appropriate and helpful in some cases for patients to share a picture, this would be to inform a consultation not instead of a consultation, and patients may still be asked to come in for an in person review depending on their circumstances.
“We would never ask a patient to take their own picture if they were uncomfortable or not in a position to be able to do so.”
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