Dr Sarah MacDonald
Skin CancerSurgical Procedures
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in Australia.
Australia is the skin cancer capital of the world with 2 out of every 3 Australians diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime.
Anyone with an increased risk of skin cancer requires a professional skin cancer check. These risk factors include:
Following your skin check, your doctor will advise you when to return for your next skin check.
If you have had many skin cancers before, you may need skin checks every 3 to 6 months.
Looking at your own skin from head to toe, front to back, every 1 to 3 months, helps identify skin cancers early. Early detection of skin cancer reduces the chance of surgery or, in the case of a serious melanoma or other skin cancer, potential disfigurement or even death
Perform your regular self-skin checks with your routine self-breast and/or testicular self-examinations, therefore you won’t forget to do one without the other. By getting to know your “normal” skin, you will be able to detect sinister lesions earlier
Make sure you look everywhere, even where the sun doesn’t shine, as not all skin cancers are due to sun damage. Therefore, look between your fingers, toes, palms, soles of feet, armpits, groin, buttocks as well as under your fingernails and toenails.
If you don’t look (at certain areas of your body), you won’t know (if a skin cancer is present)!
As you SCAN your skin, think of SCAN (Sore, Changing, Abnormal or New). If you find a spot or lesion that is:
Sore: A spot which is either sore, scaly, itchy, bleeding, tender and doesn’t heal within 6 weeks.
Changing: in size, shape, colour or texture, especially over a short period of time (like a few months).
Abnormal: If a spot looks or feels abnormal to your “family of spots”, it’s an “ugly duckling”!
New: Spots appearing on your skin recently, especially if you’re over 40 years old!
If you find a spot or mole of concern, book in “spot check” with your doctor, or a full skin check (if you have not had one within the last 12 months). Take a photo of the lesion you’re concerned about for your doctor to review and compare.
Dr Sarah MacDonald
Skin CancerSurgical Procedures
Dr Min Yin Huang
MBBS; FRACGP; DCH; FPAA Nat Cert
Acute IllnessAntenatal CareChild Health ServicesChronic Disease Prevention & ManagementMental HealthReproductive HealthSexual HealthSkin CancerSurgical ProceduresTravel HealthWork Health
Dr Winnie Yao
MBBS; Paed Cert; FRACGP; SH+FPA
Acute IllnessAlopecia Areata TreatmentAntenatal CareChild Health ServicesChronic Disease Prevention & ManagementMental HealthReproductive HealthSexual HealthSkin CancerTravel HealthWomen’s HealthWork Health
Dr Akshay Flora
MD; MMed (Paeds) (USYD 2020); MRes (Derm)
Acute IllnessMental HealthSexual HealthSkin CancerSurgical ProceduresTravel HealthWork Health
Dr Andrew Trang
MBBS (Adelaide); FRACGP; Prof. Cert Dermoscopy; Adv. Cert Skin Cancer Surgery
Skin CancerSurgical Procedures
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