Before your skin check appointment

To help get the most out of your skin check, consider checking your own skin first, so you can point out the skin spots you are concerned about.

It is not routine for the doctor to examine your genitals, however skin cancers sometimes do occur in these areas. We encourage you to check your genitals prior to your full body skin check, and the doctor will check any skin spots that you have noticed. We have both male and female doctors available to carry out Full Body Skin Checks.

Please visit the following independent websites on skin self-examination: Cancer Council QLD ,  Knowyourownskin and Scanyourskin.

Heading to your skin check appointment

On the day of your skin check it is essential that your skin is not covered by foundation, makeup or nail polish. Any makeup will need to be removed at the practice and if required re-applied after your consultation.

What to expect at your skin check appointment

A skin check generally starts with an assessment of your skin cancer risk and a review of your general medical history including any medication. The latter is not only for consideration of your risk of skin cancer, but also for any biopsies or procedures that may be required in the future.

Each doctor has their own routine of executing a skin check, but in general will cover all skin and the use of a hand help skin microscope called a dermatoscope. As above your genitals and breast will not routinely be examined, but let us know if you are concerned about any lesion or if you want any additional skin area examined.

You may wish to have only one spot examined and we will certainly not force you to undergo a full skin examination. We would, however, advise a full skin check as most cancers we find are not detected by the patient.

If a lesion is found during your skin check

In the unfortunate case a suspicious lesion is identified, we may carry out a biopsy of this lesion.

It is possible that you have a skin cancer that is undetectable at the time of your skin check. Although most skin cancers take several years to develop or become invasive, some aggressive types can develop in several months. Therefor it is important to keep an eye out for changing lesions in between your skin check and not to become complacent.