By now, you know how important it is to check yourself for signs of skin cancer. With Australia seeing an increase in melanoma cases (in fact, 30 people in the country are diagnosed with skin cancer every day), it’s never been more critical to stay on top of the biggest indicators for skin cancer, including your genetic risks and any odd moles or marks on your body.

Giving yourself a skin examination every couple of months is an essential habit for early skin cancer detection, as they allow you to spot and track potential signs of this deadly disease. While we’ve explored how to identify potential skin cancer symptoms, here’s a quick rundown of how to perform a full body skin check:

• Examine your face, neck, chest and stomach for any moles, pimple-like marks, or pink rashes that don’t respond to creams or steroids;

• Look over your legs and feet – be sure to check between the toes and the soles;

• Use a hand mirror to examine your buttocks, the back of your thighs, and the back of your neck.

Take note of any unique moles, pimples, or rashes that appear to be new or have changed shape and/or color.

In addition to performing this full body skin exam, individuals should understand how their family history plays a role in their risks for skin cancer. If any family members have been diagnosed with melanoma or basal cell skin cancer, you should prioritize regular skin examinations with a skin cancer expert.

At Wellcare Medical Centre in Kingston, our medical professionals can provide a full-scale risk assessment to better understand your skin cancer needs. Once these assessments have been conducted, we’ll come up with a regular schedule of exams to maximize early detection. Our skin cancer management services include:

• Comprehensive head-to-toe skin examination
• Record of all skin lesions
• Sequential monitoring of moles over time
• Surgical excision of skin cancer

Did you know that we offer a free service where you only need to submit an image of a mole or spot to images@wmc.org.au and evaluate these concerns for you?!

Don’t become a melanoma statistic. Contact Wellcare Medical Centre in Kingston today to schedule your skin cancer management risk assessment.

When it comes to taking care of your skin, you know to check for new moles, moles that change size or color, and skin lesions. But did you know that there are certain types of melanoma symptoms that can be tricky to spot?

Not all melanoma looks the same. While we’ve been taught to look out for dark-colored or pigmented moles, there are a few types of skin cancer symptoms that can fly under the proverbial radar. Take a look at what they are, and how you can spot them during your next skin exam:

• Amelanotic Melanomas: This is a type of melanoma that appears pink in color, almost like a rash; the melanoma appears flat and smooth. If you have a pink rash that’s never responded to anti-fungal or steroid creams, you should schedule an appointment with a skin cancer expert.

• Nodular Melanoma: Have a stubborn pimple that won’t seem to go away? There’s a possibility it might be a nodular melanoma or basal cell skin cancer, as they look just like a pimple.

• Moles with Discoloration: If your mole has a whitish or pinkish color in the middle of it, this could be a sign of skin cancer. You’ll want to carefully track these moles to see if any discoloration changes or expands within the mole.

• Superficial Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): This type of basal cell skin cancer can often look like a shiny pink lump, a patch of psoriasis, or fungal infection.

• Infiltrative/Morphoeic BCC: This skin cancer resembles a scar-like lesion; if you don’t remember how you got that scar, and it’s in an area that’s often exposed to the sun, you should contact your doctor right away.

• Pigmented BCC: This type of basal cell skin cancer looks like a discolored mole, which changes colors over time.

• Squamous Cell Carcinoma: This skin cancer usually looks like a scaly lump; however, there are some types that look flat, smooth and pink. Superficial types of this skin cancer can look like a patch of psoriasis or a fungal infection.

Stay in –the-know about your melanoma risks. At Wellcare Medical Centre in Kingston, we specialize in skin cancer and melanoma detection. We use state-of-the-art technology to help diagnose and catch melanoma at its earliest stages, making treatment much more likely to be successful. Contact Wellcare Medical Centre in Kingston today to schedule your skin cancer management consultation.

Tag Archives: skin cancer symptoms Brisbane

What To Look for in a Full Body Skin Check

Why Certain Melanoma Can Be Tricky to Spot