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.