What happens at a skin check appointment?
A full body skin check is the foundation of skin cancer diagnosis and includes a full history to determine your individual risk for skin cancer and a head to toe skin examination with a special device called dermatoscope. The dermatoscope is a handheld skin microscope which allows the doctor to see what is just beneath the skin and any concerning patterns to allow early detection of skin cancers.
You will be asked to remove your clothing down to underwear for the examination part so that your doctor can examine your skin generally and each mole individually. This is ideally done without make-up/tinted moisturisers, coloured nail polish or artificial tan. The genital and anus areas are not routinely examined however skin cancer can develop anywhere on skin so please let your doctor know if you have any concerning lesions in this area or you would like this area to be examined.
Rarely, melanoma can also developed in the back of the eye. Because we are not able to routinely check the back of the eyes, it is recommended that you also see your optometrist for a thorough eye examination.
Our Team
Dr Courtney Taylor
