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Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Australia with 50 % of Australians expected to have at least one skin cancer by the time they turn 80. Most are not fatal but can be disfiguring if not treated early.

Melanoma is a fatal skin cancer. It is the number one cancer in those under 40 and the 3rd most common cancer in those over 40. If it is picked up early, a life can be saved.

If you would like to know your risk of getting melanoma, a calculator has been devised by the Victorian Melanoma Service (www.victorianmelanomaservice.org)

We provide a full range of surgical treatments that can be performed under local anesthetic. These include biopsies for diagnosis, simple removal of skin cancers, skin flaps and skin grafts.

For patients with very advanced lesions or who are not suitable for outpatient treatment, an appropriate specialist referral will be given. You are of course free to request referral to and receive treatment by another practitioner.

We provide preventive advice in order to help you avoid skin cancer. We recommend avoiding the midday sun, using SPF 30 sunscreens, wearing protective long sleeved clothing and hats. We recommend a comprehensive skin examination, not just looking at one spot that may be of concern to you.

We have found that most melanoma patients were not aware of the lesion themselves at the time of diagnosis. This is because some of the signs we recognize can only be seen on magnification or on comparison with previous mole images that have been recorded with our imaging equipment.

Moles are very common. The chance of an individual mole turning dangerous (ie. into melanoma) is very low. More than half of melanomas arise from normal appearing skin. Therefore, even if all moles were removed from your skin, we would less than halve the risk of you developing melanoma. For these reasons we only remove moles that are “suspicious” i.e. are looking or behaving like melanoma.

We advise patients to check their own skin every 3-4 months. This is best done in front of a full length mirror. To check the skin of your back you can use a hand held mirror in front of the full length mirror. This enables you to comfortably check your skin without straining your neck. If any spot looks irregular (see melanoma pictures), or has changed in any way, you should see your doctor immediately. Remember that the majority of melanoma have no symptoms when they are found. Some may be itchy, and bleeding is a late sign. Melanomas, like other skin cancers, are only very rarely irritating to the touch. In the majority of cases they are detected solely by their appearance.