I have to say I currently feel very disappointed with the attitude of GP’s towards skin cancer checks. When I went for my annual check up of everything with my GP I told her I was thinking o getting a skin cancer check. I was getting everything else checked why not my skin? I have fair skin with many freckles/moles I wouldn’t be able to tell you without them being in an obvious place whether I get new ones or not and whether they are an odd shape or not. What constitutes an ‘odd’ shape or colour? The doctor responded by telling me that it was too expensive and I shouldn’t worry about it, only to show her if there were any I was worried about. Well as I said I don’t know what I should and shouldn’t be worried about and whether there’s any in a hard to reach/see area.
About 2 months ago I noticed one of my little moles had changed colour and was raised. Is this something I should be worried about I wondered? The ads of ‘Wes’ the
young man who died from melanoma ran through my head – better get it checked just to be safe. This time, another doctor, without looking at it all too well decided to have it biopsied and gave me a referral for a dermatologist. Again I asked whether I should have a full body skin check to which she said no, not to worry about it only get something checked if you’re worried. Telling my story to my sister she said that her doctor once told her she was too young to worry about melanoma… really? What about 26 year old Wes?
I wasn’t able to get an appointment with the dermatologist for over 3 months, this didn’t sit well with me, if it was something wouldn’t an extra 3 months be detrimental? So I began to research skin clinics. I was disappointed to find that there are places which charge quite a bit for skin checks, the doctor was right about that. But then someone referred me to a health specialist clinic which specialised in skin cancer checks. AND they bulk billed.
The appointment was extremely easy. I met with a pleasant, thorough doctor who took a history and was more than happy to answer any of my questions. He looked over my whole body, around my scalp, in between toes, behind the ears – the lot. It didn’t hurt, he used a special bright light and glass and then another tool which was like a small magnifying glass with a light for any moles he needed to double check. For peace of mind he suggested I have the questionable mole out, not because it looked like anything but for own reassurance. A few days later he cut the mole out himself which was again easy and very little pain. He did a great job and it healed beautifully… no more questionable mole. He was right the results came back and it was nothing, but I felt a sense of relief.
I appreciated that he took the time to explain what I should look out for and be aware of and that if I was every worried about anything to come back and have it checked. I got my answers, was not left out of pocket and I would recommend them to anyone. In fact after speaking to more people, a few people I know have been to the clinic and had skin cancers removed. Again, peace of mind and reassurance.
It baffled me why GP’s wouldn’t support and encourage people to get their skin checked. According to Cancer Council “Australia is the skin cancer capital of the world. More than 10,300 Australian men and women are diagnosed with a melanoma each year, and an estimated 434,000 people are treated for one or more non-melanoma skin cancers. More than 1850 Australians die from melanoma or non-melanoma skin cancer each year.”
Living in a country like Australia I am also surprised that we don’t have more bulk billing skin checks, it took an expert less than 10 minutes to check my whole body, is that such a drain on the system? wouldn’t we save money down the track, better to prevent than treat etc?
Here is what I learned:
- To be aware of my own skin, to take notice of changes and actually pay attention
- Changes that I should be suspect of – colour changes to moles and irregular shapes (moles/freckles are usually roundish in shape)
- Not to always listen to my doctor. If I am worried about something I should pursue it and not settle for anything less. This mole did turn out to be nothing, but better safe than sorry.
Sun exposure is the cause of around 99% of non-melanoma skin cancers and 95% of melanomas in Australia. However, exposure to small amounts of sunlight is also essential to good health. A balance is required between avoiding an increase in the risk of skin cancer by excessive sun exposure and achieving enough exposure to maintain adequate vitamin D levels. We will be exploring the essential role of Vitamin D in an upcoming post.
For more detailed information about skin cancer and prevention please visit http://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-control-policy/position-statements/sun-smart/
The clinic I visited was Health Specialists http://www.healthspecialists.com.au/SkinCancerServices.html
Remember your body and health is up to you, no one can tell you what to do. If you feel like something is wrong, seek answers and never settle for second best. Please help raise the awareness of the importance of getting your skin checked by sharing this post onto others. Happy sun safety! 🙂