More than 750,000 Australians are treated for a form of skin cancer every year, prompting medical professionals to call for greater awareness.
Deer Park Doctors Clinic doctor Niresh Madhanpall says the practice has recently increased its skin-care services and is encouraging residents to come in for a check.
“We’ve recently invested in a dermascope, which is a significant tool in helping to detect skin cancer,” Dr Madhanpall said.
“The tool allows us to go over skin lesions, which then get uploaded to the clinic phone.
“It picks up things like the height and depth of a lesion.”
Dr Madhanpall said the new service, combined with the warmer weather, had resulted in an increase in the number of people coming in for skin checks.
But he said greater awareness was needed.
“It’s summer, people take off their clothes, they notice things and don’t always do something about it,” he said.
“This allows us to create a detailed mole map and keep on top of anything that could become suspicious.”
Dr Madhanpall said Australians were over-represented in skin cancer, with one in three Australians diagnosed with a form of the disease by the time they are 70.
“This is about improving community health and making a real difference,” he said.
“It’s a new year and an opportune time to get any suspicious spots looked at.”
Tate Papworth
