Upper Hutt Skin Clinic Say Now is a Good Time to Have a Full Skin Assessment

Thankfully, Kiwis are becoming more aware of the dangers of too much sun, and cancer awareness is front of mind for many people when assessing their health on a yearly basis. Upper Hutt Skin Clinic say it is important to set up regular appointments to keep an eye on changes and have regular examinations by a trained, accredited skin cancer doctor. The importance and effectiveness of early melanoma detection cannot be overemphasised, and the survival rate for someone in early stages is remarkable.

Unfortunately, as the disease progresses, survival rates go down dramatically, and one of the easiest ways to assess the signs of melanoma is through a simple ABC’of skin cancer test. A mole needs to have an Appearance that does not change rapidly. If you have a mole that suddenly grows larger or is raised from the surface of the skin, get it checked out.

If the mole is benign, it will normally have Borders, which are even and regular. A mole with jagged edges is also one that needs to be evaluated by a professional. ‘C’ is for the Colour of the mole, which should be normal as well. Moles are usually a shade of brown, and any other colour should be looked at, before it is dismissed as being nothing to worry about.

When you visit the Upper Hutt Skin Clinic for your initial consultation, their highly trained Doctors and Nurses will give you a full skin assessment. This involves a full body skin examination with Dermatoscopy. A dermatoscope is a hand held instrument which uses epiluminescence microscopy to look deep into your skin, allowing their trained doctors to recognise the microscopic signs of skin cancer. It also gives you confidence that moles are normal and do not require excision.

Your risk of skin cancer will then be assessed using New Zealand guidelines. A Personalised Management Plan will be developed, based on examination findings and risk. You will also be given recommendations and advice on treatments and skin care.

Following your full skin assessment you may require some treatment to remove or test a skin lesion or to treat areas of sun damaged skin. This will be discussed with you following your appointment, and a treatment plan which you are comfortable with agreed upon. You can feel safe in the knowledge that your risk for skin cancer has been assessed using the latest technology and you are in experienced hands, so for more information on skin tag removal, mole checks and mole removal please go to www.uhskinclinic.co.nz .