Skin checks – teaming up against skin cancer

Congratulations to our very own Dr. Eunice Sales for passing the Skin Cancer Certificate exam! And a big Thank You to The Cancer Council for sponsoring further GP skin cancer training.

The SunSmart training program chose 170 Victorian GPs to receive further training in early skin cancer detection. Dr. Eunice was one of the successful candidates to be offered to this sought after training opportunity.

Skin cancer is the 5th most common cancer in men and women. Before you exclaim ‘Give me a break – I’ve had enough bad news already this year!’, hang in there one more minute. The thing is that most skin cancer can be treated very successfully. But in order to treat we need to know that skin cancer has developed in the first place. So early diagnosis is the key! You can do most of it yourself:

• Check all of your skin, not just sun exposed areas. A small mirror can be useful with areas you’d otherwise find difficult to inspect yourself.
• If you notice anything unusal, including any new spots or a change in shape, colour or size of a pre-existing spot, visit your GP as soon as possible.

At Eleanor Clinic we use a specialised dermatoscope to do skin surface microscopy to assess the spot for any suspicious changes. Sometimes a small skin procedure is necessary to get a tissue sample for a definite diagnosis.

Your team at Eleanor Clinic is trained to perform skin biopsies and excisions of moles. If a lesion requires more complex surgery we work hand in hand with skin specialists to further assess and manage these.