Skin Checks

Safe Skin by Aspiring Medical Centre offers advanced, evidence based skin cancer detection, using techniques recommended by the Skin Cancer College of Australasia. 'Spot Check' and 'Skin Scan' use digital dermoscopy and 'Skin Snapshot' uses Total Body Photography. All three of these techniques facilitate the detection and treatment of skin cancer, before it becomes a threat to your health. Our doctors are specially trained in the technology and these procedures.

Dermoscopy: Spot Check:

Who needs a Spot Check?

You should consider a Spot Check if you are concerned about 1-2 spots on your skin and are at high risk of skin cancer, which is if you are in one of the following groups:

• You have had melanoma or another type of skin cancer yourself.
• Someone in your family has had melanoma.
• You or someone in your family have multiple, abnormal looking moles.
• If you are developing new moles.
• You are taking medications that suppress your immune system.

Why do I need a Spot Check?

The majority of skin cancer is best detected with examination of individual blemishes on your skin. 20% of melanomas develop from existing moles. Existing moles that become melanoma often look normal to the naked eye in their earliest stage. Dermoscopy gives the best opportunity to catch melanoma at its earliest stage, when it is most curable.

What does a Spot Check involve?

• We use a dermatoscope to look at 1-2 moles individually, using the benefit of 10x magnification and different waveforms of light to determine their cancerous potential.
• Individual moles can be photographed digitally if necessary.
• If, following a Spot Check, you need a Skin Snapshot appointment, our team will recommend this and arrange it with you.
• Dermoscopy doesn’t require all your skin surface to be visible at once. Pieces of clothing can be taken off individually so each mole can be examined.
• Skin in the breast, genital, and buttock areas is not routinely examined, so you will need to advise the doctor if there are spots in these areas that you would like checked.Your comfort and dignity is of utmost concern at all times.
• If the doctor identifies moles or lesions which need to be removed, we will make you a follow-up appointment for this procedure.If the doctor recommends that you have additional spots examined during the Spot Check, then we will arrange a Skin Scan appointment, which typically takes 30 minutes.
• A standard Spot Check takes approximately 15 minutes and is the cost of a standard consultation fee for enrolled patients.

Dermoscopy: Skin Scan

Who needs a Skin Scan?

You should consider a Skin Scan using dermoscopy if you are at high risk of skin cancer, which is if you are in one of the following groups:

• You have had melanoma or another type of skin cancer yourself.
• Someone in your family has had melanoma.
• You or someone in your family have multiple, abnormal looking moles.
• You have more than 50 moles.If you are developing new moles.
• You are taking medications that suppress your immune system.

Why do I need a Skin Scan?

The majority of skin cancer in New Zealand is not melanoma and this is best detected with examination by dermoscopy of individual blemishes on your skin. 20% of melanomas develop from existing moles. Existing moles that become melanoma often look normal to the naked eye in their earliest stage. Dermoscopy gives the best opportunity to catch melanoma at its earliest stage when it is most curable.

What does a Skin Scan, using Dermoscopy, involve?

• We use a state of the art dermatoscope to look at each of your moles individually, using the benefit of 10x magnification and different waveforms of light to determine their cancerous potential.
• Individual moles can be photographed digitally if necessary.
• If, following a Skin Scan, you need a Skin Snapshot appointment, our team will recommend this and arrange it with you.
• Dermoscopy doesn’t require all your skin surface to be visible at once. Pieces of clothing can be taken off individually so each mole can be examined.
• Skin in the breast, genital, and buttock areas is not routinely examined, so you will need to advise the doctor if there are spots in these areas that you would like checked.Your comfort and dignity is of utmost concern at all times.
• If the doctor identifies moles or lesions which need to be removed, we will make you a follow-up appointment for this procedureThe cost of a 30 minute Skin Scan appointment is $150 for enrolled patients. 

Total Body Photography: Skin Snapshot

New Zealand has the highest rate of melanoma skin cancer in the world. Every year more than 4,000 of us are diagnosed with this life-threatening disease, which is around 13 people per day. 300 people per year will die from it.

If it is detected and diagnosed early enough, melanoma can be cured easily, by removal of the mole.

Total Body Photography, which we call Skin Snapshot, can help with the early detection of melanoma and other types of skin cancer in people who are at high risk. This tool is used by leading medical centres and skin cancer specialists worldwide, to help identify melanoma early enough to be cured.

Who needs Skin Snapshot?

You should consider Skin Snapshot if you are at high risk of skin cancer, which is if you are in one of the following groups:

• You have had melanoma yourself.
• Someone in your family has had melanoma.
• You or someone in your family have multiple abnormal looking moles.
• You have more than 50 moles.
• If you are developing new moles.
• If you have had more than a few non-melanoma type skin cancers.
• You are taking medications that suppress your immune system.

Why do I need Skin Snapshot using TBP?

• Only 20% of melanomas develop from existing moles, so any new mole should be treated with suspicion.
• Melanomas developing from normal skin often look normal to the naked eye when they first appear.
• Harmless new moles over the age of 40 are considered unusual, over the age of 50 they are suspicious and highly suspicious over the age of 60.
• TBP helps you keep track of new moles if it is difficult for you to do so.
• TBP gives you or your doctor a baseline to compare with, enabling diagnosis of melanoma at the earliest stage in moles that change or are new and preventing unnecessary biopsies of moles that haven’t changed.

What does Skin Snapshot using TBP involve?

• We use a high resolution digital SLR camera and 23 standardised poses.This allows changes to be observed in existing moles or new moles to be identified, assisting in the diagnosis of skin cancer, including melanoma.
• Skin Snapshot is conducted with patients wearing their own underwear, preferably brief style, as not to obstruct too much skin surface. Your comfort and dignity is of utmost concern at all times. You are welcome to bring a chaperone, if you so choose.
• Skin in the breast, genital, and buttock areas is not routinely examined, so you will need to advise the doctor if there are spots in these areas that you would like checked.Your Snapshot images are only available to doctors involved in your care at Aspiring Medical Centre. We recommend you keep a copy of your images for yourself, to assist with your own skin cancer self-checks monthly.
• For no additional cost, you can securely download a copy to your personal computer. It is not a requirement that Skin Snapshot be done annually. A single baseline group of images provides useful information into the future.
• If the doctor identifies moles or lesions which need to be removed, we will make you a follow-up appointment for this procedure.The cost of a 45 minute Skin Snapshot appointment is $250 for enrolled patients. 

Please contact our friendly reception team on 03 443 0725 to book an appointment, or for further information.