If months-long wait times and out-of-pocket costs are stopping you from booking a skin check appointment with a dermatologist in private practice, perhaps it’s time to consider an Accredited Skin Cancer Doctor.
Any skin check is better than none.
Outside of avoiding UV exposure and sun damage altogether, early detection is proven to be one of the most important defences against melanoma. If detected early, in situ or ‘early-stage’ melanoma is relatively straightforward to treat with surgery alone.
At least 90% of melanomas caught early are curable.
And while nobody is closer to your skin than you, which makes you your own best ‘first’ line in defence of skin cancer, having regular skin checks by a medical professional is more than important.
A skin check could literally save your life.
What is an Accredited Skin Cancer Doctor?
In Australia, an Accredited Skin Cancer Doctor is “an experienced GP who has completed significant additional training and assessment in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.”
They may work within a general practice or within a skin cancer clinic. Regardless of the type of practice, though, you can feel safe knowing they are skilled and accredited in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of skin cancer.
Where to go: your GP, a skin cancer clinic, or dermatologist?
Where to go for a skin check is your decision.
While your first preference might be your GP (like Richi, whose GP diagnosed a melanoma during a routine health check), skin cancer clinics staffed by skin cancer ‘specialist GPs’ are increasingly common.
Dermatologists – medical doctors who have gone on to specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer and other conditions of the skin, hair, nails, and mouth – have many additional years of training under their belts, so your out-of-pocket costs are going to be higher at a dermatologist’s private rooms than at your GP.
Interestingly, studies have shown that numbers needed to treat (NNT) – a measure assessing the effectiveness of a healthcare intervention such as the removal of a mole for biopsy – in ‘specialist’ skin cancer clinics (run or staffed by GPs) compare similarly with generalised GP practices. Diagnostic accuracy is also similar at skin cancer clinics and general practice.
Unsurprisingly, given their many years of specialisation, dermatologists have the lowest NNT of all.
Benefits of seeing an Accredited Skin Cancer Doctor
There are a few great benefits of seeing an Accredited Skin Cancer Doctor, including:
- You don’t need a referral
- No additional specialty fees
- They have undertaken advanced, accredited training and testing
- They’re easy to find using the handy search tool at scanyourskin.org
Above all, the most important take away of all, when thinking about skin checks is this: any skin check is better than no skin check at all.
For more information or to find your nearest Accredited Skin Cancer Doctor, visit scanyourskin.org today.
