Skin cancer risk in Sydney
Approximately two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer during their lifetime, with more than 750,000 people treated for one or more non-melanoma skin cancers in Australia each year. In Sydney, of course, this is no different. The risk of skin cancer is the highest in the world together with New Zealand. You might be aware of this risk and know what to do – but just to give you some pointers (or refresh your memory) on how to avoid any issues:
- Use sunscreen every day, even when the sun is not out. Make sure to use a sunscreen with SPF of 30 or higher and re-apply every 2 hours when you are outside.
- Wear protective clothing and a hat to keep you safe from exposure to UV.
- Stay out of the sun during the hottest hours of the day. If you need to be outside, seek some shade.
What does a normal mole look like?
Self-check as a first step
When you are uncomfortable with any spot on your skin, make sure to take a closer look. A self-check is always a good first step. You can join the SkinVision program and download the app to get started – which will enable you to perform self-checks on any skin spot you might worry about. You will receive an instant risk indication when the photo is processed by our machine learning algorithm.
All high-risk skin spots receive extra personal advice from our doctors on the next steps to take.
Skin cancer clinic Sydney – what are your options?
Have you been diagnosed with skin cancer or did you get a high-risk indication with the SkinVision app? A skin cancer specialist should perform a further examination to establish what exactly is going on with your skin and what the treatment options are.
To find an appropriate skin cancer clinic in Sydney, we advise you to head over to the Skin Cancer College Australasia website. They have created a database of accredited skin cancer doctors. Just search for ‘Sydney’ to see the list of doctors and clinics in your area
