Skin checks.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world. Current clinical guidelines do not recommend systematic skin cancer screening. However, in clinical practice many general practitioners do provide skin checks for their patients.

OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the rationale for skin checks, provides a suggested approach to performing skin checks and outlines the role of dermatoscopy and medical photography. A summary of the 10 most common benign lesions encountered during skin checks is also discussed and tips to help interpret pathology reports are provided.

DISCUSSION: The high prevalence of skin cancer among Australia's population, together with 30 years of public health campaigns such as SunSmart, has raised community awareness and anxiety about skin cancer. The importance of early detection and regular skin self examination is generally well understood in the community. What is less well understood is where to go for a skin check, when to have a skin check and whether to have skin photography or computer assisted diagnosis.