Our expert doctors and staff for this treatment:
Mole Checks
Palm Clinic doctors provide mole checks and full body skin checks.
What is the best way of detecting and monitoring for skin cancers? The Australasian skin cancer guidelines suggest that a full skin and mole check by an experienced doctor using dermoscopy is the best way to thoroughly review your skin and detect early skin cancers.
Serial photographs such as mole map are clearly useful for detecting change in a mole but dermoscopy shows very early changes in pigmented lesions. The earlier a melanoma is detected (before it thickens) the better the prognosis. Also mole maps do not pick up many early skin cancers such as SCC or BCC.
Our recommendation is to have an annual skin check particularly if you have a past history or family history of skin cancer. Take advantage of Palm Clinic's affiliated provider relationship with Southern Cross Medical Care Society for annual skin checks, biopsies (if required) or skin cancer surgery.
Different skin growths have different causes so this is best discussed once a diagnosis is made. Doctors at Palm Clinic can check the entire skin surface as a check for skin cancer. Mole checks should be a routine for New Zealand adults becasue of our high UV levels related to the hole in the ozone layer. Our melanoma rate is one of the highest in the world.
Palm Clinic doctors are affiliated providers to Southern Cross for annual skin checks, biopsies, liquid nitrogen and skin cancer surgery.
For cosmetic removal of moles and skin growths that do not exhibit any signs of skin cancer, Palm Clinic uses a non surgical treatment called Cosmetic Radiosurgery by Surgitron. The doctors at Palm Clinic can advise clients if this is the best method to treat them. If there is any changes suggestive of skin cancer or melanoma we take a biopsy or perform an elliptical excision to completely remove the skin cancer. This would then be examined histologically at the laboratory.
For cosmetic mole removal Surgitron is able to remove the skin growths without scarring because the growths are simply shaved off level with the skin. That means no surgery, no scars, no bleeding and no stitches.
Moles and skins growths are a problem that many clients have removed because they:
- Are very conscious of the growths and would feel more confident if they were not there.
- Are a result of too much sun exposure – and have been advised to have them removed.
- Moles – usually brown and circular. They may be flat or raised and have even or irregular pigmentation. If they have changed recently they should be checked by a doctor to exclude melanoma (cancer change in the mole).
- Skin Tags - fleshy growths usually on a stalk. They are often seen around the underarm, under breasts or in the groin.
- Seborrhoeic keratoses - look warty and are usually brown in colour. They are soft and often break off if scratched. They are common in people over 35.
- Actinic keratoses - these are hard scaly patches on sun exposed areas of the skin. The scale can be picked off but will always regrow and can lead to skin cancer over time.
- Skin cancers - these are generall basal cell cancers (BCC) or squamous cell cancers (SCC) or melanomas.
- Raised lesions - any growth above the skin is a skin lesion. Most are unimportant but some can be skin cancers so they should be checked by a doctor.
