Our Asquith Medical Centre aims to provide quality health care to the local Asquith and the surrounding community.

Our experienced General Practitioners’ both Male & Female, offer you a range of services including skin checks. Our medical centre located in Asquith is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to provide you with the best in our medical analysis. Give us a call on 02 9477 4400. 

Our doctors provide you with consistently professional health services of the highest standard in your surrounding local community. Our Asquith Medical Centre ensures our staff are passionate about providing our health services and an incredible experience for our patients.

Asquith Doctors is a fully accredited general practice which provides quality health services in Asquith and the surrounding communities. We are proud to provide a complete health service with in-house physiotherapy, dietetics, psychology, chiropractic.

We offer bulk billing for all patients with a valid Medicare card. There are some exceptions to this, such as work-related consultations. Book your skin check with us today!

What is skin cancer?

Skin cancer occurs when skin cells are damaged, for example, by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Skin cancers that are diagnosed and treated early can be cured.

Treatment

Almost all skin cancers can be treated successfully if diagnosed and treated early. However if not treated, some types of skin cancer can be fatal.

Skin cancers are almost always removed. In more advanced skin cancers, some of the surrounding tissue may also be removed to make sure that all of the cancerous cells have been taken out.

The most common treatment for skin cancer is surgery to remove the cancer (usually under a local anaesthetic). Common skin cancers can be treated with ointments or radiotherapy. Skin cancer can also be removed with cryotherapy (using liquid nitrogen to rapidly freeze the cancer off), curettage (scraping) or cautery (burning).

asquith skin check

Prevention

When protecting yourself from the sun you should:

 

  • Seek the shade, especially between 10 AM and 4 PM.
  • Avoid tanning and never use UV tanning beds.
  • Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
  • Use a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.
  • Use a water-resistant, broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher when taking part in extended outdoor activity
  • Apply large amounts of sunscreen to your entire body before going outside and reapply every two hours or after swimming or excessive sweating, especially in peak time.
  • Apply sunblock to hotspots like neck, face, forearms and the ears
  • Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should be used only babies over the age of six months.
  • Examine your skin head-to-toe every month.
  • See a doctor at least once a year for a professional skin exam. Visit our Asquith doctors to book a skin check today.
asquith skin cancer check

Causes

Sunburn causes 95% of melanomas, the most deadly form of skin cancer.

In Australia, 1 in 8 adults and 1 in 5 teenagers are sunburnt on an average summer weekend. Many people get sunburnt when they are taking part in sports and activities or at the beach or pool.

Sunburn is also common on cooler or overcast days, as many people mistakenly believe UV radiation is not as strong. This is untrue as you can still be sunburnt when the temperature is cool.

Sun exposure that doesn’t result in burning but can still cause damage to skin cells and increase your risk of developing skin cancer. Evidence suggests that regular exposure to UV radiation year after year leads to skin cancer.

 In 2015, 13,694 Australians were diagnosed with melanoma. Melanoma is the third most common cancer.  Non-melanoma skin cancers include squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.

Melanoma skin cancer appears on skin that is over-exposed to the sun and in rare cases it can appear on skin that is never exposed to the sun. It can be seen on old moles and spots or appear as a new spot. Basal cell carcinoma and Squamous Cancer

Visit our Asquith Medical centre or call to book a skin check on (02)  9477 4400.

 

 

UV Index

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the invisible killer that you can’t see or feel. UV radiation can be high even on cool and overcast days. This means you can’t rely on clear skies or high temperatures to determine when you need to protect yourself from the sun.

The UV Index is a great way to see how strong the sun on particular day. If the UV index is above 3-4 sun protection is required.

Australia has one of the highest UV index’s in the world, in fact if you spend 10 minutes in the sun on a sunny, hot January day you will most likely get sun burnt.

As well as appearing on the Bureau of Meteorology website, the alert is published in the weather section of daily newspapers, on Cancer Council Australia’s home page and on Willy Weather.

sun skin check asquith