Finding and preventing skin cancers

Te rapu me te ārai i ngā mate pukupuku ā-kiri

You can do several things to help prevent melanoma and other skin cancers.

Stay sun safe

Keep yourself and your tamariki (children) safe from the sun. This means covering up, including wearing a hat, using sun block and staying out of the sun when possible. See Sun-smart behaviour for advice on how to do that.

Check your skin

Doing regular self skin checks will let you see if there are any changes that may need to be looked at by a health professional.

Skin checks are particularly important if you are over 50, have a family history of skin cancer or are at higher risk of getting skin cancer.

You should check your skin every 3 months. Melanoma NZ has detailed information on how to do a skin check.

Look for any moles, freckles or spots (lesions) that:

are new or changing
do not heal or have started to bleed
look different from others around them
are changing in size, thickness, shape or colour.

When checking dark spots or moles, you can use the ABCDEs of melanoma as a guide to what to look for.

Photographic skin checks (mole maps)

If you have a higher risk of melanoma, you may consider having a photographic skin check.

This would include people with:

many moles (more than 50 to 100)
large moles
unusually coloured or shaped moles
a previous history of melanoma
a strong family history of melanoma
fair skin that has been severely or repeatedly sunburned.

Skin check apps

There are apps available that can help you track your skin and give advice about spots. Read more about them on Healthify He Puna Wairoa.

Getting help

If you are concerned about your skin, talk to your general practice team.

You may also want to consider paying to see a private dermatologist. You can find a private dermatologist on Healthpoint.

HealthInfo recommends the following videos

DermNet NZ and Melanoma New Zealand – Self examination
This video shows you how to examine your skin.

Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed September 2024.

Sources

Page reference: 37528

Review key: HIMEL-15455