Skin Check Services

Get your Gear off at Bondi Skin Cancer Clinic

Skin Cancer checks that don’t miss a thing, done by our fully qualified skin cancer doctors at Bondi Skin cancer clinic.

When having a skin cancer check, you will be asked about your current and past exposure to the sun, if there is any family history of skin cancer, if there are any areas that are of particular concern and other relevant questions They will then examine your skin, you can request partial or full examination (down to your undergarments). Skin cancers can occur in places not even exposed to the sun so a full examination is always recommended.

A visual inspection will be carried out by the doctor using a hand-held magnifying instrument. Suspicious areas can be biopsied onsite, otherwise if nothing suspicious is found nothing more is required until your next check up..

When a further follow up is required the friendly staff at Bondi Skin Cancer Clinic will contact you straight away.

Bondi Skin Cancer Clinical Assessment

Our doctors see a variety of people with skin cancers and skin lesions for both diagnosis and advice on treatment. You can be assured that the utmost care and compassion is provided to all patients who visit the Bondi Skin Cancer Clinic.

Consultation

Standard consultations are usually around half an hour but could extend to be longer if a more complex consultation, or any procedures such as biopsies or minor excisions are required.

Any surgical procedures that may be required are performed onsite under local anaesthetic with an experienced nurse assisting.

During your consultation any treatment options will be discussed. There are various types of treatment available for different types of skin cancers. Some treatments can be done onsite while sometimes you may need to be referred to another specialist for treatment. This will be discussed with you.

Follow Up

Depending on your treatment plan you may be required to see the doctor 1 to 2 weeks after you initial consultation to discuss results of you pathology, treatment options, or to take out any sutures if you had a procedure done.

If results require urgent follow up as soon as the doctor receives the results you will be called back in for urgent consultation.

What to bring

On the day of your appointment, please ensure that you bring along:

• Medicare Card / Veterans Card

• Pension / Health Care Card

• List of your current medications

• Any relevant family history information

Biopsy at Bondi Skin Cancer Clinic

What is a Skin Biopsy?

If one of our doctors at Bondi Skin Cancer Clinic thinks that a suspicious area on your skin might be cancerous, they will take a sample for further examination. Based on the information received about the biopsy they will then plan a treatment strategy appropriate for the cancer type. There are different methods employed for this, depending on the size, type and location of the affected area.

Skin biopsies are done using a local anaesthetic so you should not feel any pain during the biopsy. Any biopsy is likely to leave a scar, however our doctors do work to ensure any scarring is a minimal as possible. Please ensure to talk to the Doctor about the type of biopsy required and possible.

Shave biopsy

The doctor “shaves” the top layers of the skin with a specialised surgical blade which takes the top layers off the skin. This type of biopsy is useful in diagnosing basal or squamous cell skin cancers. It would not be beneficial in diagnosing melanoma as the sample would not be thick enough to measure how deeply the melanoma may have invaded the skin.

Punch biopsy

A tool that looks like a tiny round cookie cutter is used in this procedure. It is used to take a deeper sample of skin using a small diameter.

Incisional and excisional biopsies

These techniques are used where the doctor may need to examine a tumour that may have grown deeper in the layers of skin. Incisional is where they remove a portion of the tumour, removal of the entire tumour is called an excisional biopsy and is usually done when a melanoma is expected. These can be done with a local anaesthetic.

Examining the biopsy samples

All skin samples are sent to pathology for further examination and diagnosis by a specialist.