FREE Skin Cancer Spot Checks for Melanoma Awareness Month
Cantabrians can get a FREE 5-minute skin cancer spot check by a Melanoma New Zealand Nurse Educator as part of Melanoma Awareness Month this October. No appointment is necessary but spot checks will be provided on a first come first served basis.
Dates: Friday 18th to Sunday 20th October 2024.
Time: 10am to 4pm each day.
Location: Westfield Riccarton (Level 2 - near Connor).
Note: The Nurse Educator will check up to 3 spots. This is not a full body check, and a diagnosis is not provided. Regular full body skin checks by your GP, dermatologist, surgeon, or plastic surgeon are still recommended.
Book an FREE online or phone consultation with a Melanoma New Zealand Nurse Educator, if you don't get seen or can't come along to the public event.
The nurse will look at skin with a dermatoscope (a skin surface microscope) - so it’s easy and doesn’t hurt. The nurse is often able to reassure people there is nothing to worry about, but she also does sometimes find some spots of concern (such as a suspected melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, or squamous cell carcinoma) - and so she will guide a person what to do next about that.
The spot check drives are being run in partnership with Melanoma New Zealand sponsor La Roche-Posay, as part of their Your Skin Remembers campaign, which shares the impactful message that harmful UV exposure adds up over time. La Roche-Posay will be providing FREE Anthelios sunscreen samples at the spot check events.
Melanoma New Zealand is a charity that champions melanoma prevention, detection and patient care, as well as supporting melanoma patients and their families. Chief Executive Andrea Newland says skin cancer is by far the most common cancer in this country with 8 out of every 10 cancers being diagnosed as skin cancer.
"More than 7000 melanomas are diagnosed in New Zealand annually and over 300 New Zealanders die from melanoma each year (we have the highest death rate from melanoma in the world). But melanoma can be preventable, and if detected and treated early enough, is almost always curable."
"It is essential for New Zealanders to develop good sun smart habits from an early age. As you get older, the build-up of UV exposure over your lifetime leads to damaged skin and an increased likelihood of melanoma. Plus, it should be part of a regular health routine to check your own skin regularly so you will be aware of any changes.
"Look for a spot, freckle or mole that is new or that has changed in colour, shape, or size, looks different from others (an ‘ugly duckling’), is sore, itchy or bleeds, or is firm, growing or becomes raised quickly. If you have a spot, freckle or mole you are concerned about, you should see a GP, nurse, dermatologist, surgeon or plastic surgeon without delay."