What should I do if I have a new mole?

Have you noticed a new freckle on your skin that wasn’t there before? Or maybe a mole has recently changed or grown. Perhaps your loved one pointed out a suspicious lesion which you hadn’t seen before, or maybe something just doesn’t feel right – your skin is itchy or sore or just won’t heal.

New and changing lesions can cause you to worry – and with good reason, since this can be a sign of skin cancer. But worrying about your spots won’t make them go away!

You might find yourself picking at it, touching it, studying it, and maybe even Googling it. You might add ‘get a skin check’ to your to-do list and then procrastinate for a while.

Maybe you change shampoos to see if that gets rid of the little bump on the top of your scalp. Maybe you try an at-home remedy for that scaly patch on your cheek.

Inevitably, you schedule the skin check, because getting a professional skin cancer examination is the only way you will achieve peace of mind.

The spot you're worried about might be nothing and you can breathe a sigh of relief, or it might be something and you’re on the path to getting it treated.

The sooner you schedule that skin cancer check, the better your chances of successful treatment and cure. In fact, 99 per cent of skin cancers are curable if detected and treated early.

Skip the to-do list, skip the at-home remedies, and skip the worry. If something on your skin is bothering you, book in for a skin cancer check as soon as you can. It could save your life.