Mole Checks & Skin Cancer Screening

Worried about a mole? A mole check is a focused assessment of the moles or spots that concern you, done by a doctor with a dermatoscope. It is available at all three West-Med centres, and at The Sanctuary in Somerset West skin care is led by Dr Esther Scott. You are usually seen within 7 working days, compared with the roughly 6 months many people wait for a specialist dermatologist, and you leave knowing whether a mole can be left alone, should be watched or needs to come off.

Who should have a mole check?

• People with many moles, or moles that look unusual
• Fair skin that burns easily, freckles, or light eyes and hair
• A history of sunburn, especially blistering sunburn as a child
• A family history of melanoma, or a previous skin cancer of your own
• Anyone with a mole that is new, changing or different from the rest

What happens at a mole check

1. History: your doctor asks about your skin type, sun exposure, family history and which moles have changed.
2. Dermoscopy: each mole of concern is examined under a dermatoscope, which lights and magnifies the skin so patterns below the surface can be seen.
3. Photographs: where useful, dermoscopic images are saved to your file so the mole can be compared at your next visit.
4. A follow-up plan based on your risk: reassurance, a date to recheck, or the next step if something needs attention.

Warning signs to look out for

Check your own skin once a month and use the ABCDE signs as a guide:

• A for asymmetry: the two halves of the mole are not the same shape.
• B for border: the edge is uneven, notched or fades into the skin.
• C for colour: more than one colour, or a patchy mix of shades.
• D for diameter: wider than about 6 mm, the size of a pencil eraser, though melanoma can be smaller.
• E for evolving: any change in size, shape, colour or height, or new itching, bleeding or crusting.

A spot that looks unlike any of your other moles is worth showing a doctor too, even if it fits none of these.

If something is found

If a mole looks suspicious, the next step is usually a biopsy or removal so it can be examined under a microscope. Your doctor explains the options, and most can be done in-rooms at The Sanctuary. See how mole and skin lesion removal works, and what skin cancer treatment involves if a skin cancer is confirmed.

Mole check or full body mole mapping?

A mole check looks closely at specific moles with dermoscopy, and is available at all three of our centres. Full body mole mapping photographs your whole skin with the FotoFinder ATBM Master and uses AI-assisted analysis to help track every mole over time; it is available at The Sanctuary only. Mapping suits people with many moles or a personal or family history of melanoma, and your doctor can tell you whether you need it.

Medical aid

A mole check is billed as a consultation with dermoscopy. Use our medical aid checker to see whether we accept your scheme, or ask reception what your plan covers before you come in.

Who you will see

Dr Esther Scott

At The Sanctuary, mole checks and skin cancer screening are led by Dr Esther Scott, a GP with a special interest in dermatology. She assesses suspicious moles and skin lesions every week, and when a lesion needs a closer look she can arrange a biopsy, removal or a specialist second opinion.