With the mercury needle pushing past 40 degrees this past weekend in many parts of the country, it’s clear that summer is well and truly here. Though it’s predicted to be a wetter-than-usual season this year, the need for getting your skin checked is clearer than ever – research from the Cancer Council of Australia shows that a staggering two in three Australians will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer by the age of 70.
It’s good news, then, that more Australians seem to be getting professional skin checks, according to a recent report from TAL, an Australian life insurance specialist.
“Our annual research has shown a steady increase in the number of Australians getting professional skin checks from 2017 to 2019,” Dr Priya Chagan (pictured above), general manager, health services and chief medical officer at TAL, told Insurance Business.
“While 39% of Australians admitted they had never had a professional skin check in 2017, this number was down to 28% in 2019.”
In less positive news, the report further revealed that “Australians are getting progressively worse at self-checking their skin for signs of skin cancer,” Chagan added. The proportion of respondents who reported self-checking their own skin at least once a year decreased from 69% in 2018 down to 56% in 2020.
“This is of particular significance given the prevalence of preventative health checks, including professional skin checks, being delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Chagan explained.
Social distancing restrictions implemented to combat the pandemic prevented TAL from conducting its annual SpotChecker initiative in 2020. This programme typically involves qualified professionals visiting popular beaches and providing free skin checks for both TAL’s own customers and the wider Australian public. This year, the focus “shifted to driving education and engagement around skin safety through digital media,” in the words of Chagan.
“This included educating Australians on how to self-check, enabling earlier detection and helping to prevent skin cancer through free resources, along with options to help people get their skin professionally checked,” she noted. “These options include handy tools that people can use to find a GP and access to an app that enables them to get a spot checked through their smartphone.”
For Chagan, communicating the importance of skin safety and self-checking is something that needs to be done to ensure a healthy society moving forward.
“With 68% of Australians saying they don’t know the four key signs to look out for when self-checking, we know there is more to be done to educate Australians on the importance of skin safety,” she said.
“Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in this country, and Australians can embrace skin safety by making a habit of regularly self-checking their skin to maximise their chances of detecting skin cancer early.
“We encourage Australians to get to know their skin and what’s normal for them individually, to help identify changes in new or existing spots early. If people notice any sore, changing, abnormal or new spots during their self-check, we recommend having it checked by a health professional right away.”
