Personal self-assessment questionnaire

If you answer yes to one of these questions your skin cancer risk is considered to be moderately high.

If you answer yes to two of these questions your skin cancer risk is considered to be very high.

Within these two risk ratings you should seriously consider getting a complete and thorough dermoscopy skin check. This is especially important if you have never had a full dermoscopy skin check previously.

(1) Do you have very fair skin that does not tan, but burns? For example Anglo-Celtic skin with freckles.

(2) Have you ever had a skin cancer of any type? BCC, SCC or Melanoma?

(3) Have you had a skin cancer called Melanoma? (Click here to refer to educational webpage to differentiate between BCC, SCC and Melanoma)

(4) Do you have someone within your immediate family with skin cancer? This skin cancer could be of BCC, SCC or Melanoma type. The Melanoma type has the strongest relation to family history or a possible hereditary cause, apart from sun as a cause. Examples of immediate family members: father, mother, sister or brother.

(5) Have you had an organ transplant? For Example kidney, lung, heart, or liver transplant.

(6) Have you been exposed to radiation?

(7) Have you been exposed to arsenic?

(8) Have you had more than 5 sunburnt episodes that created blistering of your skin within your lifetime?

(9) Were you born and also grew up in a high sun exposed country eg. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa etc. The first 25 years of life, the amount of sun received and sun damaged caused is very important.

If your answer to the above questions are No please answer the questions below. If your answer to the questions below is a yes , you have a moderate risk of skin cancer. You should still seek a full skin check that provides dermoscopy facilities. Especially, if you have never had a full skin check.

(a) Do you have fair skin that can tan, but burns after 10-20 minutes in the outdoor sun?

(b) Do you have someone in your extended family who has had skin cancer? Extended family members are usually cousins of both genders – either male or female.

(c) Do you have many moles? Total number of moles greater than 50?

(d) Have you been living in a high sun-exposed area or country for the past 20 years? You might have been born in a low sun-exposed area or country eg Scotland and subsequently emigrated to Australia etc.

(e) Are you older than 50 years AND have fair skin that burns but not tans? OR Are you older than 50 years AND have fair skin that can tan, but still burns easily after 10-20 minutes in the outdoor sun?

(f) Do you work outdoors and have a lot of sun exposure?

(g) Do you work indoors BUT your recreational life involves a lot of sun exposure eg. Beach patrol life saver.

A full skin check including dermoscopy is a particular type of skin check. The person is usually undressed but with their underclothing on (underwear, bra, underpants). The doctor performs a full head to toe examination. Including feet and also spaces between fingers and toes. If the person requests, areas covered by their underclothing are also examined. The examination is performed using simple magnification, dermoscopy and digitial dermoscopy.

Dermoscopy is the use of a special skin microscope. It allows the doctor to see beneath the skin. The ability to see elements deep within the skin provides the doctor with more information to make a decision regarding a suspicious skin lesion or mole. Digital dermoscopy or computerised dermoscopy is the use of computer technology further assisting the full skin check. Computerised dermoscopy allows images to be saved for future comparisons. Software programs are also used for this comparison. On the overall, providing even more information to a doctor for even more accurate decision making. The first aim of this is to allow the very early detection of skin cancer. The second aim is to prevent unnecessary cutting out of a skin lesion or mole that then turns out to be normal or not a cancer.

Winter time is a good time for full skin checks involving dermoscopy. Most people are covered up with clothing during the winter period which minimises sun exposure to the skin lesions or moles allowing better viewing of the skin with the technique of dermoscopy. Even short but intense periods of sun-exposure can cause a mole to change. This can make a normal mole appear suspicious.

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