Two in three of us. What a skin check actually involves.

Skin cancer is the one Australia owns. It accounts for around 80% of all new cancer diagnoses in this country, two in three Australians will be diagnosed with some form of it in their lifetime, and more than 2,000 people die from it every year. Every six hours, someone in Australia dies of melanoma.

Those numbers get quoted so often they stop landing. So here's a smaller one that might. When the UV index is 3 or above, fifteen minutes of unprotected exposure is enough to start damaging your skin. On the Central Coast, from about now until March, the UV index sits at or above 3 for most of the middle of the day, most days. Not just the hot ones. Not just the sunny ones.

That's the thing people get wrong about spring. It doesn't feel dangerous. The temperature is pleasant, there's often cloud about, and it's the first stretch of the year where you're outside for hours without thinking about it — the garden, the sideline, the lake, the walk you've started doing again now the evenings are longer. UV doesn't care how warm it feels.

What a skin check is actually like

A lot of people put this off because they don't know what they're agreeing to. It's straightforward.

You'll undress to your underwear and we'll examine your skin systematically — scalp, face, ears, neck, trunk, arms, hands, legs, feet, between the toes. We use a dermatoscope, which is a magnifying lens with a light that lets us see the structure underneath a spot rather than just its surface. It doesn't touch you in any way that hurts; it rests against the skin.

It takes about twenty minutes. Most of that is the looking.

If something needs a closer opinion, we'll tell you there and then what we think and what the options are — photograph and review it in three months, take a small biopsy, or remove it. If a procedure is needed, we'll quote you the cost before anything happens, and we'll usually book it for a separate appointment so nothing is rushed.

You can ask for a female or male doctor. You can ask for a chaperone. You can keep your underwear on. Nobody will make you feel awkward about any of that.

What to look for between checks

You see your own skin far more often than we do, and most melanomas are found by the person who has them, or their partner. You're looking for change.

• A new spot that's appeared, especially after about age 40

• An existing spot that's changing — in size, shape, colour, or how it feels

• A spot that looks different from your others

• Anything that itches, bleeds, or won't heal after four weeks

The four-week rule is the useful one. Skin heals. If a sore or a scab hasn't resolved in a month, get it looked at.

A good habit is to check yourself properly every three months, with a mirror or a partner for your back and scalp. Put it in your phone.

Who should have a formal check, and how often

There's no single national recommendation for everyone, and that's because the evidence doesn't support screening the whole population. But yearly checks make sense if you have fair skin, lots of moles, a history of bad sunburns, outdoor work, a previous skin cancer, or a first-degree relative who's had melanoma.

If none of that applies to you, a baseline check is still reasonable, and then we can talk about the right interval for you.

Booking with us

We open on Monday 2 November, which is a fortnight before National Skin Cancer Action Week (15–22 November). Skin cancer medicine is a special interest for three of our doctors — Dr Ash Van Leeuwestyn, Dr Bailey Hibbit and Dr Emma Hardwick — and we do biopsies, excisions and cryotherapy on site.

A skin check is $120 with a Medicare rebate of $45.05. Excisions are quoted before the procedure, based on what's needed.

You can book online now for any date from 2 November. If you've been putting one off for a few years, book the appointment before spring gets away from you again.

General information only. If you have a spot you're worried about, don't wait for a scheduled check — get it looked at.