Melanoma champion
No one is manly enough to skip a skin check. Make time to get your skin spots checked.
Quinten’s story
In 2016, Quinten’s wife noticed an unusual spot on his back. It was tiny and dark with an asymmetrical border. She encouraged him to get it checked out though he didn’t want to. Eventually after a month he agreed and got the spot checked out when he was home from his fly-in-fly-out job. Quinten’s doctor made an incision and removed the spot, sent it for testing and then called him back in. Quinten was told it was a melanoma and a second incision was required to remove a larger diameter around where the spot used to be due to it being a melanoma.
He feels fortunate that his wife noticed the small spot on his back and kept encouraging him to get it checked out. Not only did she save his life, she was his rock through the shock of the diagnosis and following appointments.
Quinten then went to have all his moles mapped and had skin checks every 3 months. More recently he was told he could reduce the frequency to every 6 months. These days, Quinten is always encouraging his friends, especially men, to get their skin checked.
Quinten’s advice
‘Go and get it checked out. Spend the time and go do it. Nobody is too busy’.
‘People think skin cancer is for old people but it can affect anybody’.
‘You can do simple checks at home in the shower’.
‘By the time you feel sick, it’s too late’.
‘Just go get a skin check done’.
Checking your own skin
Skin cancers can grow quickly, so it’s important to become familiar with your own skin (including skin not normally exposed to the sun) through regular self-checks. Find out the steps and some examples of what to look for.
Consult a doctor as soon as possible if you notice any new or changed spots, moles or freckles. Changes to look out for include shape, colour or size.
