Sun & Skin Medical Centre is comprised of a team of highly experienced, expertly skilled and fully qualified doctors, who have a special interest in skin care.

Our clinic offers a range of skin treatments, including mole mapping, skin checks, skin lesion biopsy and skin lesion treatments, as well as a selection of medical cosmetic skin treatments. We are proud to offer each and every patient the highest standard of professional, medical care for all of their skin concerns. Our accredited skin clinic is located on the Nepean Highway in Mount Eliza, Victoria.

Most patients who present to Sun & Skin Medical Clinic for the first time, will have a full body skin check and/or a mole map performed. This allows the skin doctor to assess and diagnose any present skin lesions, as well as monitor and detect new lesions in the future.

Following this initial examination, your skin doctor will be able to recommend whether any further testing – such as a skin lesion biopsy – is required. Alternatively, they may suggest monitoring and regular skin checks. How frequently your skin needs to be checked depends on a number of factors. Your doctor will be able to make an appropriate recommendation based on your personal risk factors, and whether you are a ‘high risk’ patient.

In most cases, high risk patients will require more frequent skin checks. Patients who are high risk usually fall into one or more of the following categories:

• They have light coloured hair and eyes
• They have fair skin that burns rather than tans
• They may have had multiple sunburns, especially during their childhood years
• They have used tanning beds (solariums) at some point in their lives
• They have a large number of moles or freckles, or multiple dysplastic nevi
• They have a personal or family history of skin cancer or melanoma cancer.

Your skin doctor may recommend that a skin lesion biopsy be performed if they identify a mole or other skin lesion that looks suspicious.

A skin lesion biopsy is a type of minor surgery that involves collecting a sample of tissue from the area of interest. This sample is then sent off to the pathology lab for analysis. The lab uses several techniques to determine whether the lesion is benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). A report with these findings is forwarded to your skin doctor, who will then contact you to discuss further steps. Your skin doctor may recommend a treatment, or they may suggest ongoing monitoring.

At Sun & Skin Medical Centre, there are two types of skin lesion biopsy that we commonly perform: a shave biopsy and a punch biopsy. Local anaesthetic is applied for both types of biopsy.

• Shave biopsy: a sample of the skin lesion is shaved away. The wound is dressed. There are no sutures involved.
• Punch biopsy: a small sample of the skin lesion is collected. A suture may be required in order to close the wound and allow for the best possible cosmetic outcome.

Sun & Skin Medical Centre offers skin lesion biopsy Melbourne patients can have performed by experienced skin doctors, in a timely manner. This allows our doctors to offer efficient diagnosis and prompt treatment of any skin lesions that require attention.

After having a skin lesion biopsy Mount Eliza locals and those from the surrounding suburbs can be treated conveniently at our Nepean Highway medical centre, should they require treatment.

Sun & Skin Medical Centre offers a range of in-clinic treatments for our patients. Our trained skin doctors are able to perform skin excisions, cryotherapy and photodynamic therapy, as well as offer scripted topical treatments.

Your doctor will be able to make a sound recommendation as to what treatment is best for you, based upon the results of your skin lesion biopsy.

• Treatment after skin lesion biopsy: topical medications and creams: Pre-malignant and some superficial skin cancers can be treated using scripted medications and creams.
• Treatment after skin lesion biopsy: cryotherapy: benign skin lesions, pre-malignant lesions, and some superficial early cancers, may be treated with the use of liquid nitrogen. The timing and frequency of application varies depending on the lesion.
• Treatment after skin lesion biopsy: photodynamic therapy (PDT): this treatment involves the application of an anti-cancer cream to the lesion area. The area is then exposed to either natural sunlight or medical-grade LED light therapy, triggering a photochemical reaction that destroys the cancerous cells.
• Treatment after skin lesion biopsy: excisions: the entire skin lesion is removed, along with the appropriate margins, and the wound is closed by various techniques, to achieve the most favourable cosmetic outcome.

If you would like to make an appointment with our skin doctors here at Sun & Skin Medical Centre, whether it be for mole mapping, full skin checks, skin lesion biopsy, or any other skin treatments, please phone our clinic or use the online booking system. We offer consultation times daily, from Monday to Saturday, with no referral necessary.