The good news is that we are now able to catch potentially cancerous moles earlier with breakthroughs such as skin surface microscopy. A video microscope which magnifies moles up to 200 times is the first of its kind in Australia. The device penetrates the top layers of the skin and shows whether moles are malignant. This drastically reduces the number of benign moles removed. Before skin surface microscopy, doctors would have to cut out 10 benign moles for every melanoma to be sure they weren't leaving melanomas behind in the skin.
Detection is now so effective that only two benign moles are removed for every melanoma.
An early melanoma is flat. This is the best stage to detect them, before they have developed to become potentially life-threatening. The video microscope in our story is available through the Victorian Melanoma Service. Screenings are free of charge but are only available to patients who have had recent melanoma. The fact sheets on the ninemsn network of websites are provided by Nine Network Australia Pty Limited as part of the Good Medicine television programme and contain general information only.