Working as a skin cancer doctor in Queensland has shaped the way I look at skin, sun exposure, and the quiet warning signs most people overlook. The demand for skin cancer checks in Brisbane has grown over the years, and from what I’ve witnessed firsthand, that growth reflects genuine need rather than trend. Brisbane’s climate doesn’t allow us the luxury of complacency, and after years in this field, I’ve learned that early detection isn’t a slogan—it’s lifesaving.
The First Years Taught Me How Subtle Melanoma Can Be
I still remember the first melanoma I diagnosed early in my career. The patient was a young professional who came in only because a colleague had made an offhand comment about a mole on his neck. It didn’t look dramatic. In fact, if you weren’t trained to read the asymmetry and the blurred pigment, you might have dismissed it entirely. He told me he almost cancelled his appointment because he “felt silly” getting such a small mark checked. That hesitation is something I encounter often in Brisbane.
This experience influenced the way I now speak to patients. If something feels new or looks different, it deserves attention, even if it doesn’t meet the dramatic expectations many people imagine skin cancer must have.
Brisbane’s Sun Leaves a Long Memory on the Skin
The cumulative damage I see on patients who grew up here is something I’ve rarely encountered elsewhere. Even those who think they’ve been careful still carry the imprint of childhood beach days and forgotten sunscreen.
One patient last spring shared that she had spent most of her adult life avoiding the sun, but during a routine check I noticed a small, irregular spot near her hairline. She hadn’t thought twice about it because she never felt any pain or itch. That lesion ended up being a basal cell carcinoma. Her response—“But I barely go outside”—is one I hear regularly.
UV exposure isn’t always about lifestyle; sometimes it’s simply about geography. Living in Brisbane means your skin has a different story than it would elsewhere.
The Small Clues Only Appear After Years of Practice
Dermatology training prepares you for textbook patterns, but actual field experience teaches you something entirely different: cancer doesn’t always follow the rules. I’ve seen melanomas hide beneath freckles, blend into sunspots, and mimic harmless moles almost perfectly.
One moment that still stands out was a long-time patient who came in for her usual annual check. She’d never had anything concerning before. As we talked, she mentioned a tiny spot on her calf that “felt different” but looked the same as others around it. Under dermoscopy, the internal structure told a different story. We caught that melanoma before it reached a dangerous depth, all because she listened to a feeling rather than visual cues.
Why Self-Checking Isn’t Enough Here
I encourage patients to be familiar with their skin, but Brisbane’s sun exposure patterns make self-monitoring tricky. Many high-risk lesions appear in areas people don’t examine closely—scalp, ears, shoulders, back, or behind the knees.
I’ve lost count of how many times a partner, friend, or hairdresser has been the one to notice a change. That’s another reason I recommend professional checks at regular intervals. Even the most diligent person can’t compete with trained eyes and magnified imaging.
What Conversations with Patients Have Taught Me
Over time, I’ve found that the most valuable part of an appointment isn’t just the check itself—it’s the dialogue. Patients often reveal small habits that change the way I approach their risk: the morning walk they take before the sun feels “hot,” the gardening they do without thinking, or the sunscreen they apply only on the face and forget elsewhere.
Brisbane residents often underestimate how much incidental exposure accumulates. I’ve learned to gently challenge the belief that sunscreen is only for beach days or holidays. My experience has shown me that the everyday, unnoticed sun is the one that causes the most long-term damage.
The Reason I Stress Routine Appointments
Working in skin cancer detection long enough teaches you a simple truth: many advanced cases could have been prevented with an earlier visit. I’ve seen people arrive with spots they monitored for months on their own, convinced they were saving themselves unnecessary worry.
But worry isn’t the enemy—delay is.
Regular clinical checks create a timeline, a record of what your skin looked like before, which allows me to spot even the smallest change. That continuity is one of the strongest tools we have in preventing serious outcomes.
Routine doesn’t eliminate risk, but it dramatically improves outcomes. And in Brisbane—where the sun writes its story on all of us—that matters more than most people realise.
I’ve met countless patients who left an appointment grateful they didn’t postpone it. Those moments stay with me and shape the way I practice medicine, year after year.