Skin Cancer Checks: The Most Important Appointment You’re Not Booking

SANA Skin Cinic
Aug 27
3 min read

Let’s be real: most of us are way better at booking a hair appointment or a dental clean than a skin check. But here’s the thing - your skin is your largest organ, your everyday “uniform,” and in Australia, it’s living under some of the harshest sun in the world.

At SANA, we spend our days deep-diving into skin health — addressing concerns, skin conditions and reaching glow goals.

What’s scary is how often we meet people who’ve never had a skin cancer check. Not once. And yet skin cancer doesn’t wait until you’re older. It doesn’t care if you’re “too young” or “too healthy.”

“I’m too young for a Skin Cancer check.” Nope.

Here’s a stat to blow your mind:

Melanoma is the most common cancer in Aussies aged 15–39.

Yep - not just wrinkles or sun spots later in life. Actual cancer. And melanoma kills more young people (20–39) than any other type of cancer in Australia.

So if you’re under 40 and thinking you’re safe - you’re not.

How fast can it change? Way faster than you think.

That little freckle you barely noticed.

It can change in months. Some melanomas develop in spots you didn’t even know to check - scalp, behind the ears, under the nails, even on the soles of your feet.

And the scary bit?

By the time you notice something’s really wrong, it may already be advanced. Early detection is everything. Caught early, about 90% of melanomas can be treated successfully.

Two in Three. Let that sink in.

By the time we hit 70, 2 out of 3 Australians will have some form of skin cancer.

That’s not a “maybe” — that’s most of us.

So if we can all book in our teeth clean once a year, our hair and nails every few weeks.., why isn’t a yearly skin check just as automatic?

It’s not about paranoia — it’s about routine.

We’re not here to freak you out.

We’re here to say: skin checks should just be a normal, boring part of life.

Like:

Dentist = once a year.
Eye test = every couple of years.
Skin check = every year.

Simple.

It takes less than half an hour, and it could literally save your life.

And here’s where we fit in…

At SANA, our passion is skin health - whether that’s breakouts, redness, sensitivity, or the early signs of aging. We take a holistic approach, looking not just at what’s happening on the surface, but also internally with the support of our naturopaths.

Because we spend so much time analyzing skin, we sometimes notice things that don’t look quite right. Thanks to our training in recognizing potential warning signs, we’ve often encouraged clients to get something checked by a doctor - and in many cases, that advice has led to early detection.

But here’s the important bit: We are not skin cancer doctors. We do not replace a professional skin cancer check.

In fact, for many of our treatments we have a policy requiring clients to have a skin check first. That way, we can proceed with confidence knowing your skin has been cleared by the right specialist.

That’s why we’ll always advocate for you: your annual skin check isn’t optional. It’s essential.