Tell Signor Melanoma "I'm out today"

No-one's immune from Melanoma. 69,000 Kiwis will get skin cancer annually and more than 300 of us will die of it.

As my 60th birthday looms (March 20/prefer gift cards) I'm wondering about a "contract" I took out on my own life years ago.
You see, today four very bad hombres are out there looking for me with murderous intent.
I picture these guys as shades-wearing Mafioso, flashy suits, short-brim hats, a snub-nose .38 calibre pistol bulging under the jacket . . .
And every day they just get a little closer, as far as I know . .
I can almost see their black limo nosing into the carpark, a darkened window glides down, one of the killers asks which floor I'm on.
Security will just wave them through though, because you can't really stop guys like this.
They just breeze into any home, or place of work like they own it . . .
Long ago I crossed "Signore Heart Disease, Stroke and Prostrate Cancer", and especially "Signor Melanoma". Now I'm regretting it.
I mean all that smoking, booze, over-eating . . . and especially the sunburn.
My wife and I, we're in this fight together and intent on buying time.
We see our GP regularly, remain smoke-free, keep the alcohol down; plenty of fruit and vegetables; we cycle, work out at the Northcote YMCA, walk Takapuna Beach . . . And that's all good.

Well, against the first three it is . . . But how about that Sig Melanoma?
He demands specialist attention. I mean, show some GPs a spot on your skin and they leave you hanging with words like, "I'd get that checked out if you're worried about it . . ."

See your local skin specialist

But my GP (a good one) took the initiative and referred me to my local skin specialists, Dr Boberg's Skin Cancer Clinic.
Here reside doctors Chris Boberg and Andrew MacGill, former GPs have undertaken up-skilling, postgraduate training and credentialing in both skin advanced cancer surgery and advanced dermoscopy to achieve Southern Cross affiliated provider status. And what all that means to a fearful former sun-worshipper is that these guys know a lot about early detection of all skin cancers - especially Melanoma.
It's a hugely satisfying vocation, says Boberg, adding the men detect the deadly disease at a rate of several cases a week.

This is due to our attitude on the globe, predominantly fair skin type and our love of being in the active outdoors," he says.
I was right to come in for a check-up.
"In New Zealand around 69,000 Kiwis get skin cancer every year, and over 300 New Zealanders die of melanoma each year."
But the highest at risk group are males over 50 years-of-age, like me, and we are closely followed by females aged over 50, Boberg points out.

New Zealand mirrors Australia in the achievement of the highest rates of skin cancer including Melanoma in the world.

Dr Boberg

Well, it turned out that I was more or less in the clear, just a lot of spots which could be dangerous burned off my face and hands. One particularly nasty one on my ear was a bit painful, but the entire process only took a few minutes. However, I'll have to keep coming back to ensure that these spots don't turn to something worse.

Melanoma Q and A

I put these questions to Dr Boberg:
Q: How can we protect ourselves again Melanoma?
A: Avoid being in the sun from round 10 am to 4pm. Always seek the shade and wear Tee shirt, broad brimmed hat and cool sun glasses; use sun screen 30+ or 50+ two-hourly when exposed to the sun and re-apply after swimming.
Q: How often do I need to get my skin checked?
A: Skin Cancer full body checks are recommended with high risk skin as we age: More often if your skin is fair, freckly, or easy burning and especially if you had episode growing up of multiple sun burns and peeling or blistering. A strong family history of Melanoma increases the risk. Any changing mole (colour, size, raising up) and any new skin lesion that is non healing and concerning deserves to be checked early.
Q: New Zealand is often panned for having dangerously high UV, but do we have anything going for us?
A: Yes, there have been great advances with skin surface microscopy "Dermoscopy", that assists us now in markedly improving diagnosis of suspicious lesions. That's actually by about 30 per cent, and the new diagnostic criteria reduces the number of unnecessary excisions.
Q: What can young people do to protect themselves?
A: Young people must take ownership of their skin and avoid long periods of sun tanning. UV is radiation and it accumulates over a lifetime, so it's best avoid the damage early in life to avoid skin cancer and melanoma later...
Q: What about parents of young children?
A: Cover up your children as much as possible and engage them in positive sun protection as they grow up. Always use sun block and sunscreen and seek the shade to totally avoid sunburn.
Q: What about us oldies?
For retirees the damage is done. They need regular full-body skin cancer checks and find the skin cancers and Melanomas early as possible. These are generally cured with early detection and treatment.
Q: What would you do if you could turn back the clock?
A: I'd let everyone know the real dangers of sunburn and recurrent UV tanning and its link to Melanoma and serious skin cancers ...