About Coorparoo Skin Cancer Centre

Coorparoo Skin Cancer Centre in Brisbane provides a comprehensive approach to looking after your skin health. The qualified team works primarily in skin cancer diagnosis and treatment, and their experienced Skin Cancer Doctors are backed by a highly trained team of support staff whose combined efforts provide optimal care during your visit. Following their vision of a world where nobody dies of skin cancer, they deliver the highest standard of care and save lives every day.

The medical team will provide you with expert advice, utmost skill – and most importantly, peace of mind. They provide skin cancer examinations, total body photography, surgical and non-surgical skin cancer treatments, and wound and scar management. Your health and satisfaction are at the forefront of everything that they do. And, they understand that all patients have varying requirements and aspirations; therefore they will always tailor your care plan for you and work hard to exceed your expectations.

Mediscrubs have been very fortunate to spend the day with the team at Coorparoo Skin Cancer Centre (who wear Scrubs Anonymous range of nursing scrubs) when they opened their doors for us to shoot one of our in-house videos and the team sat down with us to talk more about who they are and what they provide to the greater Brisbane community.

WATCH: 'It's the little moments that matter' on Mediscrubs YouTube Channel

Coorparoo Skin Cancer Centre - Client Spotlight

Can you tell us a little bit about your clinic and what you specialise in?

As part of the National Skin Cancer Centres (NSCC), Coorparoo Skin Cancer Centre in Brisbane provides prompt and effective access to skin cancer screening, skin imaging, diagnosis, and surgical and non-surgical treatment of skin cancer and related skin conditions all under one roof.

Following our vision of a world where nobody dies of skin cancer, we combine unparalleled Doctor expertise with innovative total body photography technology to provide the earliest and most accurate skin cancer diagnoses. Patients requiring skin cancer procedures are treated in our dedicated operating theatres and we utilise FDA-approved LED light therapy for advanced wound care and optimal scarring results.

How long has National Skin Cancer Centres been operating?

We opened our first dedicated skin cancer clinic in Redcliffe in 2008 and have since grown to 22 skin cancer clinics Australia-wide.

What are some of the reasons people visit your clinic, and what services do you provide?

Patients see our specially qualified Skin Cancer Doctors for full-body skin cancer screening, spot checks, skin mapping with total body photography, expert diagnoses with dermoscopy, surgical and non-surgical skin cancer treatments, advanced wound and scar management with LED light therapy, ongoing aftercare – and peace of mind!

Select locations also provide professional skin treatments to address cosmetic and general dermatology concerns, such as acne, rosacea, sun damage, scarring, ageing and more. Treatments include cosmetic injectables and dermal therapies.

What’s the most rewarding part of this business?

Saving lives every day! It is rewarding to diagnose skin cancer at its earliest stage when it is easiest to treat, providing patients with the best outcomes and often saving their lives. It is also amazing to provide patients with the knowledge and support to self-monitor their own skin in between full skin checks and learn how to prevent skin cancers in the future.

What is one of the biggest misconceptions people have about skin cancer?

One of the biggest misconceptions about skin cancer is that “it won’t happen to me” or “I’m too young to get skin cancer”. Melanoma is the most common cancer in young Australians aged 15 to 39 and claims one life every five hours. More people died from melanoma than road accidents in 2021. Australia is the melanoma capital of the world, with one skin cancer diagnosis every minute and over a million cases each year. Two in three of us will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70 and it doesn’t discriminate. It can affect people of any age and any skin colour (even people with very dark skin!), even if you have no family history of the disease and grew up in a cold climate or don’t see much sun.

How vital are regular skin checks and why?

All Australians should get a professional full-body skin cancer check from a Skin Cancer Doctor at least once a year or more often if they are at very high risk of the disease. Early detection of skin cancer provides the best chance of successful treatment and cure (in fact, 99% of skin cancers are curable if detected and treated early!). Skin cancer often shows no symptoms until an advanced stage, so seeing a doctor for a comprehensive check-up with the right diagnostic tools is vital. Skin cancer can often not be seen with the naked eye, which is why professional checks with dermoscopy are so important for seeing changes under the skin’s surface which may indicate skin cancer.

Tell us about some of the technology and equipment the Coorparoo Clinic utilizes?

Coorparoo Skin Cancer Centre has world-class imaging technology that provides full-body photography maps of patients’ skin surfaces to track tiny changes over time which may indicate skin cancer. We conduct skin cancer checks with dermoscopy – the mainstay of skin cancer detection. Diagnosis is confirmed with biopsies, and surgical and non-surgical treatments are performed in our purpose-built facilities with dedicated operating theatres equipped with the latest technology. We offer advanced wound care for surgical healing and the best patient outcomes utilising FDA-approved LED light therapy. All our Skin Cancer Doctors have advanced training in skin cancer medicine.

Which Mediscrubs styles have you been wearing and why do you love them?

We love our Mediscrubs because they help our team to look unified and professional. The scrubs are comfortable and practical with a modern look.

What’s a fun medical fact or tip you could give our readers for better skin health?

You can keep an eye on your skin at home in between full skin checks by knowing the ABCs of melanoma! If you see one or more of the below signs on your skin, act immediately and see your Skin Cancer Doctor (even if you are not due for your annual check-up)!

A. Asymmetry – Are the two halves of the lesion different if you draw a line through the middle?

B. Border – Do the borders have notched and uneven edges?

C. Colour – Does the lesion have a variety of colours, including black, brown, tan, blue, red or white?

D. Diameter – Is the lesion larger than a pencil eraser (approximately 6mm)?

E. Elevated – Is the lesion raised, nodular or lumpy to the touch?

F. Firm – Does the lesion feel hard?

G. Growing – Has the lesion grown bigger in the past few weeks or months?