Spring is a good time to check your own skin
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. About two out of three Australians will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer before the age of 70. More than 95% of those cancers are caused by exposure to UV radiation.
UV is not the same thing as heat
UV radiation cannot be seen or felt. It is not related to temperature and it can be high on a cloudy day. Cancer Council notes that UV peaks in summer but can damage unprotected skin for most of the year, so a mild spring afternoon is not the safe bet it feels like.
Damage also builds up long before skin burns or tans. It does not reverse. What you are protecting against is the total, not any single day.
Most skin cancers are found by the person who has them
Cancer Council puts it plainly: most skin cancers are self-detected. Knowing your own skin is what makes an early find possible.
Signs worth noticing:
a spot that looks and feels different from the others on your skin
a spot that has changed size, shape, colour or texture
a spot that is tender or sore to touch
a sore that does not heal within a few weeks
a sore that is itchy or bleeds
How to check
In a room with good light, undress completely and use a full-length mirror to check your whole body. Use a handheld mirror for the places you cannot see, or ask someone to help.
There is no set guideline on how often to do this. Cancer Council suggests picking a regular prompt, such as the first day of the month or the change of each season. Spring is one of those moments, which is as good a reason as any to do it this week.
Apps are a record, not a diagnosis
Some phone apps photograph your skin over time so you can compare. They are genuinely useful as a reminder or as a record of a spot you are watching. Research shows they cannot reliably detect skin cancer, so anything that worries you still needs a person to look at it.
If something has changed
If you notice something new, or a spot you are unsure about, book in and have it looked at. A skin cancer found early has a better outcome than one found late.
Source
Cancer Council Australia, "Skin cancer cause, symptoms and risks", cancer.org.au, page last updated 31 August 2026. Accessed 14 September 2026.
