Do You Need a Referral for Skin Cancer Screening?

Skin cancer screening is a clinical examination of the skin, often including moles and other spots. The clinician may ask about personal or family history, previous skin cancers, sun exposure, and changes you have noticed. If a lesion looks uncertain, they may recommend monitoring, photography, further testing, or a biopsy. Screening does not replace assessment of a specific concerning lesion.

Some dermatology services accept direct bookings. Others require a referral from a primary-care clinician or another doctor, especially where a health plan controls access. The referral route does not determine whether a lesion is cancerous.

Ask the clinic whether it offers self-booked screening and what information to bring. Check any health-plan referral or approval requirements before booking. Make a note of new or changing spots, including changes in size, shape, colour, border, surface, bleeding, crusting, itching, or tenderness. If possible, bring photographs that show how the area has changed and a list of medicines and relevant medical history.

Do not wait for a routine screening slot if one particular lesion is changing quickly or repeatedly bleeding; tell the booking team that you need assessment of a specific concern.

Seek prompt medical review for a new growth, a mole that changes, a sore that does not heal, repeated bleeding or crusting, or a spot with an uneven appearance and ongoing change. Rapid growth, persistent pain, or a firm lump also warrants timely assessment. These signs do not diagnose skin cancer, but they should be evaluated rather than treated as a cosmetic issue.

Ask: Do I need a referral for screening? Will the examination include the scalp, nails, and areas hidden by hair? Which spot concerns you most? Should I return for monitoring or have a biopsy? What changes should prompt me to contact you sooner?