HOW IT WORKS
Our photographic monitoring process.
01
We photograph the mole.
During your visit, the mole is photographed both close up under magnification and in its position on your body, using the FotoFinder system.
02
You come back in three to six months.
New images are taken and compared side by side with the originals. Software and your doctor's eye look for any change in size, shape, colour or internal structure.
03
Your doctor decides the next step.
If there's no significant change, monitoring continues on a semi-regular basis. If there are suspicious changes, your doctor will recommend a biopsy, and if a monitored mole changes before your follow-up, book an urgent lesion review.
Book at either clinic
The same services and the same team of doctors work across both clinics. Choose the one that's easier for you.
SkinGP Woodend: 44B Anslow Street, Woodend VIC 3442
SkinGP Glen Iris: 1601 Malvern Road, Glen Iris VIC 3146.
Phone (03) 9969 5000. Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm.
Monitoring and your full skin check
If you have regular full skin checks at SkinGP, monitoring builds on the total body map we already hold for you. Every check adds to your skin's history, which makes each comparison more useful than the last.
Cost
Monitoring visits are charged as consultations. Medicare rebates apply to eligible consultations and are processed on the spot. See all fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. It means the mole is mildly atypical and worth watching. Most monitored moles stay stable.
The first comparison is usually about three to six months later. If the mole is stable, monitoring continues on a semi-regular basis as your doctor advises.
Mole mapping is total body photography: a full set of images of your skin used as a baseline. It's included in every full skin check at SkinGP. Photographic monitoring focuses on specific moles your doctor wants to watch more closely.
Talk to your doctor. Sometimes removal is the right call; often, monitoring avoids an unnecessary procedure and scar.
Ready to
book your appointment?
No referral required. Book directly online via AutoMed or call us on (03) 9969 5000. New patients are welcome.
Why monitor instead of removing?
With advanced training and FotoFinder imaging, our skin cancer doctors can confidently classify the vast majority of moles at your full skin check. But for a small number of mildly atypical moles, even an experienced doctor needs to see how a mole behaves over time before deciding.
​
Monitoring gives your doctor that information. It means moles that are changing get dealt with promptly, while stable moles don't have to be cut out unnecessarily, sparing you a procedure and a scar.
Why precise images matter
People are surprisingly bad at noticing slow change in their own skin, and memory isn't reliable. Even a careful doctor can't recall the exact pattern inside a mole from three months ago. High-resolution, magnified images taken under the same conditions each time remove the guesswork, so subtle change becomes visible rather than missed.
