Hello, I am trying to find a clinic which is doing PROPER skin cancer checks in Japan for like a year now and would be grateful if anybody has some info/tipps regarding that.
Just as a little background information, I’m German and in Germany we have those regular checks every two years we can do at the dermatologist for free. In those you basically get butt-naked and the docs have a look at your whole body to check for any kind of skin cancer.
Now, I don’t know how it is in other countries, but at least in Japan there seems to be no such thing like a check of your WHOLE body. I went two 3 different dermatologists already, but usually you have to tell them why you are there before the check. When I told them I kinda want to check my moles (and unfortunately I have many of them…), they want to know where, and when I tell them “kinda the whole body” they already make weird faces.
Because of that until now I could only tell them the few spots I am the most worried about and all of them made a very quick view without real effort, one of them was just pulling my shirt half above (not even taking it off) to have a quick look and then let me go. Asking doctors they also told me that Japanese don’t get skin cancer that often compared to white people, therefore such checks are not really a thing. That all those clinics have their rooms half-open with people walking by and the assistants being in the room with the doc the whole time, doesn’t really help me to even ask for a “whole body” check-up.
The reason why I am so worried about this, is the fact that both of my older brothers got cut out skin cancer before, so I am a bit sensitive towards that topic. I live in Japan for 3 years now and that I still didn’t get a proper check up is making me nervous. Also thinking about getting a check up the next time I visit Germany, but since I don’t have German health insurance anymore, that would probably be way too expensive…
I’m assuming that not many people have that kind of problem/worry, but if there are any tipps/infos for that, it would be greatly appreciated! Living in Nagoya, so if somebody even has a clinic to recommend, that would be even better.
Thanks in advance!
15 comments
Go to your local dermatologist. If they see something out of the ordinary they’ll give you a referral to a big hospital. I did this recently and had a thorough exam. I went through two bouts of imiquimod to get rid of a lot of solar keratosis. I also had a couple of spots cut out and biopsied. Not pleasant but my surgeon was great and thorough.
sorry i don’t have a recommendation, because of the insurance billing procedure, i think they can only check a few at a time. you might ask if you can make a reservation and tell then you will pay for a whole body check
Most dermatologists I’ve asked about it seem to charge PER MOLE. Of course, that will add up very quickly if you have dozens of moles on your body. It annoys me because I have to take that barium test every year for a type of cancer that I’d never even heard of before coming to Japan, but I can’t get a proper checkup for skin cancer, which literally runs in my family.
As others have said, I was told by my dermatologist that he can only check 3 moles at a time. I live in Kansai so I haven’t been there, but Garden Clinic Hiroo can do a full body check. If you’re willing to make the trip, check their website. Under “services” it’s called “Skin Cancer Screening”. You’ll probably have a pay a couple man-yen.
My derm just had me strip and looked me over. I was charged by the minute so it wasn’t a big deal.
Garden Clinic Hiroo will do a full body check but you have to make a special appointment and Im not sure what it costs but I know I saw a sign saying they do them.
Tokyo Medical and Surgical clinic opposite Tokyo Tower has a good visiting dermatologist that comes in once a week. I had a whole body check and a removal of one mole done there last year. On the plus side, the guy was very experienced and polite. However, it was freaking expensive. He seems to be able set//charge his own rates as a visiting doc. If I recall correctly, the check was about. 20000 yen and the removal about 60000. This was a one time thing for me since I’ll usually also have the check annually done in my home country where it’s covered by insurance.
I didn’t even realize this is something that I wanted. Looking forward to helpful answers. I have never heard of this check-up in Japan, living here 11 years now.
The same thing happened to me, now I just take pictures and check every six months if they have changed. I’m also planning to make an appointment when I go back home. It’s not that expensive without the insurance (Europe).
I have a skin cancer problem, having spent many decades in the ocean and never covering up… Just about every year now I have something cut out, either BCC or SCC.
I know it doesn’t answer your question, but it seems strange to me to put one’s faith in a doctor to remember your entire body, and whether or not any mole is new or has changed, and they certainly can’t say something is cancer without a biopsy. An original look to see if there’s anything that looks concerning would be prudent, but after that? For instance, many Nodular Melanoma will look exactly like an existing mole. How will a doctor know by just looking at it that it’s new unless they have pictures and records of every spot on you? They won’t. Once you’ve had a base screening, the best person to catch anything new or changing is you.
I can tell you for a fact that I would know better than the doctor what’s now or has changed, as I’m the one who caught it every time.
As some others have mentioned, you might need to get a reference to go to specialists at the larger hospitals. I go in for checks ever few months or so. Once you are in the system at a bigger hospital you need to go relatively regularly, otherwise you are kicked off their books and have to pay for another introduction.
For reference, my checkups rarely crack 1,000yen, unless I am getting a bunch of things burned off with Nitrogen, and even then, they are under 2,000.
For further reference, I had a squamous cell carcinoma excised from my forearm a few years ago, day surgery at the hospital. Cost about 60-70,000 all up.
I have always had issues with this in Japan and not found a solution in 15 years living here. Even melonoma “specialists” just want to remove everything.
I now get a checkup and removal whenever I go back home every 2 or 3 years. Not ideal but it is what it is.
Found it so funny that it took 3 appointments in Japan to look at and remove a single mole, back in my home country the doc looked me over visually picked up 3 moles and removed them there and then all in about 40min.
>but at least in Japan there seems to be no such thing like a check of your WHOLE body
Many clinics in Tokyo at least do this.
However this type of check can be time consuming and not covered by Japanese health insurance — so maybe another reason many dermatologists don’t offer them. You’ll have to pay out of pocket (I think around 3万円 in Tokyo).
Clinics catering to foreigners that accept private/no insurance may be your best bet.
Also German here. However, in Germany the Dermatologists in the region wouldn’t even book me without private insurance as the waiting list was too long.
So I actually had my first check up done here in Japan by my Dermatologist. Have to admit that they asked me to just show them which ones I am concerned about, but those they looked at properly and booked me into a removal the next week. Paid a just a few k for the screening and a few man-yen for the removal.
I asked several times but no.
I asked at the place where I have ningen doc but no.
They say it would take too much time…
Someone should ask Mrs. Garden clinic Hiroo to open a branch in the Kansai aera and other places…