April 1, 2026 • 5 mins
New technology promises to speed up the process in checking for skin cancer, and it's set to take the pressure off the health system.
Skinscape 360's new full-body scanner is one of just 115 of its type in the world and uses 92 cameras to take an instant 3D snapshot of a patient in order to quickly flag anything of concern.
Dermoscopist Clare Gunn says this technology isn't covered by insurance yet - but they're hoping to change that to help as many Kiwis as they can.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerry Wood of Morning's podcast from
news Talks HEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
We were talking about extending free cancer screening beyond the
magical age of sixty. While we were talking about this,
a skin cancer screening specialist was listening and has found
the program. And this specialist now has new technology to
help the process. Skin Scape three sixty are their name.
They've bought a three D full body scanner. It's the
first one in New Zealand. So to join us now,
(00:34):
it's doctor Claire Gunn who has the new skin Scape
three sixty. Hella Claire.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Hi. Just to clarify, I'm not a doctor, I'm a dermoscopist.
But yeah, I've been specializing in skin cancer, diagnosed this
for fifteen years here in Auckland.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Can I please say doctor because demoscopist is a kind
of hard thing to say. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Tell
me about the skin Scape three sixty piece of kit.
What does it do?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
So it takes ninety two high definition photographs of your
skin in a second and then builds an avatar, so
it maps everything on your skin in a three D avatar.
So it's setting a baseline set of images so you
would come back a year later, go into the or
(01:22):
some people six monthly, to be fair, go into the
scanner and it would take the same set of images
with you in exactly the same position, and it can
monitor any change, anything new, anything that's regressing. And then
you know that gives us a lot of really good
clues as to you know, where to move forward from here.
Both used in conjunction with a full skin cancer check
(01:45):
as well.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
So it's not sorry, okay, So how much of a
game changer is it compared to the bloke who has
a look at my skin with a mic with a
magnifying glass, And at how much of a game changer.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Is that when people, when patients come back in a
year's time and do it again, it will be absolutely
taking a lot of pressure off people like myself. We
used to have to do a full series of images
to try and spot anything new, and then we would
be comparing those photographs one to the other. This I
(02:21):
had a patient with two ninety miles on the way.
Now you can imagine that being imaged in a in
a second.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Now, the talkback has all been about the cost of
this screening, whether it's born by the state or whether
it's born by yourself or whether it's born by health insurance.
So can I ask how much does a skinscape three
sixty costs?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
So if we do just the skin cancer check on
its own, it's one eighty five, but if we do
the full scan and the skin cancer check, it's four
forty nine. We are in discussion with insurance companies at
this point. Professor Richard Martin has brought this into the country.
It's the first, as you know, the first in New Zealand.
(03:04):
You know, he's been at the bottom of the melanoma
cliff for a very long time and has done a
huge amount of research into, you know, trying to catch
these things even earlier. So yep, at the moment, unfortunately
not covered by insurance. But that's something that we're actively
working towards.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
But as we're hearing about so many people who are
not screening in any way, shape or form because they
simply can't afford it or they're not eligible for free screening,
what would you say to those people? What would you
say to those people? Though, what I've partly been saying is, yes,
it is a big cost, but it costs you six
hundred bucks to service your car. So, you know, should
you be spending the four hundred and forty to check
(03:43):
out your skin moles?
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Absolutely? Absolutely, And you know, for those people that really
can't afford that four forty nine, you know, we're trying
to work with coming up with payment plans if people
would prefer to do that or at the very least
have the full skin cancer check with a dramatoscope for
one eighty five. You know, that's about as you're going
(04:06):
to get a full skin cancer check for And we
really wanted to have different treatment options at different costs
so that we can help as many people as we can.
So while the full check with the vector scan is
you know, the gold standard moving forward, we've still got
an incredible system for you know, making it more affordable
(04:28):
for those that just need that, you know, that entry
level cost, they're still getting gold you know, standard service.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
And why are we still getting skin cancer? I mean
we've been having the sip shop slap forever. New Zealand
is still not covering.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Up no exactly, and I mean I think a lot
of the damage has done in you You've so what
happens when you're teens in early twenties and you're burning
and peeling. You know, those fifties, sixties, seventies kids, they're
still they've still got their skin cancers to come. The
next generation obviously, you know, the kids born in the
(05:03):
nineties really, you know from then on have grown up
with hats and sunscreen and are already developing fewer moles
than you know has been done previously. There's been some
research out of Australia about that. So we're definitely making
good strides, but we've still got the worst to come
(05:24):
because of those people, you know, coming through that burnt
and peeled in their youth.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Claire, I thank you so much. Do you have a website, Yes,
we do.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
It's Skinscape three sixty dot co, dot.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
MZ, good stuff, clear gun there a demuscopist, and I
thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
For more from Kerry Wooden Mornings, listen live to news
talks that'd be from nine am weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Kerry Wood of Morning's podcast from
news Talks HEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
We were talking about extending free cancer screening beyond the
magical age of sixty. While we were talking about this,
a skin cancer screening specialist was listening and has found
the program. And this specialist now has new technology to
help the process. Skin Scape three sixty are their name.
They've bought a three D full body scanner. It's the
first one in New Zealand. So to join us now,
(00:34):
it's doctor Claire Gunn who has the new skin Scape
three sixty. Hella Claire.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Hi. Just to clarify, I'm not a doctor, I'm a dermoscopist.
But yeah, I've been specializing in skin cancer, diagnosed this
for fifteen years here in Auckland.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Can I please say doctor because demoscopist is a kind
of hard thing to say. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Tell
me about the skin Scape three sixty piece of kit.
What does it do?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
So it takes ninety two high definition photographs of your
skin in a second and then builds an avatar, so
it maps everything on your skin in a three D avatar.
So it's setting a baseline set of images so you
would come back a year later, go into the or
(01:22):
some people six monthly, to be fair, go into the
scanner and it would take the same set of images
with you in exactly the same position, and it can
monitor any change, anything new, anything that's regressing. And then
you know that gives us a lot of really good
clues as to you know, where to move forward from here.
Both used in conjunction with a full skin cancer check
(01:45):
as well.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
So it's not sorry, okay, So how much of a
game changer is it compared to the bloke who has
a look at my skin with a mic with a
magnifying glass, And at how much of a game changer.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Is that when people, when patients come back in a
year's time and do it again, it will be absolutely
taking a lot of pressure off people like myself. We
used to have to do a full series of images
to try and spot anything new, and then we would
be comparing those photographs one to the other. This I
(02:21):
had a patient with two ninety miles on the way.
Now you can imagine that being imaged in a in
a second.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Now, the talkback has all been about the cost of
this screening, whether it's born by the state or whether
it's born by yourself or whether it's born by health insurance.
So can I ask how much does a skinscape three
sixty costs?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
So if we do just the skin cancer check on
its own, it's one eighty five, but if we do
the full scan and the skin cancer check, it's four
forty nine. We are in discussion with insurance companies at
this point. Professor Richard Martin has brought this into the country.
It's the first, as you know, the first in New Zealand.
(03:04):
You know, he's been at the bottom of the melanoma
cliff for a very long time and has done a
huge amount of research into, you know, trying to catch
these things even earlier. So yep, at the moment, unfortunately
not covered by insurance. But that's something that we're actively
working towards.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
But as we're hearing about so many people who are
not screening in any way, shape or form because they
simply can't afford it or they're not eligible for free screening,
what would you say to those people? What would you
say to those people? Though, what I've partly been saying is, yes,
it is a big cost, but it costs you six
hundred bucks to service your car. So, you know, should
you be spending the four hundred and forty to check
(03:43):
out your skin moles?
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Absolutely? Absolutely, And you know, for those people that really
can't afford that four forty nine, you know, we're trying
to work with coming up with payment plans if people
would prefer to do that or at the very least
have the full skin cancer check with a dramatoscope for
one eighty five. You know, that's about as you're going
(04:06):
to get a full skin cancer check for And we
really wanted to have different treatment options at different costs
so that we can help as many people as we can.
So while the full check with the vector scan is
you know, the gold standard moving forward, we've still got
an incredible system for you know, making it more affordable
(04:28):
for those that just need that, you know, that entry
level cost, they're still getting gold you know, standard service.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
And why are we still getting skin cancer? I mean
we've been having the sip shop slap forever. New Zealand
is still not covering.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Up no exactly, and I mean I think a lot
of the damage has done in you You've so what
happens when you're teens in early twenties and you're burning
and peeling. You know, those fifties, sixties, seventies kids, they're
still they've still got their skin cancers to come. The
next generation obviously, you know, the kids born in the
(05:03):
nineties really, you know from then on have grown up
with hats and sunscreen and are already developing fewer moles
than you know has been done previously. There's been some
research out of Australia about that. So we're definitely making
good strides, but we've still got the worst to come
(05:24):
because of those people, you know, coming through that burnt
and peeled in their youth.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Claire, I thank you so much. Do you have a website, Yes,
we do.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
It's Skinscape three sixty dot co, dot.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
MZ, good stuff, clear gun there a demuscopist, and I
thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
For more from Kerry Wooden Mornings, listen live to news
talks that'd be from nine am weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
Popular Podcasts
Hey Jonas!
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com