What you pay to have your skin looked at in Australia depends on who you see. Here is a plain guide to the options and their typical costs — including the online option, where a doctor reviews a photo of your spot for $49 flat.
Your options and rough costs
- Your regular GP: often bulk-billed if you are eligible, but many GPs now charge a gap, and a proper skin check takes time you may need to book specifically for. Waits can be long.
- Skin-cancer clinic: a full-body check typically costs from around $50 to $250+ depending on the clinic and whether it bulk-bills; often the most thorough for a top-to-toe exam.
- Dermatologist: the highest cost, usually needs a referral and a wait — best reserved for complex cases.
- Online photo review (Skin360AI): $49 flat for one spot, reviewed by an Australian GP with a special interest in skin cancer medicine, written next-step advice from the submitted photographs, no appointment. Best for a specific spot you are worried about — not a substitute for a full-body exam.
Is a skin check bulk billed?
Sometimes — it depends on the clinic and your Medicare eligibility. Bulk-billing for dedicated skin checks has become less common, and a full skin check is often not fully covered. An online photo review is a private service and is not Medicare rebateable — you pay the flat $49, with no gap-fee surprises.
Which should you choose?
If you want reassurance about one specific spot quickly and without a clinic visit, an online review is fast and inexpensive. If you want a full head-to-toe examination, or you have many spots or high risk, book an in-person skin check. The two work well together — and if an online review flags something, you will be told to be seen in person.
How much is an online skin check?
An online skin check with Skin360AI is $49 flat for one spot — reviewed by an Australian GP with a special interest in skin cancer medicine, with written next-step advice from the submitted photographs and no appointment or waiting room. It is a fixed price with no gap-fee surprises, and if a spot needs an in-person look, you are told — free. Ideal for a specific spot you are worried about, not a replacement for a full-body exam.
Does private health insurance cover a skin check?
It depends on your fund and your level of extras cover — some extras policies contribute to an in-person skin check, but many do not, and coverage varies widely, so it is worth asking your fund directly. The online $49 review is a private, out-of-pocket service and is not claimable through Medicare. A growing number of members are asking their funds to cover checks like it.
Is a cheap skin check worth it?
Price should not be the only thing you weigh. A skin check is only as good as the eye reading your skin and their honesty about what they see — a rushed or cut-price check that misses an early cancer is the most expensive kind there is. What matters is that a trained doctor looks properly and tells you the truth. That is the point of the $49 review: a real Australian GP with a special interest in skin cancer medicine, clear next-step advice and transparent limits.
Get a spot reviewed — $49 · what to expect from an online review.