There is no doubt summer is coming; the days have been warming up and heat from the sun is getting stronger. 

As the arguably-best season approaches, it is critical to remember the main health advice for this time of year – slip, slop, slap, wrap.

Cancer Council states Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, two to three times the rates in Canada, the US and the UK.

Also, two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the time they are 70, and over 434,000 Australians are treated for one or more non-melanoma skin cancers every year.

And while we love staying in the sun until we soak up some colour, 95 per cent of melanomas - the most deadly form of skin cancer - are caused by sunburn.

Evidently we need to take more care when in the sun, to knock back the time we spend tanning and use the sun safety advice. 

But is the price attached to visiting a health professional to examine suspicious marks on our skin turning people off such check-ups?

A recent trip to a doctor’s surgery to remove a mole resulted in a bill of $320. After a Medicare rebate, I was left $200 out of pocket, but possibly with a further bill to come for the pathology test of that tiny piece of skin. 

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2013 the median employee income for the Bega Valley was $38,818, which equals about $750 a week. 

An analysis using data from 2011 found when comparing the Bega Valley to the rest of regional NSW there was a lower proportion of people earning a high income and a higher proportion of people earning a low income.

As with all trips to see a doctor, residents from the lower socioeconomic region of society will weigh up whether they can afford a trip when they have to pay bills, rent, school fees, buy shopping – the list goes on.

The price of seeing a doctor should not deter people from a visit, and while we do have a new hospital in Bega there have been reports of waits of five hours or more in the emergency department. 

But if you think you may have a skin cancer, while it may cost you, please see a doctor. Your life may depend on it.