New research suggests Kiwi men still struggle to self-diagnose potential melanomas and as a result are putting their health at risk by not getting them checked.

MoleMap New Zealand has found that men are 10% less likely to first recognise a concerning mole than their female counterparts.

Analysis of 100* confirmed melanomas (both male and female patients) in a study by MoleMap found that there was a correlation between the location of a mole and the chance of self-diagnosis which could provide some explanation for why men struggle to spot the sinister moles on their bodies.

Skin cancer research** from 1994 to 2004 shows that men are more than twice as likely to get melanoma on the harder to inspect area of their torso or back (41%), compared to only 19% in women, while women are twice as likely to get melanoma on their legs (39%) than men (15%).