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Skin Cancer
Treatment Options

Just Skin Treatment Clinic offers advanced non-surgical skin cancer treatment

Medical professional examining patient at Just Skin Treatment Clinic

What Are They and What's The Difference?

While both treatments use forms of radiation, they differ in depth and application.

What is Grenz Therapy?

Grenz radiation is delivered in a highly controlled medical setting, using a calibrated machine that emits very soft, low-energy X-rays. Grenz rays are designed to target the epidermis, with approximately 90% of beam energy absorbed at a depth of 0.5 mm.

This shallow penetration makes the therapy suitable for treating superficial skin changes, such as field cancerisation. While the exact mechanism of action is not fully understood, Grenz ray therapy is a non-invasive option that may be considered when topical treatments have not been effective.

Grenz Ray Therapy Device

When is Grenz
Therapy Used?

Grenz Therapy is primarily used to treat non-cancerous or pre-cancerous skin conditions.

Disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP)
A chronic, sun-induced skin condition causing multiple rough, reddish lesions, often on the lower legs and arms.
Field cancerisation
Areas of skin with widespread sun damage may develop multiple precancerous changes.

Note:

Grenz therapy is not suitable for invasive or high-risk superficial skin cancers. For those conditions, we may recommend superficial X-ray therapy (XRT).

Grenz Therapy vs X-Ray Therapy:
What's The Difference?

Grenz Therapy
Depth of penetration
Effective depth of penetration 0.1mm
Used for
DSAP, field damage
Type of conditions
Non-cancerous skin disorders
Procedure type
Non-invasive
Appointment frequency
Typically 3–5 sessions
Superficial X-ray therapy
Depth of penetration
Effective depth of penetration 2-5mm
Used for
Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, IEC(Bowen's disease)
Type of conditions
Superficial skin cancers
Procedure type
Non-invasive
Appointment frequency
10–12 sessions

How Much Does Grenz Therapy Cost?

Medical consultation

The cost of Grenz Therapy varies based on the number of sessions required and your individual treatment plan. Our administrative team will provide a detailed quote before you begin treatment.

  • Medicare rebate available – with an eligible referral.
  • Medicare Safety Net – may further reduce your out-of-pocket costs.
  • DVA patients – fully covered with appropriate Gold Card approval.
  • No private health insurance required.

If you have questions about costs or rebates, please talk to us.

What To Expect:
Your Appointment Journey

  1. You get a referral from your GP or dermatologist and send it to us.
  2. We call you and arrange an appointment.
  3. You attend your initial consultation. Remember to bring your:
    • Referral letter.
    • Medicare card.
    • List of current medications.
  4. You meet your Just Skin treatment team, who will:
    • Conduct a clinical assessment.
    • Take photographs.
    • Develop your treatment plan.
  5. You attend a follow-up appointment where we assessment your response to treatment and discuss next steps.
  6. You attend weekly treatment sessions over 4–6 weeks, which typically take about 15 minutes each.
    • You remain fully clothed, except for the area being treated.
    • You can resume normal activities immediately with no downtime.

Are There Any Side Effects?

Grenz ray therapy is generally well tolerated. However, as with all medical treatments, there are some potential side effects, which may include:

  • Mild skin redness or irritation at the treatment site, to more sunburn effects in some patients
  • Temporary dryness or peeling of the skin
  • Very rare risk of pigmentation changes or delayed hair thinning in the treated area.

These effects are typically short-lived and self-resolving. Your treating doctor will discuss all risks during your consultation.

Skin care

Ready to Explore Grenz Therapy?

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If you have DSAP, field sun damage, chronic eczema, keloid scars, or another chronic skin disorder that hasn't responded to standard treatments, Grenz Therapy may be a suitable option.

Speak with your GP or dermatologist about a referral to Just Skin Treatment Clinic, or contact us for more information.

What Is SXRT?

XRT is a prescribed dose of radiation using low energy x-rays to a defined target area. We use the XRT machine to produce radiation.

The energy range or our x-rays are between 50-80kV. At this energy we can limit the effective dose of radiation to a depth of 2mm and 9mm.

This makes XRT a treatment option for any size provided that they are less than 10mm thick.

Grenz Ray Therapy Device

How It Compares To Other Radiation

Medical consultation

Compared to other radiation, SXRT is:

  • more cost effective
  • suited to treating very small skin cancers
  • and lower overall risk

How Does SXRT Work in
Treating Skin Cancer?

XRT produces a beam of ionising radiation. When this radiation (x- ray) beam interacts with cancer DNA it damages the DNA and the cancer cells irreversibly:

  • The damaged cancer cells eventually die by apoptosis
  • The leftover cancer cell debris is cleared up by the immune system
  • The cancers disappear with SXRT leaving minimal scarring.
Skin care

What Happens During Treatment

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On your first treatment day, a radiation therapist (RT) will welcome you, explain the procedure, confirm treatment details, and position the X-ray applicator.

  • Protective shielding may be used if needed.
  • The therapist will then leave the room to deliver the treatment. It is painless, similar to a standard X-ray, and takes less than one minute.
  • After treatment, all equipment is removed and you can go home immediately. You are not radioactive and there are no activity restrictions.
  • This process is repeated as prescribed. Skin care advice will be provided if needed, and you are always welcome to ask questions.

How Do Non-Surgical Treatments Work?

Non-surgical skin cancer treatments like superficial X-ray therapy (XRT) and Grenz Ray Therapy use targeted low-energy radiation to treat specific skin conditions.

These treatments focus energy on the skin's surface layers, targeting abnormal skin cells to help preserve surrounding healthy tissue.

Treatment

Evidence for XRT and
Grenz Therapy

We believe radiation treatments should be part of every conversation about skin cancer treatment. Surgery is no longer the only option – nor is it necessarily the best.

Evidence-Based, Non-Surgical
Skin Treatments

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Medical professional

Assessment by Dermatologists and Radiation Oncologists, delivered by Qualified Radiation Therapists

Medical consultation

Suitable for several

common skin cancers and precancerous skin changes

Medical care

No cutting , No down time , No surgical scars

Healthcare

Transparent pricing with Medicare rebates for eligible patients

Keloids

Keloids are “monster” scars characterised by excessive scar tissue (collagen) formation in response to a wound to the skin.

What Are Keloids?

Keloids are excessive scars caused by overproduction of collagen after skin injury, even from minor trauma such as acne or piercings. They may appear months or years later as thick, raised, pink scars that can feel soft or firm.

Keloids often cause itching or discomfort and can be distressing due to their appearance. They are non-cancerous and differ from hypertrophic scars because they grow beyond the original wound and do not fade over time.

Treatment options include silicone gel, pressure therapy, steroid injections, and surgical removal. Surgery alone has a high recurrence rate, but SXRT can reduce recurrence to under 20%.

Grenz Ray Therapy Device

How SXRT can Help

The exact cause of keloids is not fully understood. Normally, wound healing involves fibroblasts producing collagen to form a scar. In keloids, excess fibroblasts produce too much collagen, leading to an enlarged scar.

Radiation therapy reduces keloid risk by limiting fibroblast growth and promoting more normal healing. When possible, keloids should be surgically removed, followed by radiation within 24 hours. This combined approach reduces recurrence to under 20%.

For keloids too large for surgery, radiation alone may be used.

Grenz Ray Therapy Device

The Procedure

We follow the Royal Marsden Hospital protocol, delivering a single radiation treatment within 24 hours of surgery. This requires careful coordination, which our team manages for you.

A Medicare referral is required for the initial consultation. At this visit, the radiation oncologist will assess suitability and prepare a preliminary radiation plan. You will then be referred to a plastic surgeon to discuss surgical risks and benefits. If surgery proceeds, our team coordinates the surgery and radiation treatment. Radiation is delivered on the same day as surgery, directly to the wound without removing the dressing.

The treatment is painless, though it may delay wound healing—this is intentional and will be discussed in detail during consultation. Routine follow-up with the surgeon continues as planned. The Just Skin team reviews patients at 2 weeks, 6 months, and annually after surgery.

Grenz Ray Therapy Device

Introducing Our Practitioners

Your Just Skin treatment team is lead by Dr Colin Dicks, radiation oncologist and Dr Helmut Schaider, dermatologist.

Doctor

What Are The Fees
and Available Medicare Rebates?

Medicare

At Just Skin, your XRT or Grenz Therapyfee includes comprehensive care – covering planning, treatment, and post-care by our team of qualified professionals. As a private service we are obliged to charge a fee. Full payment of this fee upfront is a Medicare requirement to trigger Medicare rebates. These rebates will help reduce your out of pocket expenses.

Once you reach the Medicare Safety Net for the year, you receive a further rebate covering 80% of the remaining gap, making ongoing treatment significantly more affordable.

The Medicare Safety Net is a government program that provides extra financial support once your annual out-of-pocket medical expenses exceed a set threshold.

Interested In Non-Surgical Approaches to Skin Cancer Treatment?

If you’re keen to explore non-invasive treatments for non-melanoma skin cancers and precancerous skin conditions.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Non-surgical skin cancer treatment can be ideal for patients who can't have (or don't want) surgery due to:

  • Underlying health issues, age or frailty that make surgery too risky
  • The size or location of their skin cancer – some people wish to avoid surgery on their face, for example
  • Personal preference for a non-invasive form of treatment involving less downtime (depending on individual factors).

Yes, our treatment is not suitable for everyone! Non-surgical skin cancer treatments cannot be used in:

  • Pregnancy
  • Advanced skin cancers
  • Gorlins syndrome.

They should be used with caution in:

  • Areas previously treated with radiation 
  • Younger patients
  • Patients with connective tissue disease
  • Patients on chemotherapy
  • Melanoma treatment.

Our treatment is painless but as with all medical procedures there are some treatment related effects. During the treatment these range from mild dryness and redness to crusty sore skin- similar to the effects of cryotherapy. The effects depend on which area is being treated. Our doctors will give you a full rundown of any risks and consequences of treatment before you begin so that you can have full confidence that you are making the right treatment choice when it comes to your skin cancer care.

Yes, Medicare rebates are available for eligible patients undergoing non-surgical treatments such as XRT or Grenz Therapy. Medicare requires patients to pay up front and in full, then reimburses them, usually within 24 hours. If you’ve had high health costs this year and have reached the Medicare safety net, your out-of-pocket costs will be greatly reduced.

Your informed financial consent is important to us. Our team will discuss the costs of treatment and the likely rebate with you before you decide to proceed.

Unfortunately not. Private health funds do not cover the cost of this treatment.

Why Choose Just Skin Treatment Clinic?

Led by a radiation oncologist and a skin cancer dermatologist, we're proud to be a trusted provider of non-surgical skin cancer treatment in Queensland.

You may have been recently diagnosed and are still adjusting to the news, or you may have been living with skin cancer for a while. Either way, our team is committed to providing evidence-based, compassionate care and discussing long-term management options with you.

Doctor examining skin with magnifying glass