Clinics and Specialist Services Archives - Skin Health Institute

Hidradenitis Suppurativa Clinic

Skin Health Institute — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 05:30:44 +0000

Clinic Overview

The Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) Clinic provides specialised management for patients with this condition.

This includes the provision of simple procedures in clinic with direct access to plastic surgeons for consultation and completion of more complex deroofing and plastic surgery procedures where appropriate. Patients can also access biologic therapies, other medications as prescribed and clinical trials.

Clinic Schedule

This clinic runs monthly on a Thursday.

Additional resources

Consultants

Dr Diana Norris

MBBS BSc FACD DCH

The post Hidradenitis Suppurativa Clinic appeared first on Skin Health Institute.

Atopic Dermatitis Clinic

Skin Health Institute — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 01:24:10 +0000

Clinic Overview

Our Atopic Dermatitis Clinic looks after adult patients suffering from atopic dermatitis with support from an onsite specialised nursing care team.
The clinic provides optimised tailored treatment plans for patients with atopic dermatitis who are candidates for management with currently available therapeutics.
It also provides patients with access to the most up to date clinical trials in atopic disease management if deemed appropriate.

Clinic Schedule

This clinic is held monthly on a Thursday.

Additional resources

Consultants

A/Prof Peter Foley

MBBS FACD

Dr Lena Ly

MBBS FACD

The post Atopic Dermatitis Clinic appeared first on Skin Health Institute.

Phototherapy

Skin Health Institute — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 02:26:45 +0000

What is phototherapy?

Phototherapy is a prescribed treatment that uses ultraviolet (UV) light emitted from an artificial light source to treat various skin conditions such as:

Eczema/dermatitis
Graft versus host disease
Granuloma annulare
Lichen planus
Morphea/scleroderma
Mycosis Fungoides
Polymorphic light eruption
Pompholyx
Psoriasis
Vitiligo

Ultraviolet B (UVB) light is one of the three types of UV radiation emitted by the sun, the Skin Health Insititute has 2 narrowband UVB units, and UVB hand and foot machines available.

This treatment is not a cure but can effectively control or improve the disease to the extent that clearance may be maintained with topical medications at home or no active treatment is needed at all.

Phototherapy treatment appointments are available via referral with appointments scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Your therapy will be supported by your treating dermatologist and delivered by a specialist trained dermatology nurse.

No team members found

The post Phototherapy appeared first on Skin Health Institute.

Acne Clinic

Skin Health Institute — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 22:54:50 +0000

Clinic Overview

The Acne Clinic is open to patients aged 12 and above experiencing severe acne.

Treatment may include providing guidance in choosing the right skin care products to help control acne, prescribing of medication or suggestion of potential lifestyle changes. Consultants will consider the patients’ circumstances such as the extent and severity of their acne, if they have scars or are at risk of scarring, as well as the emotional and social impact of their acne when prescribing treatment.

Clinic Schedule

This clinic is held monthly on the last Friday of the month.

Additional resources

Consultants

A/Prof Aaron Robinson

BBIOTECH (HONS) MBBS PHD FACD

The post Acne Clinic appeared first on Skin Health Institute.

Laser Clinic

Skin Health Institute — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 02:03:09 +0000

Clinic Overview

The Skin Health Institute offers specialist services in laser.

The ablative laser clinic has over the years provided treatment for conditions such as rhinophyma, laser vermilionectomy, xanthelasma, syringomas, scaring, ablative layering, vascular laser where pulsed dye laser has not worked and pigment disorders.

The clinic is conducted and supervised by leading Australian specialist dermatologists in our centre for excellence at Carlton, Victoria and offsite.

Let our specialist team advise you and arrange the most appropriate course of treatment for your particular skin type and condition.

These services are for clinical purposes and are offered to all patients, with a referral required for clinical conditions.

To make an appointment please call (03) 9623 9400.

Clinic schedule

This clinic is conducted Tuesdays every second month offsite.

Consultants

Dr Belinda Welsh

FACD MBBS

The post Laser Clinic appeared first on Skin Health Institute.

MOHs Surgery Clinic

Skin Health Institute — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 23:17:28 +0000

Clinic Overview

Mohs surgery is a highly technical, mapped surgical technique used to treat skin cancers. Mohs surgery is now seen as the single most effective technique for removing Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) – the two most common forms of skin cancer. Cure rates for BCC and SCC may be 99% with Mohs surgery, which is higher than standard excision or any other accepted method. Mohs surgery is also an effective treatment for other types of skin cancers; Mohs surgery is also as a method for treating patients with melanomas in situ (Lentigo maligna) with the use of immunohistochemistry.

The procedure allows removal of the malignant cancer in stages, sparing as much normal tissue as possible.

During Mohs surgery, our specially trained Mohs practitioner removes all visible skin cancer and the tissue is sent to our Mohs Laboratory, where it is immediately processed so that 100% of the margin can be examined microscopically to check the skin cancer has been completely removed. If not, tissue further narrow margin is removed and the pathology process is repeated.

With traditional surgical removal of skin cancers, only about 1-3% of the tumour margins are examined, which, when compared to Mohs surgery, increases the chances that a small tumour cluster will be missed and left behind. Mohs surgery allows for examination of 100% of the tumour thereby minimising the chance of tumour cells being left behind. Tumours can be confidently cleared with narrower margins than is possible with standard surgery preserving as much normal skin as possible and resulting in smaller defects needing repair.

Mohs surgery is especially useful for skin cancers that:

have a high risk of recurrence or that have recurred after previous treatment
are located in an area where you want to preserve as much healthy tissue as possible (e.g. on the nose, ears or around the eyes)
have borders that are hard to define
are large or aggressive in behavior.

Even if Mohs surgery is the most appropriate treatment for a skin cancer, some patients may not be good candidates for Mohs if they are unable to tolerate local anaesthesia, have extreme anxiety, have a surgical phobia, or are in very poor health. Any concerns of this nature will be addressed in our pre-operative consultation.

Clinic Schedule

The Mohs Surgery Clinic runs fortnightly on a Thursday, weekly on a Monday and weekly on alternating Wednesday and Fridays.

Surgeons

Mohs surgery can only be carried out by Mohs practitioners accredited by the Australasian College of Dermatologists. There are several Mohs surgeons working at the Skin Health Institute and the Institute is one of the few recognized training facilities for Mohs in Australia.

Mohs specialists are specially trained dermatologists who have undertaken a minimum of an extra 1-2 years of approved Mohs surgery training. Approved Mohs surgeons are both Fellows of the Australasian College of Dermatologists (FACD) and accredited Mohs specialists.

Mohs specialists are required to undertake regular quality assurance programs in diagnostic dermatopathology, run by the Royal Australasian College of Pathology, and the rigorous standards applied by the Australasian College of Dermatologists.

FAQs

Which areas are treatable using Mohs?

Mohs surgery is used primarily for treatment of head and neck basal and squamous cell cancers. It is particularly useful for skin cancers in challenging areas such as nose, eyelids, lips and ears. It is also used on hands and feet, where there is not a lot of extra tissue for large surgical removals. While it is more often used on the face, neck, hands and feet, any area of the body may be treated using Mohs surgery if it is assessed as being clinically indicated.

What are the possible complications of Mohs?

While Mohs surgery is overall a very safe and effective surgical treatment, like any surgery or procedure there are some possible uncommon complications. Most patients tolerate Mohs surgery very well without any complications. Like all surgery Mohs surgery does leave a scar but after a few months, most patients will have only a very fine, barely visible scar.

As with all surgeries complications may arise. A list of these complications include:

Bleeding
Bruising
Swelling
Incomplete removal of cancer
Pain afterwards
Infection
Scarring
Numbness

Your surgeon will discuss associated risks and complications. Patients should speak to their doctor about any concerns or questions they may have.

MOHs Surgeons

Vitiligo Clinic

Skin Health Institute — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 22:57:04 +0000

Clinic Overview

The clinic’s multi-disciplinary approach offers dermatologists and their patients a comprehensive service encompassing expert opinion, patient support and education, and specialised treatments.

This clinic provides a valuable resource for dermatologists and a source of hope for vitiligo sufferers and their families.

Clinic Schedule

This clinic is held monthly on a Friday.

Referrals to the Vitiligo Clinic, for adult cases, can be made by phoning the Institute or visit the Patient Referrals page for more information.

Enquiries

Enquiries about the clinic can also be made by phone on 03 9623 9400 or via email: vitiligo@skinhealthinstitute.org.au

Clinical Assessment and Patient Education

Prior to their consultation, patients complete a questionnaire online (or on a copy sent by post). On arrival they will receive an information package about vitiligo, its treatments and support group resources through an easy-to-read brochure and video presentation. They will then see a nurse for a standardised examination and assessment. Next, their condition will be accurately recorded by digital photography. Finally, with all clinical information and images available, patients will receive management advice from the dermatologist.

WHO CAN REFER?

GPs can refer patients to this clinic. Patients may have either:

common vitiligo, and are seeking treatment optimisation, specialised treatments and support services
stable leucoderma (such as segmental vitiligo, piebaldism, hypopigmented scars, or naevus depigmentosus) and are seeking cellular grafting service.

Patients may also benefit from access to the following services:

epidermal cellular grafting service (only once their condition has become stable, i.e. non-progressive for at least 12 months)

Australia’s first dedicated non-cultured epidermal cellular grafting service will enable patients to have a single-day procedure using a novel technique for re-pigmentation of the skin. A success rate of over 80% applies for “non auto-immune” leucoderma. For stable auto-immune vitiligo the success rate is 70% (these patients will first need to be assessed in the regular Clinic for disease stability).

The technique involves the preparation of a cellular suspension, following trypsinisation of donor skin, which is then applied to the laser-ablated leucoderma. An area up to 10 times the size of the donor site can be treated.

Excimer therapy

The Skin Health Institute now has a new Excimer 308 ready for use for patients with vitiligo. This ultraviolet hand-held light machine is an established treatment for vitiligo and provides similar outcomes to narrowband UVB therapy but does so 4-5 times more rapidly than standard phototherapy. This enables fewer treatment sessions while avoiding tanning of the surrounding skin. As is the case with all lasers, the cost of treatment will be partly dependent on the size of the area to be treated.

Camouflage advice
Psychological counselling

All patients will be required to complete a quality-of-life survey (DLQI) and 10-item psychological distress scale (K10). According to these assessments, patients may be advised to consult with a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Consultants

A/Prof Adrian Mar

MBBS FACD

Dr Desmond Gan

FACD

Dr Michelle Rodrigues

MBBS(HONS) FACD

Dr Shally Gupta

MBBS MD (Derm) FACD

The post Vitiligo Clinic appeared first on Skin Health Institute.

Vascular Laser and Rosacea Clinic

Skin Health Institute — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 22:51:06 +0000

Clinic Overview

The Skin Health Institute offers a specialist service in vascular laser for a range of conditions involving redness of the skin.

These include:

Capillaries/telangiectasia – face/neck/chest
Rosacea
Keratosis Pilaris
Poikiloderma of Civatte
Red scars
Adult Port Wine stains
Spider naevi
Angiomas
Post-surgery and radiotherapy telangiectasia
Other conditions with abnormal skin blood vessels (eg Generalised Essential Telangiectasia, Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia, Unilateral Naevoid telangiectasia, Angioma serpiginosum)

The clinic is conducted and supervised by leading Australian specialist dermatologists in our centre for excellence at Carlton, Victoria and offsite.

Let our specialist team advise you and arrange the most appropriate course of treatment for your particular skin type and condition.

These services are for clinical purposes and are offered to all patients, with a referral required for clinical conditions.

To make an appointment please call (03) 9623 9400.

Clinic Schedule

The clinic is held monthly on a Friday.

Additional resources

Rosacea

Consultants

Dr Belinda Welsh

FACD MBBS

The post Vascular Laser and Rosacea Clinic appeared first on Skin Health Institute.

Transplant Clinic

Skin Health Institute — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 22:46:36 +0000

Clinic Overview

The Skin Health Institute’s Transplant Dermatology Clinic manages the skin of patients who have had solid organ transplants such as renal, liver, heart and lung transplants.

Due to the long-term immunosuppresive medications taken to avoid graft rejection, organ transplant patients have unique dermatological needs. These include:

Skin cancers and pre-cancers – squamous cell carcinomas the most common post-transplant skin malignancy, but patients can also get basal cell carcinomas and melanomas.
Skin infections – especially viral warts and superficial skin infections

Their problems are often multiple, complex and time consuming. The Transplant Dermatology Clinic is a teaching clinic and aims to provide expert clinical care of these patients. This clinic also has an important research focus and collects research data that will lead to improving the quality of care of organ transplant recipients.

Clinic Schedule

This clinic is held weekly on a Wednesday.

Additional resources

Consultants

A/Prof Aaron Robinson

BBIOTECH (HONS) MBBS PHD FACD

A/Prof Alvin Chong

MBBS M.MED FACD

Dr Jane Li

PhD FACD

Dr Michelle Goh

BMEDSCI FACD MBBS

Dr Rebecca Dunn

FACD MBBS

Dr Sarah Brennand

BSc (Med) FACD MBBS

The post Transplant Clinic appeared first on Skin Health Institute.

SHI Skin Checks

Skin Health Institute — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 22:10:38 +0000

This program allows patients to book a skin check without the need for a referral.

Please note as this is a screening clinic:

no Medicare rebates will apply and a flat fee of $160 will be payable on the day of appointment.
patients with recurrent basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or with a history of melanoma or any other complex skin conditions cannot be accepted for this skin check program and we recommend booking an appointment with the relevant specialist clinic (a valid referral will be required).

WHY SHI SKIN CHECKS?

In general, if an individual requires a skin check, they will see their GP, find a specialist or go to a skin cancer detection clinic.

If a suspicious spot is identified, patients are often referred to a dermatologist which can have wait times of over 6 months and be very expensive.

With SHI Skin Checks, your skin check is performed by a highly qualified individual. No referral is required and your appointment is efficient and affordable.

HOW TO BOOK

Please fill in the form below and a Skin Health Institute representative will contact you via your nominated phone or email to organise an appointment.

A deposit may be required at time of booking.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR APPOINTMENT

Your appointment will be a full body skin check performed by a qualified practitioner. Using a dermatoscope, a small handheld magnifying device, the practitioner will closely look at any spots over your body particularly looking for suspicious spots that could be cancerous.

As the skin check will be undertaken by a fully qualified practitioner, the appointment will last roughly 10 minutes.

No photos will be taken during the consultation.

Patients will receive information about skin cancer and when they can safely expose themselves to the sun to obtain Vitamin D. The practitioner will verbally provide recommendations for future surveillance at the appointment.

If you require further treatment such as a biopsy or excision you will be referred to an appropriate service either within the Skin Health Institute, such as sub-specialty clinic at a discounted rate, or a provider of your choosing.

To register your interest, please fill in the form below.

For more information, email skinchecks@skinhealthinstitute.org.au.

The post SHI Skin Checks appeared first on Skin Health Institute.