Common conditions treated by our service include:
- acne
- bacterial skin infections
- eczema
- fungal skin infections
- hand, foot and mouth disease
- psoriasis
- scabies
- shingles
- skin cancer
- warts.
When you come in for an outpatient appointment, the shape, size, colour and location of your skin condition will be assessed, as well as any other symptoms. In some cases a dermatologist can diagnose skin conditions just by looking at them.
Sometimes our dermatologists will need to take a biopsy to diagnose your condition. A biopsy is the removal of a small piece of the skin or lesion for examination under a microscope.
In some cases, minor surgery may be needed to remove the affected skin. Part or all of the lesion will be removed and examined.
A dermatologist may also investigate your skin disorder by scraping some of the top layer of skin from the lesion or affected area, which is sent to the laboratory for testing. This is called a skin scraping.