Consultation
You can be referred for consultation by another medical expert (such as a GP, another doctor or nurse), or you can book a consultation for private medical treatment yourself.
If you are insured, you should speak to your insurer before you book your appointment. Your insurer will normally require you to have been referred by another doctor. They will provide you with an authorisation code for the consultation, which will need to be provided to Derma along with your insurance membership number.
To book a consultation, you can use the link at the top of the page to book online, or call or email Derma. If this is your first appointment, we will require you to provide some further details, which you can either do online or over the phone.
Sometimes, a consultation can take place virtually, either over the phone, or using video conferencing to diagnose a condition, but ideally, it should be face to face where possible.
You cannot undergo a medical treatment, even if it is for a non-surgical ‘cosmetic’ procedure, without first having a consultation.
What Happens During the Consultation?
Please come to reception as soon as you arrive at the clinic, as the consultant may be running early or a previous patient may not have arrived, so you may get seen before your appointment time.
Like any medical office, you may have to wait a few moments before your appointment begins, and our staff will ensure you are comfortable while waiting, and may offer you a tea or coffee. If there’s anything they can do to make your wait more pleasant, please ask, although they will not be able to answer medical questions.
Once you are brought through to the consulting room, you will meet your dermatologist, and before anything else, you’ll sit down to discuss your medical history. A consultation usually takes around 15 minutes, to allow the dermatologist time to get all your medical history, assess the skin condition and to discuss their analysis and proposed plan for treatment with you.
Your dermatologist will take a full medical history and ask you lots of questions to understand your medical condition, and they may make additional notes while you’re speaking.
You will be asked to explain the skin condition that’s causing a problem – depending on where it is on the body and how visible the issue is, you may show it to the doctor, or you may wait until they have asked to conduct the examination.
Some common questions the dermatologist may ask questions are:
Some people can find it helpful to bring along their own notes, or a ‘diary’ listing their symptoms or reactions – especially if the condition seems to be triggered or worsened by a particular food or environmental condition, such as the weather.
If, based on your history and symptoms, the dermatologist has any concerns about the rest of your skin, they may ask for a skin check. For a skin check you will be expected to undress down to your undergarments. A chaperone will be available at all times.
The dermatologist may ask you additional questions about the condition during the examination, and this is because they will be using their medical expertise to exclude possible skin conditions that could have a similar presentation.
If treatment is appropriate, it may be possible to perform this on the day of the consultation. If you feel this may apply to your condition (such as a lump or lesion), you may want to bring along someone to the appointment.
If you do bring someone along, it is your choice as to whether or not they attend the consultation. They are very welcome to remain in the waiting room and make use of the facilities during your appointment.
Once the dermatologist has confirmed the condition, they will ask you to put on your clothes, if needed, and may invite you back to your original seat so that you can discuss the diagnosis, and the latest and most effective treatments available.
Your dermatologist will explain all potential side-effects to enable you to select the best option for you, and will be happy to answer any questions you might have about the diagnosis or the treatment, and what each will mean for you going forward.
Depending on the treatment and the severity of your condition, further tests and follow-up appointments may be required to manage your treatment.
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