Print PageDermatology Department
About Dermatology
Dermatology is that part of medicine which deals with disorders of skin, hair, nails and mucous membranes and encompasses about 3000 diseases of skin, including allergies, inflammatory disorders such as eczema and psoriasis, infections, autoimmune diseases, skin cancer and genetic disorders. The scope of dermatology as a specialty is therefore very broad.
About Our Services
As the skin is such a large, vital, and visible part of the body, disorders of skin can lead to very significant distress and functional impairment for those affected. Treatment options have improved very significantly and the Department of Dermatology in Beaumont Hospital provides a comprehensive service for the management of such disorders.
Skin Cancer Service
Our clinics have been streamlined to provide the most effective and efficient service for patient care. The skin cancer service provides a rapid diagnostic service by triaging patients with malignant melanoma, basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas rapidly through the service. Rapid diagnosis leads to swift surgical removal of skin cancer where appropriate or the use of Photodynamic therapy.
Skin cancer prevention strategies include a weekly surveillance clinic where cryosurgery may be carried out to prevent emergence of skin cancer. Education regarding protection from excessive sun exposure is also part of the cancer prevention service. Three Surgical lists are carried out per week to ensure waiting lists are kept to a minimum. Special surveillance of patients with organ transplantation is in place to prevent, detect early on and treat any skin cancers. As Beaumont Hospital is the National Centre for Renal transplantation, many such patients attend for treatment.
Allergy Investigative Service
We provide a comprehensive allergy investigative service. Allergic reaction of the skin are common and are investigated in various ways depending on the nature of the allergy. Patients with immediate hypersensitivity reactions may present with urticaria, angioedema and anaphylaxis and need careful investigation to elicit the cause as some episodes may be life-threatening.
On the other hand, delayed hypersensitivity reaction may look like eczema and require entirely different investigations such as patch testing. Some patients have both type of reactions, so again careful history taking and testing enable us to provide a diagnosis for patients. Patients with suspected skin allergies may be referred through the general clinics where appropriate tests are determined. Not uncommonly, photosensitivity leads to unpleasant and debilitating reactions of the skin with a wide variety of causes. We have a special interest in the management of photosensitive diseases and the porphyrias.
Management of Inflammatory Diseases
Management of inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, eczema and acne is now very effective. We have recently introduced Dermatology Specialist Nurse-led triage clinics which enable us to rapidly remove patients with psoriasis from waiting lists, bring them in for assessment and determine the severity of the problem. Three main groups of patients are therefore streamed into those who need:
- Topical treatments with education as to how to use the treatments.
- Consultant input and referral to Phototherapy. Phototherapy is a very important and relatively safe way of managing psoriasis and other skin problems, and we hope to expand our current service.
- Medication, such as methotrexate or the newer biological drugs.
Consultation Service for Inpatients
We provide a consultation service for any inpatients with skin disorders and also on occasion admit seriously unwell patients for inpatient management. Where at all possible we manage disorders of the skin as outpatients.
Clinics
Please use the Clinic Search feature to find information about the Dermatology clinics.
Referrals
GP eferrals to Dermatology should always be made via HealthLink to a Dermatology Consultant. If HealthLink cannot be used to refer please email dermatologyadmin@beaumont.ie (for referrals only)
Staff
Should you wish to contact any of our team please see list of contact numbers below. The number for the main reception desk is 01 7974680
Dr Marina O'Kane MRCP(UK) BSc
Secretary - 01 8093498
Dr Richard Watchorn
Secretary - 01 7974475
Dr Karen Eustace
Secretary -- 01 8093958
Dr Muireann Roche
Secretary - 01 8092529
Dr Síona Ní Raghallaigh
Secretary - 01 8093108
Dermatology Nurse Secretary - 01 8092317
Cryo Nurse - 07 8528335
Phototherapy Nurse - 01 8094680
Useful Websites
Irish Association of Dermatologists
British Association of Dermatologists