Dermatology is the treatment of the skin and its diseases, skin cancer and surgery to remove it. A doctor who specialises in this is called a dermatologist.
Common conditions treated by our service include: warts, acne, psoriasis, eczema, skin cancer, fungal skin infections, scabies, bacterial skin infections, shingles and Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease.
Find out more about skin conditions
What happens at an appointment
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/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 is by scraping some of the top layer of skin from the lesion/affected area, which is sent to the laboratory for testing . This is called a skin scraping.
Outpatient clinics are held at:
- Wellington Regional Hospital: Main Outpatients Department, Level 2, Riddiford Street, Newtown (this is located off the main atrium)
- Kenepuru Community Hospital - Kenepuru Outpatients.
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