Dermatology London

Photographic images of skin lesions and rashes, as well as other parts of the body, can be used as a useful record of skin lesions.

As well as being used to monitor changes, or new moles, it can also be a useful tool in monitoring treatment effectiveness.

The photographs taken will be used to aid the clinical assessment that your consultant is making.

Your doctor will complete a referral form detailing which areas need to be photographed.

You will be given a consent form at the appointment and you should read this before signing. You are free to ask any questions.

On arrival at the photography appointment you will

a) have an explanation of what will happen during the appointment

b) given the opportunity to ask questions

c) asked to sign the consent form.

d) offered a chaperone (this will be one of the clinic nurses)

Use of flash is required in order to get the most effective photographs. It is ok to close your eyes during this if it makes you more comfortable. Photography does not involve x-rays or strobe lighting.

There will be a combination of overall reference shots as well as close-ups. These will be taken using a handheld digital camera.

You will need to expose the area to be photographed adequately. Any makeup,clothing and jewellery that may impact the view should be removed. If you have long hair, it would be useful for you to tie this up. If you feel uncomfortable about exposing certain areas then please do let me know. This is totally understandable and we will work around your preferences. It is important to note that this will potentially impact the effectiveness of the clinical photography if it means certain lesions will not be fully visible.

When full body images are required- you will be asked to stand in front of a blue/green background screen, and photographs will be taken from each angle/view as per a standardised chart, taking each angle in chunks from top to bottom.

The objective is to get all areas of the skin in at least one photograph.

If a single skin spot/mole/rash is to be recorded, a more general reference photo to show the approximate position will be taken

Another photograph of specific lesions with a ruler may be taken to help the doctor see the dimensions.

Multiple images may be recorded in order to get the best image.

If at any point you feel uncomfortable during the photography, please let me know and we can stop the session.

If you would like a family member or friend present please let me know.

The consent and taking of photos will take between 20-30minutes.

You will be given the opportunity to ask any questions.

The images will then be selected, cropped and labelled.

The digital files are securely stored on a password protected HCA hospital run medical record computer.

Digital images from the camera are initially stored on the camera memory card.

After the photography session, images will be loaded onto the hospital data system directly from the memory card. The clinical record is a secure system designed for the recording of personal clinical information.

The images will then be deleted from the memory card.

Images will only be shared with your consultant via the clinical system.

The images will not be shown to 3rd parties without your explicit consent.

It may be that it would be helpful for the images to be shared with other medical professionals in order to pass on clinical information for purposes of treatment/referral etc. This will be discussed with you by your consultant.

Images that do not identify the person may be used for teaching or publication purposes by your consultant. You are also free to agree to have other images to be used for teaching or publication purposes if you would like.

As this includes information about my charges, if you do not have private medical insurance but someone else will be paying your bill, you may wish to pass a copy of this information to them.

Please note that even if someone else is paying your bill or you have private medical insurance, you are responsible for paying any charges which they do not pay.

The fee for photography is £250

Should you cancel your appointment with less than 24 hours’ notice, a cancellation fee of 100% of the appointment charge may be charged.

If you have private medical insurance, please contact your insurer before your consultation, to check the terms of your policy, particularly the level and type of outpatient/appointment cover you have, including any reimbursement limits on individual consultation fees and suggested investigations.

Please note you are responsible for any fees not covered by your insurer.

The photographic policy can be read at www.dermatologylondon.co.uk/photographic-policy