As a dermatologists Dr. Bryan McDonald is qualified to advise on all skin matters. Over the years his dermatology training has provided him with the expertise and experience to assess and treat medical dermatological concerns affecting all skin types and skin of colour.
He totally understands the importance of skin health and quality in enhancing appearances, and conversely how unwanted changes in the skin can affect your overall and psychosocial well-being.
Medical dermatological conditions he treats:
- Acne
- Alopecia (hair loss)
- Aktinic keratosis (rough skin lesions usually on head, neck, arms and hands due to sun damage)
- Cysts
- Eczema
- Folliculitis
- Fungal infections (skin, scalp, nails)
- Hair problems (hair loss, hair shedding, unwanted hair, flaky scalp)
- Hirsutism and hypertrichosis (excessive hair growth)
- Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating)
- Hyperpigmentation
- Light sensitivity (polymorphic light eruption, lupus erythematosus)
- Lumps and bumps (skin tags, warty lesions, cysts)
- Milia (milk spots)
- Moles
- Melasma
- Nail problems (fungal infections, abnormal looking or discoloured nails)
- Pityriasis versicolor (yeast skin infection)
- Rosacea
- Skin cancer (bowen’s disease, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma)
- Tinea (fungal skin or nail infection)
- Urticaria (itchy weals)
- Verrucas (viral warts)
- Viral skin infections (herpes simplex virus, herpes zoster virus, “shingles”)
- Vulval problems (itching, soreness, eczema, psoriasis, lichen planus, lichen sclerosus)
- Warts (viral and seborrhoeic)
- Skin surgery and other medical dermatological procedures
Additional tests, including a skin biopsy (sampling of the skin), are sometimes needed to either help with the diagnosis or to treat an isolated skin lesion, which could be a skin growth or a simple mole. Dr Bryan is fully trained in performing skin biopsies for diagnostic and treatment purposes.
These are minor surgical procedures, performed under local anaesthetic (a small injection into the skin), which numbs the area of skin being operated. The whole procedure can take anything from 15 to 45 min, depending on the size of the lesion, type of procedure and where on the body the surgery is performed. Stitches might be needed as well as a dressing, and advice is given at the end of the procedure on how to look after the wound. Informed written consent is always sought prior to any minor surgical procedure.
Further minor procedures include treatments that remove skin lesions by non-surgical means. You can find a detailed list of those procedures along with the prices in the list below. A medical dermatological consultation preceeds any skin surgical or non-surgical procedure. Payments can be made by card via chip and pin or with cash on the day of your appointment. In the event of cancellation we kindly ask you to give us 48 hours notice.
Medical consultation
Every new medical consultation involves some degree of detective work, which is what makes medicine so interesting, and challenging. All our consultations have three parts including taking a history from the patient, doing a physical examination, and formulating a management plan based on what we think is the likely diagnosis. At times treatment can be planned and started immediately, and at other times it might be necessary to organise additional tests such as blood tests, skin swabs or a skin biopsy.
Having trained in the UK and undergone rigorous general medical training prior to specialising in dermatology, puts us in the advantageous position of recognising and appreciating the impact of one’s general health on the skin and vice versa. In addition, our combined general medical and dermatological knowledge means we can select treatments best suited to you, the patient, as a whole, and not to your skin condition in isolation.
Common skin conditions such as eczema and acne are managed well by most General Practitioners (GPs) in the community, but at times review by a specialist is needed, especially when treatment fails, when it is no longer effective or if the diagnosis is in doubt. We see and treat both adults and children with a variety of skin conditions (you can see these on medical dermatology). The first consultation usually lasts approximately 30 min and subsequent consultations (if needed) 15 min. At present we see self-paying patients. Payment can be made by card via chip and pin on the day of the consultation. We kindly ask you to give us 48 hours notice in the event of cancelling your appointment. After the consultation, you will receive an electronic version of your clinic letter for your records, and a copy can be supplied to your GP.