Paediatric Dermatology

Paediatric Dermatology is an out-patients service providing treatment for all forms of skin problems in children, from new born up to 18 years of age. If your child requires ongoing Dermatology input after the age of 18 years, they will be transferred to Adult Dermatology care under the same consultant to ensure continuity of care.

Referrals to our service is via general practitioners (GPs) or other healthcare specialists within the Cardiff and Vales area. Referrals from out of area will have to first be approved for funding by the local Health Board. 

Paediatric Dermatology out-patient clinic

Paediatric Dermatology clinics are held on Friday every week. Please check your clinic appointment letter to ensure you arrive at the correct clinic location. 

Further information for Starfish Out-patients.

What to bring to clinic

A list or photos of any medication that your child is taking by mouth or applying on the skin would be helpful.

What to expect at your child’s clinic visit

Your child will be seen by either one of the consultants or their team, given a definitive or likely diagnosis and a treatment plan. Based on the individual case, further investigations may be recommended such as blood tests (which is often done on the same day by the Paediatric nurses when the clinic is held in the Childrens Hospital), clinical photographs (in the main hospital or in Glamorgan House), skin biopsy or skin surgery (often booked as a separate appointment). If you would like further guidance on how to apply the treatments on your child, or closer monitoring of their treatments, you will be referred to the Dermatology Day Care Unit in Glamorgan House where our nurses will attend to this. If your child requires phototherapy (light treatment) for their eczema or psoriasis, you will be referred to the phototherapy department in Glamorgan House.

As we are a University Hospital, we may have medical/ nursing students or trainee doctors/ nurses as observers in our clinics.

Dermatology Day Care Unit

The Dermatology Day Care Unit is located on the 2^nd floor of Glamorgan House where we have a room dedicated to children. Children are seen by our nurses for various reasons including showing and helping parents apply the various creams, ointments and bandages we have prescribed, especially when treatment needs to be stepped up or weaned down, or when parents contact the unit during a flare up of the child’s skin in between clinic appointments. Our nurses will also assess your child, should they require biologic injection treatment for their skin disease and demonstrate and guide you on how to use the treatment. Other treatments done in this unit for children include iontophoresis for excess sweating mainly of the hands and feet. - Day Care Unit

Phototherapy

Phototherapy is used for severe psoriasis and eczema when creams alone are not controlling the disease. Our phototherapy unit is based on the 1^st floor of Glamorgan House and limited availability at Llandough hospital. - Phototherapy

Skin Biopsy and Skin Surgery

We occasionally recommend a skin biopsy when the diagnosis of your child’s skin problem is not certain. This will be booked as a separate appointment in Glamorgan House.

Skin growths including moles and cysts in children are almost always harmless and we often advice for these to be left alone and observed. Very occasionally, if the growth is causing symptoms like pain, bleeding or increasing in size very quickly, we may advice that the skin growth is removed by surgery. If it is felt the child is able to tolerate surgery under a local anaesthetic, we will arrange this in Dermatology. If the child is felt to be too young to tolerate a local anaesthetic, we will then refer your child to Paediatric surgery.

We perform skin biopsies and skin surgery in children on the 1^st floor of Glamorgan House. This is done after applying some local anaesthetic cream at the site of the skin biopsy or growth, followed by injecting a local anaesthetic injection to the area. Your child is therefore awake during the whole procedure. One of the parents will be allowed to come to the room with the child, and the child will be invited to bring something to keep themselves distracted, like soft toy, music or iPad/tablet. Please see further information on Skin Surgery.

Research

As a University Hospital, we undertake research to learn about skin diseases and improve treatment. Therefore your child may sometimes be invited to participate in research. Your decision for your child to participate or not in research will not affect the clinical care they receive. - Clinical Trials & Research