The South West’s premier independent dermatology & skin clinic
For the last two years this event has been hosted online, but this year saw the welcome return of the face-to-face meeting which Dr Anthony Downs, Consultant Dermatologist attended late November in London.
This meeting provides a resource to discuss recent therapeutic advances that impact current clinical Dermatology practice.
Topics this year included acne, leg ulcers, scars, lupus and JAK inhibitors.
Patients expect their doctors to be up-to-date, but this does not always mean recommending a treatment just because it is new. Gathering opinions from other expert colleagues in meetings such as these help our skin specialist decide what is reliable, effective, safe and appropriate for my patients.
These events offer important continuous professional development for our skin experts and help Consultant Dermatologist to stay on top of innovation, evolving technology and medical industry developments.
This event was the first time dermatologist and healthcare professionals have been able to meet as a professional body for almost two years.
The event included lectures on clinical updates and advances in dermatology care, alongside informative lectures and discussions on mental health and the well being of both the doctor and patient.
'How to work smarter and not harder', given the overwhelming demand for our services, was a talk that was particularly well received by the audience.
Both Dr. Anthony Downs & Dr. Christopher Bower came away with some useful tips that should help with some of our more challenging patients.
We do hope the pandemic will not cut these important industry meetings that are essential for clinical professional development.
Since 2007 Dr. Anthony Downs and Dr. Christopher Bower have co-hosted delivered a national intense training course to training grade Dermatologists in order to help them pass the SCE exam.
After medical school it takes at least 8 years to become a Consultant Dermatologist. Often longer.
The SCE is a rather tough exam that has to be passed in order to progress. Coronavirus has meant that last year and this year the course has been transferred to online interactive sessions.
This dermatology training course is always heavily over-subscribed and very popular with the 'juniors' because of the quality of teaching and the focus we can provide directed at passing the exam.
The course ended the end of July 2021 and we wish all the delegates that attended the very best of luck in their exam later this year.
Dr. Downs & Dr. Bower are looking forward to passing on their dermatology knowledge and offering further CPD, useful advice and guidance for future Dermatologist and medical professional at the next event.
On 6th May 2021, Dr. Anthony Downs, Consultant Dermatologist, provided an on-line (via Teams) national lecture on the use of lasers in dermatology and cosmetic practices.
This was a great opportunity for Dr. Downs to share his in-depth knowledge and experience looking at the growth in the usage of lasers and IPL for medical and cosmetic application. The attendees were dermatology colleagues throughout the UK looking to add to their continual professional development.
In the mid 1990’s cosmetic treatments were de-regulated. This led to a boom in the industry, but meant anyone could buy a laser and treat patients/clients without the need for any training or professional qualifications. Before that time only qualified doctors could see and treat patients.
Less skin laser treatments are now funded by the NHS as they are now deemed cosmetic, even though lasers have very good medical disease use and can improve disfigurements such as birth marks or scars. That also means less exposure to lasers and their applications for NHS consultant and trainee Dermatologists.
Dr. Downs is continues to look forward to passing on his knowledge and offering further useful advice and guidance for doctors at the next event.
On 21 January 2021 Dr. Tony Downs, Consultant Dermatologist was a conference speaker at the national Dermatologists virtual meeting hosted by the Royal Society of Medicine.
Dr. Downs presented on 'Inflammoscopy: no rash or hairy decisions' to a well attended meeting with an audience of over 250 delegates. He presented to fellow consultant colleagues about improving their diagnostic skills enabling them to further their CPD with accreditation.
Other topics discussed at the event were:
The The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) provides learning and support using expert speakers and global thought leaders providing essential medical insight. The RSM is a membership organisation with over 22,000 members in the UK and internationally. It aims to bringing together doctors and healthcare professionals across specialties, with a vision to be a driving force in advancing health and patient care through education and innovation.
The British Association of Dermatologist 100th annual meeting was launched as a virtual conference on 1st September.
Dr. Anthony Downs & Dr. Christopher Bower both recorded lectures for this yearly meeting with online attendees both from the UK and worldwide.
The meetings enable dermatologist to share practical tips on managing patients and learn about break through treatments and research. The virtual platform lacked the human element that allows for challenge and debate, but it keeps the momentum of continuous professional development that is so important for all healthcare professional who work in the field of dermatology.
Dr. Anthony Downs & Dr. Christopher Bower also co-hosted the SCE Dermatology Registrars Meeting as a live webinar conference in August. The event was sponsored by Jansen-Cilag and badged by the British Association of Dermatologists.
A lot of organisation and technical planning went into hosting this on-line webinar, driven by the current pandemic circumstance, but the meeting was well attended and went smoothly.
The meeting helps dermatology trainees pass their exam on the way to becoming dermatology consultants.
Dr. Downs & Dr. Bower have run this revision course for 10 years and it is extremely well regarded quality event and always over-subscribed.
Running these type of events, both on location and/or online, ensure our dermatologist keep up-to-date and one step ahead of the Royal College of Physicians who set the challenging and difficult exam each year.
