The South West’s premier independent dermatology & skin clinic
Over 100 people were seen throughout the morning raising money for the Honiton Lions charity that supports many local ventures in and around Honiton and East Devon.
A number of probable melanomas and non-melanoma skin cancers were identified at this event and these will proceed to hospital NHS surgery through their local GPs.
Melanoma is the 7th commonest cancer and Devon and Cornwall has four times the national average.
A big thank you to everyone involved and to all those who attended to support this worthwhile event.
If you have any concerns about your skin or a suspicious mole please get it checked by a medical professional. Look out for a mole which changes progressively in shape, size and/or colour. You can check your moles by learning the ABCDE of moles. This covers a range of features that can help you spot if a mole is becoming cancerous.
Dr. Anthony Downs runs a mole check clinic or you can upload a photo using our online form to get an initial evaluation.
The Spring European Academy of DermatoVenereology (EADV) 2022 was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia 12th to 14th May this year face to face, after two years of virtual conferences.
Dr Downs and Dr Bower were able to attend alongside a small group of other British Dermatologists in this important medical industry event.
European Academy of DermatoVenereology draws mostly from Europe and is the key driver of Dermatology education and research for European Dermatologists.
There were a variety of dermatology lectures and tutorials to attend and Dr Downs found the lasers, skin surgery and skin cancer recognition sessions particularly useful.
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.
Attendance helps to re-assure that South West Dermatology's clinical practice is consistent with the very best available patient care and is very often the most useful aspect of attending these meetings.
It has been two years since the meeting has been face to face and it was great for dermatologist and medical skincare professionals to re-connect with old friends and colleagues who practice dermatology in America and across the world at this international meeting.
The meeting is an important annual event for doctors that want to hear about new imminent treatments and clinical research developments in dermatology and essential continuous professional development for our skin experts.
Dr. Anthony Downs brought back many useful tips and advice that can be applied to his patients at home in the South West of England.
Hot topics in this year's AAD meeting focused around emerging eczema treatments and the relentless rise of skin cancer.
Dr. Anthony Downs, Consultant Dermatologist gave Devon based GPs a skin cancer management update on Thursday 1st July via a virtual lecture hosted by Exeter Medical.
Whist there have been tremendous advances in the last five years in treating and curing patients with melanoma over 50% still die when this disease is advanced. Early recognition and treatment remains essential. The South West has four times the national average of skin cancer.
The COVID pandemic has not helped with patients having to wait a great deal longer for NHS access to surgery by specialist whist their skin cancer continues to grow. Timely intervention by GPs can help reduce the skin cancer burden.
One of the notable differences between the UK and Australia, a country with higher skin cancer rates than the UK, is their lower death rate. This is because Australians proactively undergo routine and sometimes annual full body skin checks with their GP or their Dermatologist. Prevention being preferable to cure.
Full body mole checks are not generally available on the NHS, although your GP will always look at any mole that concerns you. South West Dermatology offer a full body mole check service undertaken by Dr Anthony Downs, Consultant in Dermatology Medicine and Surgery. Dr Downs will make a full assessment of your moles using a dermatoscope.
Dr. Downs is happy to receive a photograph via his online form if you would like an initial opinion on an individual mole.
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.
29th European Academy of DermatoVenereology Congress was hosted virtually this year 29th-31st October 2020.
Founded in 1987, EADV is the leading community to further the knowledge of health professionals and advocates in the field of dermatology and venereology. It is a non-profit organisation with over 7,000 members, across 113 different countries in the world, providing a valuable service for every type of dermato-venereologist professional.
The EADV is committed to improving the quality of patient care, continuing medical education for all dermato-venereologists in Europe and beyond, and advocacy on behalf of the speciality and patients.
This year's congress was titled: EADV Virtual - New Frontiers in Dermatology and Venereology and provided an exceptional opportunity for colleagues from around the world to explore the latest developments in science and patient care that are at the heart of the academy’s mission. There were over 11,000 attendees from 112 countries.
Dr. Anthony Downs, Consultant Dermatologist presented two clinical studies:
The provision of a YouTube acne videos to patient's prior to their acne consultation. This helps inform patients to make difficult choices about strong treatments prior choosing that treatment, also in a format teenagers and young adults can more easily relate to.
The health value of a charitable and free walk-in mole check with a specialist for people concerned about skin cancer.
Updated: Wednesday 7 April 2021
Urgent cases suspicious of skin cancer can be seen at The Medical Eye Centre in Marsh Barton or Exeter Medical at Admiral House. Both healthcare locations offer a protected environment and adhere to all social distancing regulations and procedures.
In the first instance please contact Dr. Downs' PA, Ros on 07838 293968 to arrange your appointment and on-going treatment.
Dr. Tony Downs is able to see and treat patients with dermatology condition at The Medical Eye Centre in Marsh Barton or Exeter Medical at Admiral House. Both healthcare locations offer a protected environment and adhere to all social distancing regulations and procedures.
In the first instance please contact Dr. Downs' PA Ros on 07838 293968 to arrange your appointment and on-going treatment.
For less urgent cases, those who continue to shield at home and general dermatological related conditions Dr. Downs will continue to offer remote video consultations and teledermatology consultations for as long as required or requested by patients.
Patients can also use our online form to upload photos of their condition for assessment by Dr. Downs from the comfort of their own home.
Patients with severe and distressful skin rashes or lumps or blemishes that might be serious skin cancers can still be seen and treated at Exeter Medical in a protected environment during the coronavirus pandemic.
In the first instance please call Ros on 07838 293968 and she will discuss your available options in consultation with Dr Downs.
If your condition is potentially serious then we will ask you to send photos via our online form and Dr Downs will assess these for further investigation.
Dr Downs is then able to engage with the patient by video consultation, or in serious cases, arrange a face to face consultation following all current medical guidelines at our out-patient facility at Exeter Medical to begin urgent treatment of your dermatological skin condition.
The UK meeting had speakers from Europe, USA and India.
Tumours around the nails are often difficult to diagnose and malignant tumours need early recognition and treatment to minimise complications.
Benign tumours can cause pain and often require treatment.
Surgery around the nail can be complicated, and great care is needed to minimise risks of permanent nail damage.
The cheque was presented at Coleridge Medical Centre. We raised £1750 in association with the British Lions for the Mole Check day carried out by Dr. Tony Downs, consultant Dermatologist and Dr. Nigel de Souza, senior GP.
If you have any concerns about your skin or a suspicious mole please get it checked by a medical professional. Look out for a mole which changes progressively in shape, size and/or colour.
You can check your moles by learning the ABCDE of moles. This covers a range of features that can help you spot if a mole is becoming cancerous.
Dr. Anthony Downs runs a mole check clinic or you can upload a photo using our online form to get an initial evaluation.
160 people were seen and over £1600 was raised for Cancer Research UK in one morning. It was a fantastic team effort helping to raise awareness and a significant sum towards the fight against skin cancer.
The team put in a great deal of work to host the event but it was very much worth it, with lots of appreciative patients, and a number of skin cancers identified which are now on course for treatment.
A big thank you to everyone involved and to all those who attended to support this worthwhile event.
If you have any concerns about your skin or a suspicious mole please get it checked by a medical professional. Look out for a mole which changes progressively in shape, size and/or colour. You can check your moles by learning the ABCDE of moles. This covers a range of features that can help you spot if a mole is becoming cancerous.
Dr. Anthony Downs runs a mole check clinic or you can upload a photo using our online form to get an initial evaluation.
Dermoscopy is a great tool to help tell skin cancers from harmless lumps and bumps on the skin. By training local GPs, patients do not have to be referred on to the hospital to see a specialist - saving NHS time and money.
Dr. Downs have been training GPs for over 20 yrs in the South West to get good at skin cancer recognition.
Venue:
Tuesday 18th June 2019 - Beginners Guide
Tuesday 10th September 2019 - BCC & SSC
Tuesday 12th November 2019 - MN
Tuesday 4th February 2020 - Harmless lumps & bumps
Tuesday 28th April 2020 - Hair & Nails
Tuesday 9th June 2020 - Pink Lesions
These events are sponsored by DERMAL
26% of those that attended were worried they had skin cancer and 5.3% did not trust their GPs opinion. 95% of patients were reassured and left relaxed following this healthcare intervention - despite the fact 16% were referred on for surgery.
Dr Tony Downs FCRP commented:
“I would like to thank everyone involved in making the event a success; and for all those who attended on the day raising money for such a worthwhile cause. Our charity mole check event really is growing year-on-year, helping to reassure some and offer support and advice to others.
Out of the 178 people who attended, several diagnosis were made, some of which were malignant melanomas requiring immediate treatment. Everyone needing to access treatment will quickly receive the necessary advice and support either from their GP or ourselves.”
Melanoma is a cancer that usually starts in the skin, either in a mole or normal-looking skin. The number of people developing melanoma is continuing to rise. 1 in 54 people will be diagnosed with malignant melanoma during their lifetime.
Regularly checking your skin (no matter how young or old you are) can help lead to an early diagnosis and increase your chances of successful treatment.
2019 proves no different as our mole check event returns to Exeter Medical, Admiral House, Exeter Business Park on Saturday 1st June 2019 from 10:00am until 4:00pm.
If you have a particular mole you are worried about Dr Downs and our dermatology team will assess you on the day in exchange for a minimum donation of £10 to Cancer Research UK. Anyone needing to access treatment will quickly receive the necessary advice and support either from their GP or Exeter Medical.
Exeter Medical would like to build on the success of last year’s mole check whereby 174 members of the public were assessed and £2,340 raised to support the work carried out by Cancer Research UK.
