Your visit to the Dermatology Clinic

Information for patients from Dermatology

You have been seen by the clinical nurse specialist / doctor today and been diagnosed with:

_____________________________________________________________________

You are being referred to our surgical colleague / team who specialises in this area:

Name: _______________________________________________________________

Place: _______________________________________________________________

What happens next?

You will receive an appointment to meet them for a consultation. This is where the doctor will examine you and discuss the finer details of further treatment. This is also an opportunity for you to ask questions such as:

Will I have a local or general anaesthetic?
Will I need to stay overnight?
Will I have to have someone to bring me to the hospital and take me home?
How long will I be incapacitated for after my operation?

Please note it is unlikely that surgery will be performed at your FIRST appointment

What happens after my first appointment?

Once you have seen the doctor, a date will be set for you to have your procedure. You may need a preoperative assessment visit to check your general health before surgery.

Once your surgery has been completed, you may also need to be seen by the dermatology team.

Will I need a follow-up after my procedure?

Each patient’s needs are assessed and a follow-up plan is agreed. A follow-up appointment may not be needed for every patient.

Patients may be offered a follow-up as below:

Melanoma stage Ia: two clinic appointments, then discharge at the end of year 1.
Melanoma stage Ib: two clinic appointments for one year, then yearly for four years. Discharge at the end of year five.
Melanoma stage IIa: two clinic appointments for two years, then followed by two clinic appointments for one year. Then yearly appointments for two years, with discharge at the end of year five.
Melanoma stage IIb and IIc: four clinic appointments for two years, followed by two clinic appointments for one year. Then yearly appointments for two years, with discharge at the end of year five.
Melanoma stage III: four clinic appointments for three years, then two clinic appointments for two years, with discharge at the end of year five.
Some patients may need life-long follow-up.
For other non-melanoma skin cancers, a separate follow-up regime may be offered.

My lesion has changed, what should I do?

If you notice a significant change in the growth rate, size, or behaviour of a lesion, please contact the Macmillan Skin Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) team via the Cancer Care Line on 01227 868666.