Dozens of people got the answers they needed from skin care specialists in our 2012 online clinic on skin cancer and sun safety.
Topics covered in the clinic, which ran from May to July 2012, included suspicious moles and lesions, sun creams and SPF, sun protection for people suffering with a skin condition such as eczema or psoriasis, allergies, vitamin D and treatment for sunburn.
The online clinic on skin cancer and sun safety, which was hosted by talkhealth with the support of patient support and awareness charities Factor 50 and Skcin, is now closed but you can still read all of the answers by following the links below.
The experts
Dr Andrew Wright – consultant dermatologist
Dr Andrew Wright has worked at Bradford teaching hospital NHS trust since 1990. He was trained at Edinburgh and Sheffied and qualified at Sheffield in1981.
Dr Wright is a lead clinician for skin cancer Bradford and Airedale, honorary senior lecturer at the University of Leeds and honorary visiting senior research fellow University of Bradford.
Dr Jonathan Bowling – consultant dermatologist
Jonathan Bowling is honorary senior clinical lecturer at the Oxford University Department of Dermatology. He was the chair of the Oxford LSMDT and West Thames Valley SSMDT for skin cancer. His main interests are dermatological surgery, dermoscopy, hair and nail pathology and the management of patients with skin cancer genetic syndromes.
He is the UK board member and faculty member of the world congress of the international dermoscopy society and pioneered training in using dermoscopy for skin cancer diagnosis in the UK. Dr Bowling also co-founded the Annual International Dermoscopy Course for Plastic Surgeons in 2010.
Deborah Mills – Speciality Nurse
Deborah Mills is a dermatology surgical specialist nurse in south Devon. She co-ordinates nurse-led dermatology surgical services, working with dermatology consultants and the plastic surgery team. This includes nurse-led clinics in management of vulval skin health and the delivery of photodynamic therapy treatment.
Deborah has developed a telephone consultation service for follow-up of patients with vulval conditions, which adds a tier of supportive care, helping patients cope with the physical, psychological and social effects of their skin condition.
Saskia Reeken – Clinical nurse specialist skin cancer RGN, BSc, Dip Dermatology, V300
Saskia has worked for many years in dermatology and skin cancer, initially as an outpatients sister and later CNS. She spent many years as Macmillan CNS Skin Cancer at St George's Hospital and changed recently to work at Kingston Hospital NHS Trust, setting up and facilitating services for skin cancer / dermatology patients.
She is currently the chair of the British Dermatological Nursing Group Skin Cancer sub group and board member for the British Association of Skin Cancer Nurses, and works with other groups such as the BAD Skin Cancer Committee, Skin Cancer UK, Melanoma Task Force and the SunSmart Advisory Board.