The highly trained staff at the Dermatology Program offer expert diagnosis and medical treatment for a wide range of skin, hair, and nail disorders.
Diagnosis with Dermatology
The Dermatology Program provides services through an outpatient clinic within the Medical Specialty Institute. Program physicians also consult bedside in Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s inpatient wards and Emergency Department.
To make a diagnosis, caregivers begin by obtaining a detailed history from the patient and conduct a careful examination of the skin. Often, the most obvious symptom of skin disease is inflammation that occurs as a result of the body’s immune response, and physicians can identify many skin disorders simply by looking at the skin. If examining the skin doesn’t provide a diagnosis, physicians have tests available to them to identify skin disorders.
Treatment with Dermatology
The Dermatology Program team treats common skin ailments, as well as severe or otherwise complex conditions that may require advanced diagnostic methods and treatment plans. While simple skin conditions are usually treated with medication, more serious disorders may require treatments, such as:
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Biologic drugs: Used to treat psoriasis and severe dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), biologic drugs (or biologics) are medications made of animal or human proteins.
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Immunosuppressive drugs: Medications that reduce the body’s immune response (the actions the body takes to fight infection, or in some cases attack its own tissues).
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Laser treatment: Using lasers to treat autoimmune skin disorders (when body tissues are attacked by its own immune system).
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Phototherapy: Also called phototherapy or light treatment, phototherapy can be used to treat inflammatory skin diseases, as the light rays can slow the growth of affected skin cells and stimulate healing.
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Oral retinoids: Medications related to vitamin A that may be used for severe skin diseases. This therapy requires close monitoring as it can cause serious side effects.