A (completely ignorant) question about dermatologists

Cellar_Door

Say the consultation fee is about €150 - is there also a large fee on top of that to pay for whatever treatment they give you? Roughly how much extra would it be?

I've never been to a dermatologist and I haven't a clue what to expect.

Insect Overlord

Moved from C&H.
Hope this is the right place for it!

Breezer

The fee for most treatments would be in addition to the consultation fee, yes. It's really impossible to say exactly how much this would be since we don't know what you're getting treated with or treated for.

Since this was originally posted in Clearasil and Hormones though, I'm going to assume this is about acne. I don't want to give medical advice here, but in general terms what usually happens is the dermatologist will ask you some questions, take a look at your skin, make a clinical assessment of how badly it's affected, and based on your medical history and other treatments tried to date, will prescribe either an antibiotic or a drug called Roaccutane. It's really just like seeing a GP, but since the dermatologist specialises in skin they can give you more informed advice regarding treatment.

Roaccutane is expensive, but both it and the antibiotics are covered under the Drugs Payment Scheme if you're registered for that.

Cellar_Door

Breezer wrote: »

The fee for most treatments would be in addition to the consultation fee, yes. It's really impossible to say exactly how much this would be since we don't know what you're getting treated with or treated for.

Since this was originally posted in Clearasil and Hormones though, I'm going to assume this is about acne. I don't want to give medical advice here, but in general terms what usually happens is the dermatologist will ask you some questions, take a look at your skin, make a clinical assessment of how badly it's affected, and based on your medical history and other treatments tried to date, will prescribe either an antibiotic or a drug called Roaccutane. It's really just like seeing a GP, but since the dermatologist specialises in skin they can give you more informed advice regarding treatment.

Roaccutane is expensive, but both it and the antibiotics are covered under the Drugs Payment Scheme if you're registered for that.

Thank you. I don't think I'm bad enough for roaccutane (plus I'd be extremely wary of using it). So antibiotics eh...I wonder how effective they are.

How much would an antibiotic treatment cost, do you know?

taram

Cellar_Door wrote: »

Thank you. I don't think I'm bad enough for roaccutane (plus I'd be extremely wary of using it). So antibiotics eh...I wonder how effective they are.

How much would an antibiotic treatment cost, do you know?

Depends on the antibiotic, whether it is a topical on-skin application like a cream, or if it's pills. Shouldn't be a lot, I've paid about 40 euros/month for both cream and pills. Are you going to a dermatologist first or have you seen your GP? GPs can prescribe most of the same treatments as a dermatologist.

Cellar_Door

taram wrote: »

Depends on the antibiotic, whether it is a topical on-skin application like a cream, or if it's pills. Shouldn't be a lot, I've paid about 40 euros/month for both cream and pills. Are you going to a dermatologist first or have you seen your GP? GPs can prescribe most of the same treatments as a dermatologist.

Interesting, I didn't realise the GP can prescribe most of the same treatments.

I'm not sure if the dermatologist requires a GP referral - gonna call them soon and find out.
However, in my case, I'd prefer to get looked at by a proper dermatologist. (My skin is unusual; it's a non-typical case of acne - kind of mild but persistent blotchy papules that create an overall reddish appearance. I suspect it may be rosacea though it may not. I hope not.)

Cellar_Door

One more question:

Say I book an appointment with a dermatologist for September 1st, and she prescribes me Drug X. How long do I have to wait - if at all - before starting to use this drug? (whether it be a topical or antibiotic or whatever)?

locum-motion

Cellar_Door wrote: »

One more question:

Say I book an appointment with a dermatologist for September 1st, and she prescribes me Drug X. How long do I have to wait - if at all - before starting to use this drug? (whether it be a topical or antibiotic or whatever)?

Depends on what X is, but in the vast majority of cases; get the script from the doc, take it to the pharmacy, get drug X, and start taking it.
If it's any different than that, your doctor and/or your pharmacist will tell you.

Cellar_Door

Thank you. [modsnip]You're now leaving the realm of asking for advice in general terms, which is permitted here, and entering the area of looking for specific advice, which isn't. Discuss your treatment options with your doctor(s) and/or pharmacist.[/modsnip]

The reason I ask is that, for reasons I needn't get into here, I'm trying to time it so that I see results by a certain date.

taram

Cellar_Door wrote: »

Thank you. [modsnip]You're now leaving the realm of asking for advice in general terms, which is permitted here, and entering the area of looking for specific advice, which isn't. Discuss your treatment options with your doctor(s) and/or pharmacist.[/modsnip]

The reason I ask is that, for reasons I needn't get into here, I'm trying to time it so that I see results by a certain date.

All drugs work differently for different people, or interact with others differently too, plenty of anecodatal cases out there of how drugs worked. The only people who can answer this is the prescriber, and no point second guessing what they'll prescribe, your skin might look very different under a lens (as mine did!).