Photodermatology service
Our photodermatology team provides expertise on the effects of light on skin disease. Our unit has two functions:
Photodermatology service
For the diagnosis, specialist investigation and treatment of patients who suffer skin disorders caused by sunlight, eg:
- polymorphic light eruption
- actinic prurigo
- chronic actinic dermatitis
- cutaneous porphyria
- xeroderma pigmentosum.
We offer a highly specialist service including complex diagnostic testing (phototesting) which, due to its complexity and technical difficulty, is available at very few centres nationally. We also provide a national cutaneous porphyria clinical service, and a national xeroderma pigmentosum clinical service.
Phototherapy service
The Dowling Phototherapy Unit is a clinical unit within the Bermondsey Centre deigned to provide the full range of phototherapy, with ultraviolet light being used to treat patients with skin diseases including:
- psoriasis
- eczema
- vitiligo
- polymorphic light eruption.
The unit is fully staffed between 7.30am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday. In addition to all the regional and whole body therapies with PUVA, and narrowband UVB, we are also one of two centres in England to provide high output UVA1 therapy, a valuable new treatment for a different set of skin diseases.
Our unit is also acting as the hub and lead for a network of phototherapy units in hospitals throughout south east England.
The unit also provides iontophoresis, a treatment for hyperhidrosis (excess sweating of hands and feet) on Mondays 9am–1.30pm.
Research
We have an active research programme as part of the Biomedical Research Centre, and in collaboration with the King's College London (KCL) Photobiology Unit.
