Psoriasis diagnosis in DKD HELIOS Clinic Wiesbaden

About the department

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Dermatology, Allergology at the DKD HELIOS Clinic Wiesbaden offers the full range of diagnostic and therapeutic services in the areas of its specialization. The doctors of the medical facility focus on the patients with skin diseases, including skin manifestations of allergic reactions. The department also successfully carries out aesthetic dermatological procedures to improve the condition of the skin and rejuvenate it. The department's specialists are especially interested in the treatment of benign and malignant skin tumors. The doctors working in the department admit both adults and children. The department offers all advanced therapeutic methods, running from drug treatment with tablets, creams and ointments to surgical interventions, including flap plastic surgery, laser therapy, photodynamic therapy and phototherapy. The department also provides emergency medical care. The doctors working in the medical facility strictly observe modern clinical protocols, and also take into account the recommendations of the German Society for Dermatology. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Christiane Bayerl.

The dermatologists of the department are especially interested in the treatment of malignant skin tumors. The most common cancers in dermatology are melanoma and basalioma. The choice of tactics for treating skin cancer depends on the type of tumor, its size, location, as well as on the patient's age and his general health condition. In most cases, the first-line treatment is the surgical resection of the tumor. The department's specialists successfully perform Mohs micrographic surgery, which is the gold standard of surgical treatment of skin cancer. Mohs surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis, under local anesthesia. The main difference between the Mohs surgery and the classical surgical resection is that the tumor is removed in stages, with histological control of the edges of the surgical wound after each stage and determination of the spread of the tumor into the adjacent tissues. Mohs micrographic surgery provides total tumor removal with minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissue, which is its main benefit over other surgical techniques. In addition, this technique allows achieving a good aesthetic result, which is especially important when removing tumors in the face and neck. When fighting skin cancer, the specialists actively use laser surgery, cryotherapy, photodynamic therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and other types of treatment. The therapeutic process involves oncologists, chemotherapists and radiation therapists who together with dermatologists develop a comprehensive treatment regimen for each patient. It is the individual approach to each clinical case, the professionalism and experience of doctors, as well as their well-coordinated work that allows them to work wonders curing the most complex forms of skin cancer.

The department effectively treats such chronic and inflammatory skin diseases as eczema, psoriasis, lichen planus, prurigo, vitiligo and many others. As of today, the most effective treatment for the above diseases is phototherapy. This technique is widely used in the department, and therefore doctors successfully select the optimal course of therapy for each patient and competently combine phototherapy with other medical procedures to ensure a high-quality result. Phototherapy involves the use of ultraviolet light, which is also present in sunlight. The equipment for phototherapy uses special lamps that provide the application of several types of radiation at once – ultraviolet, infrared and visible. Prior to phototherapy, the attending physician always determines whether this procedure is safe for a particular patient. The treatment can be provided both in the hospital and at home using special equipment.

The department also provides services in the field of aesthetic dermatology. It offers CO2 laser resurfacing, Nd:YAG laser therapy (for example, to remove spider veins, hemangiomas), epilation, chemical peels (superficial, medium and deep), facial cleansing for acne, treatments for hair loss, hyaluronic acid and botulinum toxin injections for the treatment of wrinkles.

An integral part of the department's clinical practice is the treatment of skin manifestations of allergic pathologies. The department is mostly visited by the patients with allergies to drugs, food, photodermatoses, urticaria, angioedema and occupational skin diseases. The first step is the diagnostics to identify a specific type of allergy and its causes. To do this, the specialists carry out skin prick tests, skin scratch tests, epicutaneous and intracutaneous skin tests, nasal, oral and subcutaneous provocation tests. The purpose of all tests is to identify hypersensitivity to any substance (allergen) for subsequent specific therapy. The main treatment methods in the arsenal of the department's medical team are allergen-specific immunotherapy and desensitization.

The department provides both diagnostics and treatment of the following diseases:

• Allergic diseases
  • Drug allergy
  • Food allergy
  • Insect allergy
  • Photodermatoses
  • Urticaria and angioedema
  • Occupational skin allergies
• Skin diseases
  • Benign skin tumors (for example, lipomas)
  • Malignant skin tumors (for example, melanomas, basal cell carcinomas, sarcomas, lymphomas)
  • Inflammatory dermatoses (psoriasis, neurodermatitis)
  • Autoimmune skin diseases (pemphigus, bullous pemphigoid, collagenosis, vasculitis)
  • Proctological diseases with skin lesions (anal eczema, anal fissures, hemorrhoids, hemorrhoidal anal skin tags)
  • Skin diseases in children
• Other diseases

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Allergology
  • Diagnostics
    • Skin prick tests, skin scratch tests, epicutaneous and intracutaneous skin tests, nasal, oral and subcutaneous provocation tests
    • Rhinomanometry, clinical examination for urticaria diagnostics, UV testing
    • Total IgE testing
  • Treatment
    • Allergen-specific immunotherapy
    • Desensitization
• Diagnostics
  • Dermatohistological testing
  • Mycological tests
  • Trichogram for the diagnostics of hair diseases
• Treatment
  • Conservative treatment methods
    • Drug treatment
    • Laser therapy
    • Photodynamic therapy
    • Cryotherapy
    • Peeling and cleansing for acne
    • Hair loss treatment with diphenylcyclopropenone
    • Botulinum toxin injections, iontophoresis, suction curettage of sweat ducts in case of hyperhidrosis
    • Sclerotherapy for spider veins
    • Treatment of wrinkles with botulinum toxin injections and fillers
  • Surgical treatment methods
    • Laser surgery
    • Flap plastic surgery
    • Electrosurgery
    • Dermabrasion
    • Nail surgery
    • Circumcision
    • Vacuum therapy for the treatment of chronic non-healing wounds
• Other medical services