Contact & assessment

If there is a mole that is changing, or a spot that will not heal

Do not wait for a cosmetic appointment. A mole that is changing in size, shape or colour, a lesion that bleeds or crusts, a sore that has not healed over a few weeks, or a rash with fever or joint pain needs medical assessment rather than an aesthetic consultation. Say what you have noticed when you call, so that the right clinic sees you.

Arranging an ordinary assessment

Where the complaint has been stable, appointments are made through the hospital outpatient line or through the appointment service described on the appointments page. Say when booking that the question is about the skin, and if you are travelling from outside Chongqing, say so, because an assessment and any test spot can sometimes be arranged across fewer visits.

What to bring

Bring a list of what you currently use on your skin, including anything active and anything prescribed; any previous aesthetic treatments and how your skin responded to them; medicines and allergies; and whether you have ever had a mark that darkened or lightened after an injury, a burn or a procedure. Bring any photographs of your skin from earlier years if you have them, because they show what your own skin was like before the change.

What happens at the consultation

Expect an examination rather than a presentation. The skin is looked at in daylight, the barrier is assessed for dryness and reactivity, pigment and vessels are looked at separately, texture is felt as well as seen, and your history of sun, medicines and previous treatments is taken. You should leave knowing which structure is responsible, what a course would change, what it would leave alone, and which guide answers your particular version of the problem.

Questions without booking

Questions about the content of this site, including any correction you believe should be made to it, are welcome through the hospital administration line. Clinical questions about your own skin are best answered in person, and we will say so rather than guess.