Haypark Business Centre, Marchmont Avenue, Polmont, Falkirk FK2 0NZ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Will you treat my child who is under 10 years old?
Discretion can be given to treating children under 10 years old. However, if your child is too scared and does not want the treatment i.e. not consenting, time will not be spent trying to convince them and they will not be treated. The fee will not be refunded. If your child is under 10 years, please contact us first.
Children under the age of 6 years are very unlikely to tolerate the treatment and is too painful for them. They can be put off seeing a medical professional in the future. For these reasons, treatment is not available for children aged under 6 years and is a condition of the registration with Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
Do you have any tips for a nervous child?
It is natural to fear the unknown. Many children are surprised how quick and relatively painless the procedure was. Many also accept the discomfort as they are determined to get rid of their wart. Please read the treatment information and discuss with your child before attending the appointment. If there are any questions, you can ask the doctor and he will answer honestly and do his best to engage with your child.
Will you treat a lesion on my eyelid?
Yes. Anywhere except the lid margin. Treatment to an eyelid carries two extra risks: exposure to the eyeball and the thin skin in this area. The doctor will protect and adjust for the individual lesion and has treated eyelids many times with consistent success. It is worth emailing in a photo beforehand to be sure the doctor can treat your particular lesion.
Can I go swimming after?
You will be advised to keep the lesion clean and dry for 24 hours. This is as recommended by the British Association of Dermatologists for cryotherapy aftercare. However, keeping dry is not practical for some body parts e.g. hands. The key point is to dry afterwards and avoid soaking for a long time. Wet skin can be prone to infection and the reason for advising to keep dry. Some people will choose to swim shortly after treatment and in theory may be at higher risk of infection. Infection, however, is relatively uncommon. The decision to go swimming or not is your choice.
What if I am unsure what my lesion is?
If you are unsure what you have, you can either send us a photo or attend your GP if you think it might be serious. Payment is taken at the time of booking your appointment. If you attend with a lesion the doctor cannot treat, your fee is non-refundable. If you are comfortable with paying for your consultation regardless of outcome, then of course you can just book.
Do you have wheelchair access into the building?
Yes. There is ramped access at the back door of the building. You can park in the rear car park and the door is a short distance from there. Follow the corridor down and turn left, Room 32 is at the end of this corridor.
I can't do online bookings. Can I book over the phone?
Online bookings are preferred as this is the most time efficient and keeps prices down. The doctor runs this clinic himself and is not readily available on the phone as he works at his GP clinic the rest of the week. If you are not confident online, please ask someone to help you. A very small number of patients are unable book an appointment online. If this is you, the doctor can arrange to call you back and book over the phone. There is a surcharge of £10 for this. Be prepared to give your personal details and read debit/credit card details out for payment.
Can you open on another day or the weekend?
The doctor works at his GP clinic other days of the week and he is the only doctor at this clinic. Days are therefore limited to when he is available. At weekends the business centre is closed, so clinics cannot operate then.
Will you accept cash?
No, sorry cash is not accepted. Payment is accepted with all major debit and credit cards.
How many times will I need to come?
Everyone responds differently after their treatment. This is unpredictable. Some may clear their lesion after one visit, some may require a few visits. The doctor will be able to give you idea of the outlook as you attend for repeat treatments. If there is no difference after two attempts, you will be recommended to stop. Most people will be recommended a maximum of 5 attempts, which is unusual.
Skin tags resolve quickly and often after one visit. Seborrhoeic keratoses can clear quickly too. Warts and verrucae can take longer. With verrucae, you are recommended to soak and rub down hard skin as much as possible with an emery board, file or sandpaper before a repeat treatment. This allows the treatment to get deep down to where it needs to. You can try rub a wart down but some types bleed easily and then become uncomfortable.
Can you offer a fixed price for however many treatments are needed?
For the same reason as above, each person responds unpredictability. As a small business with overheads, and desire to make the treatment as affordable as possible, this unpredictability makes fixed pricing not financially viable. A fixed charge would have to be priced significantly higher in order to cover costs. The doctor is not able to justify charging more for a relatively simple procedure, especially when most people will respond in a reasonable time frame.