FAQ

What is important after an ambulatory surgical intervention?
An ambulant surgery is a surgical intervention which does not require a full detailed check-up. The patient does not have to go under general anesthesia; the surgery is performed under local anesthesia. During the surgical intervention a wound is produced due to the withdrawal of tissue. In many cases this wound has to be closed by stitches which guarantee adaptation of the wound edges immediately after the intervention.  This does not mean, however, that immediately after the intervention the adaption of wound edges is as stable as in welded metals. So as welds still heated up can be stretched out through attractions wound sutures transform into extensive scars after physical activity. Therefore physical activity should be refused for at least 14 days, better for 4 weeks, after the surgical intervention.
Depending to the operated area, stitches can be removed between 7 and 14 days after the surgical intervention. During this time the plaster should changed daily. In order to avoid an infection, an iodine-containing cream should be applied on the plaster. In case of iodine-allergy alternative disinfectants e.g. triclosane can be used.
 
How must I behave during and after a hyposensitization treatment?
Hyposensibilization, also known as allergy vaccination or desensitization, is the only known treatment that affects the natural course of an allergic disease, and that may cure allergy.
The treatment is by injecting gradually increasing doses of the allergen. By increasing the dosage very gradually, the immune system may then get the opportunity to "learn" to react correctly when exposed to the allergen in question. The treatment seems to work by inducing the formation of "blocking antibodies" of the IgG4 subclass, which prevent the allergen from triggering an allergic reaction. The injection programme usually carries on for a period of three to five years. In the initial phase, the dosage is gradually increased from a very low initial value. Typically, the total increase of dosage may by a factor of 1:10000.
This treatment has been shown to work well in cases of allergy to tree and grass pollen, mites and insect stings. There is a small risk that the injection of allergen will itself cause a severe allergic reaction. Thus, it is mandatory to stay in our practice for at least 30 minutes after the injection. On the day of injection physical activities must be avoided.
 
What is exactly a “Patch” testing (skin contact allergy testing)?
This is a special test carried for patients suspected of having contact allergy to a chemical. Patches with a range of the chemicals most likely to cause allergy are applied by trained medical aids to your back, usually on a Monday or Tuesday morning. You have to return two days later to have the patches taken off and to check if there was a reaction to any of the chemicals. A final reading of the test is taken after another 1-3 days by a dermatologist. While the patches are on your back, you need to take a few precautions. Your back may not get wet. You should limit sweating so that the patches do not come loose. Even after the patches are removed, you should not let the back get wet or apply anything to the back. This allows us to get an accurate reading on your tests.
If you are shown to have an allergy to a particular chemical, detailed information sheets on how to avoid that chemical are given to you.
Before you can be tested, there are a few requirements. Your back, or most of it, must not have the rash. You cannot be taking prednisone by mouth or applying topical steroids to your back. You cannot have been treated with UVB or PUVA light treatments or exposed to extensive sun l in the few days before the testing. We do not ever test pregnant women
 
    Which aesthetic-medical interventions are carried out in your practice?
    Aesthetic-medical services of our practice are adapted to the guidelines of the French society for aesthetic medicine and mesotherapy (AMME). All services carried out in our practice are independent of the sponsorship of  a single manufacturer and are approved by the French medical association for aesthetic medicine (e.g.  treatment of wrinkles with fillers or Botox, medical peelings, laser treatment, IPL and mesotherapy). Further information is available here.
     
    What are the opening hours of your practice? How could I schedule an appointment?
    Our dermatological practice is opened Monday to Friday from 8 am to 7 pm (last appointment). You can schedule your appointment either personally, by telephone (069 – 95 90 99 82) or through our on-line reservation system.
     
    How do I carry out hot and cold baths for the treatment of fungal infections and warts of the hands / feet?
    Fungal infections and/or warts are widespread diseases of the feet and partly the hands. Currently, it exist no therapy with a guaranteed and remaining success for everyone, thus leading to a huge number of therapy procedures with questionable results. The majority of all patients are suffering from a decreased blood circulation in their extremities (symptom of cold hands and/or feet) and therefore from a lack of the local immune system that is important for the local defense against (wart) viruses and fungi.
    Beside the medical therapy it is important to carry out regular (at least daily) physical activities that increase blood circulation within the extremities. This recommendation is not new and has already been made more than 100 years ago with the introduction of the so called Kneippbath (alternating hot and cold baths).
    Warm tap water (37°C) should be prepared in a vessel (e.g., a plastic tub; control temperature with a thermometer). Another vessel with cold water (4 ° to 10 °) should be prepared overnight at cold temperatures outdoors or in the fridge. Starting with a bath in 37°C water for 2 minutes and 4°-10° for 2 minutes you have to repeat the bathing at alternate temperatures for 3 cycles (whole duration: 12 minutes).
     
    Does the scheduling of appointments, the diagnostic and/or therapeutic procedures differ depending on my type of insurance (Statutory Health Insurance = Gesetzliche Krankenkasse, GKK vs. private health insurance)?
    As long as our practice is an accredited member of the Physicians Association of Statutory Health Insurance (Kassenärztliche Vereinigung) the type of your insurance is not important for us. Consulting hours of our practice are organized exclusively as appointment. Thus, we ask you for your understanding that certain visiting time, as for example in the late afternoon or in the evening is faster booked up than other visiting times.
    Our diagnostic and therapeutic approaches derive from SOPs (standard operating procedures) that have been established at German university medical centers.  These guidelines are applied for all patients regardless of their type of insurance. Our quality- management guarantees that our diagnostic as well as therapeutic standard is always at university level.
    Differences between insurances arise from the fact that newer diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that are already the standard in other countries are no longer being covered by insurance companies and because of this, they aren’t arranged for by doctors. Another restriction comes from Statutory Health Insurances. They integrated the majority of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures into the minimum social security benefit amount (Regelleistungsvolumen) that currently covers between 13.50€ and 17.00€ of almost all diagnostic and therapeutic procedures per quarter.