Dermatology
Please visit the link on the right entitled “clinical sites” for contact information for our MOHS surgery clinic and our dermatology offices in Providence and Lincoln.
Dermatology is the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of problems associated with the body's largest organ -- the skin. Our dermatologists don’t just treat skin problems; they play a critical role in diagnosing and caring for cancers, internal malignancies, and infectious diseases. They diagnose and treat patients with benign and malignant disorders of the skin, mouth, external genitals, hair and nails, as well as cosmetic skin conditions, including scars and birthmarks.
Dermatologists at Roger Williams Medical Center treat and help adults and children with any type of skin problem. Our physicians have special expertise in the management of skin cancers, including melanoma and skin lymphoma, skin surgery (including Mohs surgery), psoriasis, problems of increased sensitivity to the sun, skin allergies, genital skin diseases, and infectious and tropical skin diseases.
Technology has improved how we both diagnose and care for skin problems. We perform many specialized diagnostic procedures including microscopic examination of skin biopsy specimens, cytological smears, allergy testing, testing of sensitivity to sunlight, potassium hydroxide preparations, and biological tests of skin scrapings and secretions. Dermatological treatments include medications (including advanced therapeutics), phototherapy, surgery using techniques such as Mohs surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery (which uses freezing substances), and laser surgery and advanced wound care. Cosmetic treatments include skin abrasions, chemical peels, filler injections and laser treatments to address a wide variety of imperfections.
Every patient is seen by a board-certified dermatologist. This means the person you are trusting with your health has completed four years of college, four years of medical school and four years of additional training to become experts in treating complex skin, hair, and nail disorders.
We are committed to excellence in the care of all patients with skin, hair and nail problems, in the teaching of the next generation of physicians and dermatologist, and in the advancement of knowledge about skin diseases, their cure and best possible management through research and discovery.
To make an appointment, please call 401-305-3055.
General Dermatology
Our full-time and associated faculty provides patients from Rhode Island and throughout New England with expertise in the diagnosis and management of all types of skin diseases in children and in adults. We take care of and consult on acute and chronic conditions, some of which are life-threatening or result in long-term pain, suffering, and disability. Our dermatologists are highly trained and board-certified in the management of skin conditions, as well as the diagnostic tests used for diagnosis.
In addition to diagnosing and treating conditions such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, genital skin disease, fungal and bacterial infections, acne, rosacea, vitiligo, melasma, other pigmented disorders, and warts, we offer the following specialty services for more advanced skin conditions.
SPECIALTY CLINICS
Skin Surgery, including Mohs surgery
Dr. Satori Iwamoto
Roger Williams Medical Center
2nd floor of Hospital Building
825 Chalkstone Avenue, Providence, RI 02908
For appointments, please call 401-456-2327
Experts in this specialty are dedicated to removing skin cancers with a goal of maximum excision of cancer and minimal scarring. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Surgical treatment of most skin cancers (basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma) often leads to a cure. However, depending on the extent and location of these cancers, recurrences may occur and lead to cancers spreading locally and to internal organs. In these cases, our clinical partnership with the Roger Williams Cancer Center allows for excellent coordinated care.
Some other types of skin cancer, most notably melanoma, are life-threatening and require prompt diagnosis and complete removal. It should be recognized that the incidence of melanoma is steadily on the rise. Rapid recognition of early melanoma and precursor lesions (abnormal moles) is critical to patient survival. Although most melanomas are pigmented, lack of pigment is not rare and can lead to misdiagnosis. Therefore, biopsy of suspicious lesions or changing moles is essential. Many skin cancers can be treated by excision and other types of destructions of the lesions, generally followed immediately by repair of the resultant skin defect. When the skin cancers are present in sensitive areas like thr face, sparing of normal non-malignant tissue around the cancer by the Mohs technique leads to much more desirable results.
Mohs Surgery
Surgery of the skin doesn’t always come with significant scarring. The Mohs technique, pioneered by Dr. Frederic Mohs and widely adopted by dermatologists trained in this specialized techniques, leads to better cure rates for difficult to treat and/or recurrent skin cancer. It also helps spare the non-involved tissue surrounding the cancer, which is a very important advantage on the face and other critical sites.
FAQs about Mohs Surgery
(Excerpted, with permission, from the American College of Mohs Surgery website)
For more information, please click on the ACMS patient site:www.skincancermohssurgery.org
Wound Care
Most wounds heal without a problem. However, there are risk factors in our lives that can delay or stop the healing process. Wounds that fail to heal can diminish a person’s quality of life and lead to health complications.
Cosmetics
All cosmetics are done by board-certified dermatologists who have gone through extensive training and examination in cosmetic dermatology. All our services leave our patients with a more rejuvenated appearance.
Injectable services that we provide include dermal fillers to correct volume loss and injections for anti-wrinkling. We also provide fat reduction below the chin by using an FDA approved product (Kybella®) for that specific purpose.
We also offer sclerotherapy to reduce the appearance of prominent veins and we offer chemical peels.
We also have state of the art lasers for hair removal, rosacea, wrinkle reduction, skin resurfacing, acne scars. See separate link for information on laser treatment.
Melanoma and Pigmented
We work closely with the physicians at the Roger Williams Cancer Center to provide our patients with an interdisciplinary approach for the treatment of their melanoma. We work with oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgical oncologists, and others to provide state-of-the-art comprehensive care and treatment for patients with malignant melanoma in any stage of the disease.
Cutaneous Lymphoma
Dr. Marshall Kadin (Dermatology)
Skin lymphomas are another type of skin cancer that requires an interdisciplinary approach for effective and comprehensive care. Dr. Kadin and colleagues from medical oncology, and dermatology provide advanced care and treatment for patients with lymphomas of the skin, including mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome.
Skin Allergy/Contact Dermatitis
Some skin diseases can be caused by an allergy, meaning an overreaction of the immune system to a substance that comes into contact with the skin. The most common condition in this category is allergic contact dermatitis. Avoidance of the allergen, meaning the substance that is causing the allergic reaction, is of utmost importance for counseling and management. Usually, an allergy test (patch test) is required to find out exactly which substance patients are allergic to.
Other services we provide
Advanced Therapeutics
Many skin diseases are effectively treated with creams, ointments, or other external medicine preparations. Patients with more severe skin diseases may require systemic medications that are taken by mouth or applied by injections. Fortunately, more and more such treatments are being developed and new medications are becoming more readily available
Extracorporeal photopheresis
ECP is a highly effective and very well tolerated light treatment of the blood, used not only for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, but also for graft-versus-host disease.
Photodynamic Therapy
PDT is a treatment that uses a drug, called a photosensitizer or photosensitizing agent, and a particular type of light, blue light to treat pre-skin cancer lesions called actinic keratosis. We also use the blue light for skin rejuvenation as well as for acne treatment.
Phototherapy
Phototherapy is a highly effective treatment that is usually well tolerated for a variety of different skin conditions, including psoriasis, vitiligo, eczema (atopic dermatitis), cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, itching, etc. In our 5th floor clinic, we offer a variety of phototherapy modalities, including narrow-band UVB, PUVA, and soak PUVA.
Dermatology Clinical Sites
Roger Williams Medical Center Office - Elmhurst Building - 4th Floor
Phone: 401-456-5793
Address: 50 Maude Street, 4th Floor (at entrance of building) Providence, RI 02908
Services: Phototherapy, Photodynamic therapy
Directions: 50 Maude Street, Providence, RI 02908 (click on address)
MOHS Surgery at Roger Williams Medical Center, 2 West
Phone: 401-456-2327
Address: 825 Chalkstone Avenue
Providence, RI 02908, 2nd Floor of Hospital Building
Dermatologist (and Mohs Surgeon): Satori Iwamoto, MD, PhD
Directions: 825 Chalkstone Avenue, Providence, RI 02908 (click on address)
Lincoln Office
Phone: 401-305-3055
Address: 652 George Washington Highway, Lincoln, RI 02865
Directions: 652 George Washington Highway, Lincoln, RI 02865 (click on address)