Skin keeps our bodies safe from germs, sun, and accidents. Young peoples skin is soft, thinner and more sensitive than adults, and it needs extra gentle care. The paediatric dermatology team at UHB are here to support with this.
We take referrals from GP practices and hospital settings. You will be seen in a clinic at Solihull or Heartlands children's outpatient's department, and we will work with you to support you and your family with your skin condition.
We do regular follow ups to make sure you have the tools and education to manage your skin at home, and provide a treatment plan at your first appointment with all the information you might need. Additional support may be available between your appointments via our Nurse telephone advice line. This is for specific care needs so please discuss this with your dermatology nurse. This is not an emergency service and calls are not answered every day.
If you need to stay in hospital to treat or manage your skin, we will try to see you to check everything is ok and support our other team members. We work closely with other teams like the allergy team and the dietetic team to make sure you have the help you need.
Looking after your skin
It is important to look after your skin. This can involve:
- washing daily with an antimicrobial or gentle soap
- patting the skin dry
- putting on moisturiser
- wearing sunscreen
- eating fruit and vegetables
- drinking water
- sleeping well
- avoiding scratching
What do we treat
The conditions we treat include:
- Dry, itchy skin
- Eczema
- Rashes
- Warts and Verruca's
- Molliscum Contagiosum
- Fungal infection
- Impetigo
- Acne
- Psoriasis
- Haemangiomas (birth marks)
- Eczema Hepeticum
Diagnosis
Usually we know what’s wrong just by listening to you and your family and examining the skin, but sometimes we need to do some tests. These can include the following:
- blood tests
- Dermascopy (looking closely at the skin through a microscope)
- hair samples
- skin swabs or nail clipping to test for infection
- skin biopsy
- referral for patch testing if allergy is suspected (this is a standard referral to the UHB Allergy service and you will join the service new patient wait list)
Common examples of things that may irritate skin include:
- dusty places
- hot weather
- cold weather
- perfumed products/fragrances
- synthetic fabrics
- sweating
- pollen
- animals
- foods
- damp and mould
- swimming pools
Meet the team
- Dr Vijay Iyer, Consultant
- Pauline Scialdone, Paediatric Dermatology Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Miriam Rabb, Paediatric Dermatology Clinical Nurse Specialist
Contact us
Dermatology Secretaries
Last reviewed: 30 June 2026