Cork-based Rose Clinic expands operations

CORK-based Rose Clinic — a clinician-led medical screening service to screen and map skin moles and lesions — has opened two new locations in Waterford and Carlow.

Rose Clinic employs a team of experienced practitioners including surgeons, doctors, and melanographers with a focus on skin health and mole mapping. The medical team uses the latest Artificial Intelligence screening technology to guide decision-making and is owned by Professor H. Paul Redmond, chairman of the Department of Surgery at Cork University Hospital Group.

The two new clinics, operated within UPMC, use digital dermoscopy to examine moles and skin lesions and assess whether follow-up treatment is needed.

The service is available either directly to members of the public or by referral from their general practitioner. The expansion of Rose Clinic’s service to Waterford and Carlow comes as nearly 40,000 people are on a waiting list to see a dermatologist in Ireland.

Professor Redmond, lead clinician with the Rose Clinic, says: “If people are worried about a mole on their skin, they don’t necessarily have to wait to see a dermatologist. Using specialist scanning equipment, we can take high-quality digital photography of the mole and assess whether it is benign, in need of monitoring, or requires follow-up care. Digital dermoscopy is a hugely untapped resource in Irish medicine that can both identify issues early, and provide peace of mind to those who have concerns about their skin.”

Rose Clinic’s new facilities operate out of the UPMC Clinic in Waterford and the UPMC Outreach Clinic in Carlow. Rose Clinic’s other facilities include the Cork clinic at Penrose Wharf and the Limerick clinic at the city’s Beacon.

As well as the digital dermoscopy service in Waterford and Carlow, Rose Clinic in Cork also offers a layered screening process that uses total body mapping with digital dermoscopy and AI technology, combined with physical analysis of moles.

Screening of moles and lesions using the technology at Rose Clinic’s disposal allows for early detection of melanoma and other common skin cancers which can greatly improve prognosis.

The need for the public to be aware of their skin is heightened at this time of year, as the rays of the sun intensify and the risk of skin cancer is increased.

Professor Redmond added: “Skin cancer is now the most common cancer in Ireland with over 13,000 new cases diagnosed each year. In our clinics, we have seen far too many late presentations, or people who have ignored issues for too long. That is a problem that has become particularly acute after lockdown.

“With Rose Clinic, we are giving people an option to self-refer to check their skin and to identify any issues of concern. As we move into the summer months, people will expose their skin more and perhaps become more aware of changes that need to be checked. We know that screening for cancer works, and Rose Clinic is deploying the latest technology to identify issues of concern.”