What We Do

Approximately 250 patients are assessed through the service each year. We are also the collaborative centre with NHS England Highly Specialist Xeroderma Pigmentosum Services based in London.

The Unit additionally provides the National Cutaneous Porphyria Service, offering laboratory investigations and advice for patients with this group of diseases. We also offer an extensive range of phototherapeutic options and the Managed Clinical Network for Phototherapy in Scotland (Photonet) was developed here. We additionally coordinate and lead the Scottish Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) Centre and we are the first centre to receive Euro-PDT Centre of Excellence accreditation. The Unit comprises a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, scientists, nurses, technologists, post doctoral researchers, PhD and MSc students.

• The National Photodiagnostic Service
• The National Cutaneous Porphyria Service
• Phototherapies
• The Scottish Photodynamic Therapy Centre
• Euro-PDT Centre of Excellence
• Dermatology Photodynamic Therapy Service
• Laser Therapies
• Grenz Ray Therapy
• Photophysics
• Laboratory photo-investigations
• Teaching and Research Programmes

Extensive research, teaching and training programmes are delivered. We have a regular stream of visiting national and international professionals and an important function of the Unit is education and training. This is offered at undergraduate level, where we play a key role in undergraduate teaching and curriculum development, with emphasis on innovative teaching methods. We additionally have a major role in post graduate teaching, including offering a biennial Photodermatology course and regular formal training attachments for the Edinburgh dermatology trainees.

Our research programme is all directly related to optimising patient care, with major overlap between clinical activity, physics and biology. As such we have several activities within the Unit providing added value.