Overview

Department of Dermatology Clinics and Dermatology Special Clinics

The Northwestern University Department of Dermatology clinicians are board-certified dermatologists the offer a wide range of care and treatment for general dermatology problems. In addition to the General Clinic, the Department of Dermatology also maintains a number of specialty clinics to serve patients with a variety of dermatological conditions, including:

Skin Check Clinic

Are you in need of a skin check or worried about a spot on your skin?

This clinic is designed to examine your skin and look for any potential cancerous or precancerous lesions.

Our clinic includes a board-certified dermatologist and two trained physician assistants who have expertise in the detection, treatment and prevention of skin cancer.

To schedule an appointment, call 312.695.6647.

Acne/Excessive Hair in Women

This clinic provides evaluations and a variety of medical and aesthetic care regimens for women with acne and/or unwanted hair growth.

Atopic Dermatitis: The Cancer Skin Care Program

This clinic provides diagnosis and ongoing management of skin issues in patients with all forms of connective tissue disease including lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, morphea, systemic sclerosis, vasculitis and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.

Contact/Occupational Dermatitis 

This clinic provides counseling and expanded panel patch testing, photo-patch testing, and MED photo-testing to UVA and UVB to help diagnose and determine the causes of allergic contact dermatitis. The initial clinic visit will consist of a consultation, after the consultation, patients can schedule Patch testing.

Cutaneous Lymphoma

This Clinic offers a weekly multi-specialty approach for patients with cutaneous T or B-cell lymphomas. The group has expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous lymphomas, offering the latest diagnostic techniques including sophisticated clone-specific gene scan analysis and comprehensive panels of flow cytometry and immunophenotyping.

Leading-edge therapy is tailored to each patient and includes phototherapy, interferon, extracorporeal photopheresis, topical and systemic chemotherapy, retinoids and other biologics.

Hours of operation:
Tuesday and Thursday (follow-up patients): 1 pm–5 pm

Northwestern Medicine - Center for Ethnic Skin

Ethnic Skin/Pigment Issues

This specialized center is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of hair, skin, and nail disorders in patients of color—African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics/Latinos—with special attention to understanding cultural practices that influence hair and nail care.

Patients with skin of color have unique needs related to pigmented skin, hair, and nails. People of color are not only susceptible to common skin conditions, but also prone to particular problems related to the unique properties of their hair, skin, and nails. Some of these conditions include:

  • Acne
  • Scarring
  • Hair loss
  • Abnormal pigmentation
  • Keloid scars and vitiligo
  • Melasma
  • Post-inflammatory increase or decrease in pigmentation
  • Pseudofolliculitis barbae
Specialized cosmetic services are also offered, including:
  • Laser-hair reduction
  • Chemical peels
  • Botox®
  • Fillers
  • Microdermabrasion

Clinics are held daily, with consultations preferred on Thursdays for general dermatology evaluation.

Hair Disorders

This clinic is integrated into daily general dermatology clinics for patients suffering from a variety of hair loss disorders, including:

  • Telogen effluvium
  • Scarring alopecias
  • Alopecia areata

A holistic approach to addressing hair loss treatment and etiologies is reviewed, and treatment plans are tailored according to the type and severity of each patient's hair disorder. Cosmetic concerns, styling, and camouflage/prosthesis options are also discussed.

Infectious Disease and Skin

This clinic cares for individuals with infections disorders for the skin both common and rare. Some of these disorders develop from international travel. This specialty clinic cares for the many dermatologic problems related to HIV disease as well.

Mohs Surgery

Learn more about Mohs Surgery.

Phototherapy

The Phototherapy Treatment Center is located in the Dermatology Clinic. The center offers phototherapy with narrow band-UVB, and UVA lights as well as excimer laser. In addition, MED photo-testing and photo-patch testing are available. To schedule an appointment, call 312.695.8667.

Pigmented Skin Lesion/Melanoma

This clinic provides comprehensive care for individuals with irregular nevi, dysplastic nevi, and melanoma. The clinic occurs several times each week and offers medical and surgical management of pigmented lesions. The patient is initially screened with a digital photographic system to record images of the patient's nevi , or moles, through whole-body photography and dermoscopy. Dermoscopy provides the physician with a magnified image of the nevus and pigment arrangement within the lesion.

For advanced melanomas, the patient is treated by a multi-specialty team. Our clinic now offers MelaFind®, a non-invasive medical device that allows our specialists to more accurately identify potentially harmful moles. To schedule an appointment, call 312.926.5345.

Hours of operation:
Tuesday and Wednesday: 1pm–5pm

Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis

This clinic treats patients with psoriasis and is the ideal venue for a person with both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Patients are seen by both a dermatologist and a rheumatologist. The clinic is held on Tuesday mornings.

Sarcoidosis

This specialty clinic focuses on the evaluation and treatment of men and women with cutaneous sarcoidosis. Providers take a multidisciplinary approach, combining Pulmonology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, and Internal Medicine in the management of this condition.

TARGET: Treatment of Adverse Reactions and GVHD Effects of Cancer

This clinic is dedicated to the evaluation and treatment of skin toxicities related to cancer and cancer therapy. Patients with reactions to traditional chemotherapeutic agents, targeted cancer therapies as well as bone marrow transplant patients with graft-versus-host disease receive leading-edge dermatologic care.

Vulvar Mucosal Specialty

This clinic is a multidisciplinary clinic that specializes in expert evaluation and treatment of female patients with disorders of the genital mucous membranes. Patients are interviewed and examined by a dermatologist and a gynecologist in order to determine the full extent of disease and to formulate the most comprehensive diagnostic and treatment plan.

Women's Skin Health Program

The Women's Skin Health Program provides women of all ages and stages of life with comprehensive medical and surgical dermatologic care. Patients receive medical treatment and education regarding common skin disorders such as acne and rosacea as well as surgical and cosmetic consultations. Skin concerns and diseases that occur during pregnancy are areas of specific interest and expertise.

For appointments and more information, please contact our Clinical Office at 312.695.8106. Please reference either General Dermatology Clinic or the specific specialty clinic you are looking for when calling.