Who This Service Is For
This consultation is suitable for adults and children with:
- A new rash, skin change, or lesion requiring clinical assessment
- An existing skin condition that is worsening or not responding to current treatment
- Acne — from mild to severe presentations, with structured medical management
- Eczema or atopic dermatitis — flare-up assessment and ongoing management
- Psoriasis — assessment and management at primary-care level
- A mole, birthmark, or skin growth that has changed or is causing concern
- Allergic skin reactions — hives, contact dermatitis, or reactions to medication
- Scalp conditions — seborrhoeic dermatitis, scalp psoriasis, or fungal conditions
- Skin infections — bacterial, viral, or fungal
- Chronic skin conditions requiring ongoing management and monitoring at primary-care level
- Patients who need a referral letter for dermatology
If you have a rapidly spreading rash, accompanied by fever, difficulty breathing, or facial swelling — seek emergency care immediately. Call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Situations Commonly Assessed
Inflammatory Conditions
- Eczema and atopic dermatitis — including flare-up management, identification of triggers, and ongoing care
- Psoriasis — plaque, guttate, and scalp presentations, at primary-care level
- Seborrhoeic dermatitis — scalp and facial presentation
- Rosacea — assessment and management
- Perioral dermatitis
Acne
- Mild to moderate acne — comedonal, inflammatory, and mixed
- Acne in teenagers and adults
- Hormonal acne in women — assessed together with hormonal assessment when indicated
- Post-acne hyperpigmentation and scarring
- Acne management review — patients already on treatment who need clinical review
- Assessment for systemic therapy in moderate to severe acne cases, when clinically indicated
Allergic and Reactive Conditions
- Urticaria — acute and chronic flare-ups
- Allergic contact dermatitis — assessment and advice on allergen avoidance
- Skin reactions to medication
- Angioedema — assessment and management at primary-care level
- Skin presentations related to food allergy
Infections
- Impetigo — bacterial skin infection
- Cellulitis — assessment and management, with referral when indicated
- Folliculitis
- Fungal skin infections — ringworm, athlete's foot, pityriasis versicolor
- Molluscum contagiosum
- Warts
- Herpes simplex — cold sores and cutaneous herpes
- Shingles (herpes zoster) — assessment and management
Pigmentation and Lesions
- Moles and skin lesions that have changed in size, shape, colour, or texture
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
- Melasma — assessment and management
- Vitiligo — assessment and referral when indicated
Scalp Conditions
- Scalp seborrhoeic dermatitis
- Scalp psoriasis
- Scalp folliculitis
- Scalp ringworm — fungal infection
Paediatric Skin Conditions
- Eczema in infants and children — a core paediatric presentation
- Nappy rash and skin issues in infants
- Childhood viral rashes — assessment and parental advice
- Impetigo and skin infections in children
- Molluscum contagiosum in children
What Your Consultation Includes
Visual Clinical Assessment. Skin conditions are particularly suited to video consultation — your doctor can directly observe the lesion, rash, or skin change during the call, and carry out a structured clinical assessment based on the visual findings together with your history. Good lighting and a clear camera image significantly improve the quality of the assessment — your doctor guides you on positioning during the call.
Complete History. Your doctor reviews the onset, progression, distribution, associated symptoms, triggering factors, previous treatments, relevant medical history, medication, and family history of skin conditions — building a complete clinical picture together with the visual assessment.
Diagnosis and Management Plan. Based on the assessment, your doctor advises on the most likely diagnosis, the appropriate management approach, and what to expect from treatment — including how to monitor your condition and when to seek reassessment.
Test Requests, When Indicated. When blood tests — including allergy panels, inflammatory markers, or hormonal assessment for acne — are clinically indicated, your doctor issues the request on the same day.
Clinical Recommendations. Any clinical recommendations — including topical treatments, systemic treatments, or lifestyle modifications — are made exclusively at the doctor's professional discretion, after a complete assessment.
Dermatology Referral, When Necessary. When your condition requires specialist dermatology assessment — including suspicious lesions, severe or treatment-resistant conditions, or conditions requiring patch testing, biopsy, or specialist procedures — your doctor issues a formal referral letter and advises on urgency.
Skin Lesions — When to Act Urgently
Any change in a mole or skin lesion warrants clinical assessment. The ABCDE criteria are the standard clinical guide:
- A — Asymmetry — one half of the lesion doesn't match the other
- B — Border — irregular, notched, or poorly defined edges
- C — Colour — variation in colour within the lesion — shades of brown, black, red, white, or blue
- D — Diameter — larger than 6mm — approximately the size of a pencil eraser
- E — Evolving — any change in size, shape, colour, or a new symptom such as bleeding or itching
If your lesion meets any of these criteria, book an assessment promptly. Your doctor assesses the lesion visually and advises on whether urgent in-person dermatology assessment is needed.
Skin cancer diagnosis requires in-person dermoscopy and, when indicated, biopsy. The video consultation allows for clinical assessment and urgent referral — it does not replace specialist in-person assessment for suspicious lesions.
What Cannot Be Assessed or Managed Through This Service
Transparency about the limitations of skin assessment by video call is as important as clarity about what we can do:
- Suspicious or changing lesions can be visually assessed and urgently referred — but diagnosis requires in-person dermoscopy and biopsy, when indicated
- Patch testing to identify allergens requires in-person assessment at a dermatology centre
- Skin biopsies require in-person assessment
- Biologic treatments for severe psoriasis or other inflammatory conditions require specialist assessment
Your doctor advises clearly if your presentation requires any of these, and coordinates the appropriate referral or monitoring.
Preparing for Your Skin Consultation
Getting the most out of a skin assessment by video call takes some preparation:
- Good lighting — natural light or a lamp directed at the affected area gives your doctor the clearest view
- Close-up photos — take clear photos of the affected area before the consultation — these can be shared during the call if needed, and help your doctor assess changes over time
- Multiple angles — if the lesion or rash has a specific texture, border, or distribution, showing it from several angles during the call improves the accuracy of the assessment
- Note the history — when it started, what it looked like initially, how it has changed, what improves or worsens it, and what you've already tried
Why Choose Our Care
Visual assessment by video call. Skin conditions are one of the highest-value categories for video consultation — your doctor directly observes the condition, not just hears a description. This significantly improves diagnostic accuracy compared with a phone-only consultation.
Same-day and advance appointments, from €39. Skin issues range from urgent — a rapidly spreading rash — to planned — review of a chronic condition. Same-day and advance appointments available seven days a week, including evenings and weekends.
Same-day coordinated dermatology referral. When specialist dermatology support is needed, your doctor issues a formal referral letter on the same day — so you can contact the dermatologist or clinic of your choice immediately.
Same-day test requests. When blood tests are clinically indicated — allergy panels, inflammatory markers, hormonal assessment — your doctor can issue the request on the same day.
Paediatric skin assessment available. Skin conditions in children — eczema, rashes, infections, and molluscum — are a core part of this service. Your doctor assesses your child's skin issue with you present throughout the consultation.
Doctors registered with the Portuguese Medical Association. All assessments are carried out by doctors registered with the Portuguese Medical Association, at standard primary-care clinical level.
