Dermatologist in Dubai

Dermatology at ELEMENTAL Day Surgical Center, Jumeirah 1, 113 Jumeirah Street, under DHA licence 5323888. The department covers two things that are often sold as one and are not the same: treating skin disease, and changing how skin looks.

Both are handled here, by the same team and in the same building, which matters more than it sounds. A pigmented lesion that turns out to need excision, a rash that turns out to be an autoimmune condition, acne that has scarred — these move between medical and aesthetic care without a second referral.

The department sits inside a day surgical centre rather than a salon with a doctor attached. Minor skin surgery and removal of lesions are carried out on the premises, so a diagnostic visit and the procedure that follows it usually happen in the same place.

Who you will see

Both dermatologists at Elemental hold an active Dubai Health Authority licence at this facility. The designation shown here is the one the DHA registry carries; you can verify either licence yourself in the public Sheryan registry.

• Dr. Olivera Nikolic — Specialist Dermatologist, DHA licence 00197937-009
• Dr. Muntaser Alawi — Specialist Dermatologist, DHA licence 00204938-009

Skin surgery that goes beyond a minor excision is handled together with plastic surgery. Blood tests needed before a planned procedure are taken at the clinic through our laboratory service.

General dermatology

Diagnosis and treatment of skin, hair and nail conditions. This is where a lesion is examined before anything is done to it.

• Dermatologist consultation
• Dermoscopy — mole and lesion assessment
• Rosacea treatment
• Seborrhoeic dermatitis
• Alopecia and hair loss
• Paediatric dermatology
• Mole, wart and skin tag removal

What patients come in with most often

The mix in Dubai is shaped by the climate and by how people live in it: strong year-round sun, months spent in air conditioning, humidity outdoors, hard water, and a population covering every skin type from very fair to deeply pigmented.

• Acne, and the scarring left behind by it — active inflammation is settled first; scar work comes after. See acne and post-acne scar treatment.
• Pigmentation and melasma — often worsened by sun exposure and by heat itself. See pigmentation treatment.
• Facial redness and visible vessels — assessed as rosacea before any device is used on it.
• Flaking and itching of the scalp, face and chest — commonly seborrhoeic dermatitis, which responds to treatment but tends to recur.
• Hair thinning and shedding — the cause is established before treatment is chosen. See alopecia and hair loss treatment.
• Moles and skin growths — examined with dermoscopy; if removal is indicated, see mole, wart and skin tag removal.
• Children’s skin — eczema, viral rashes, birthmarks. See paediatric dermatology.

Aesthetic dermatology

Treatment of appearance-related skin concerns: pigmentation, vascular marks, texture, scarring. Device settings depend on your Fitzpatrick skin type, and in this region that is not a formality — darker phototypes carry a real risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation if energy settings are chosen carelessly.

• Pigmentation treatment
• Acne and post-acne scarring
• Vbeam Perfecta — vascular laser
• Chemical peels
• Hair loss treatment

Where a concern is about volume or lines rather than the skin surface, it is handled by injectable treatments or by laser cosmetology rather than here, and the consultation will say so.

Skin type, and why we ask about it first

Fitzpatrick phototype is recorded before any light-based or peeling treatment is planned. Higher phototypes — common across the patient population in Dubai — are more prone to pigment change after inflammation, so settings are chosen conservatively and courses are built with longer intervals rather than stronger single sessions.

Recent sun exposure, self-tanning preparations, recently taken prescription acne medication, pregnancy and a history of keloid scarring all change what can be done and when. Tell the dermatologist about them at the consultation rather than on the day of treatment; some plans have to be postponed, and it is better to know in advance.

Daily broad-spectrum sun protection is part of every pigmentation and resurfacing plan. Without it, the same marks return, and no course of treatment compensates for that.

When to come sooner rather than later

A mole that has changed in size, shape, colour or border; a lesion that bleeds, itches or does not heal; a rash with fever or joint pain. These are assessed rather than monitored at home. Dermoscopy is a five-minute examination and it is the step that decides whether anything further is needed.

The usual prompts to have a mole looked at are asymmetry, an irregular border, more than one colour within the same lesion, a diameter that keeps increasing, and any change over recent months. A single one of these is a reason to book an examination, not a diagnosis.

What the first appointment involves

1. History — how long the problem has been present, what has already been tried, current medication, allergies, previous reactions to treatment.
2. Examination of the area of concern, and of the rest of the skin where that is relevant.
3. Dermoscopy where a lesion needs magnified assessment.
4. Where the examination indicates removal of a lesion, what that involves and what is done with the sample afterwards is explained before you agree to it.
5. A written plan and a quote for it, so you can decide with the cost in front of you.

Where a simple procedure can safely follow the consultation, it is offered on the same day. Treatments that need patch testing, preparation or a pause in current medication are booked separately. That is decided by what the examination finds, not at the time of booking.

Insurance and payment

It depends on your policy. Treatment that is medically indicated — diagnosis of a skin condition, removal of a lesion for medical reasons, treatment of infection or inflammation — may be covered in part or in full. Treatment carried out purely for appearance is not covered under any policy. Confirm the terms with your insurance provider before the appointment; the clinic can give you the treatment codes you need in order to check, and can provide the documentation your insurer asks for.

Consultation

A dermatologist consultation is required before treatment is planned; cost is quoted after that consultation. Individual results vary, and outcomes for pigmentation and scarring in particular depend on skin type, cause and adherence to the aftercare.

The clinic is at 113 Jumeirah Street, Jumeirah 1, Dubai. Appointment times and directions are on the contacts page, and more about the centre itself is on about us.