Why engage in research?
We at the Skin Centre strive hard to deliver excellence in the care of your skin. When you walk into the Skin Centre, you are getting world-class expertise. All the doctors at the Skin Centre are speakers at international meetings and publish widely in medical journals. To deliver this level of service, we commit ourselves to a quest for new knowledge - a quest to find better ways to benefit you, the patient. This mission that is achieved through research.
What research are we engaged in?
The Skin Center has two major studies underway. Both studies have been registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials registry.
1. 'Intranasal white petrolatum to reduce postoperative infections in dermatologic surgery'
2. Growth of skin cancers around the eye – the impact of waiting time for elective surgery
Intranasal White Petrolatum Research
'Intranasal white petrolatum to reduce postoperative infections in dermatologic surgery'
New Zealand has the highest rate of skin cancers in the world which leads to a large number of skin excisions. About 30-40% of the population carry a bacterium known as Staphylococcus aureus. Carriage of this bacterium has been shown to increase the risk of surgical wound infections by up to eight times. Earlier studies have assessed the effectiveness of a topical antibiotic, mupirocin to eradicate carriage of Staphylococcus aureus. Unfortunately, this method has been complicated by bacterial resistance and allergic skin reactions. In this study, we want to see whether applying white petrolatum (Vaseline) is effective for eradicating nasal carriage of staphylococcus aureus and reducing wound infections in dermatologic surgery. If proven to be effective, this simple method may be a safe and economic method to reduce the incidence of wound infections in dermatologic surgery.
Any queries regarding this study please contact Research Co-Ordinator Wendy Thomas at
wendyt@skincentre.com
This most recent research project being undertaken by the Skin Centre doctors can be found by clicking the link below:
BCC - impact of waiting time for elective surgery
Growth of skin cancers around the eye – the impact of waiting time for elective surgery
An observational study to determine the impact of waiting time for elective surgery on the growth rate of Basal Cell Carcinomas (a type of skin cancer) in patients with periocular (around the eye) basal cell carcinoma.
We would like to assess how fast basal cell carcinomas grow whilst patients are waiting for surgery on an elective basis.
The possiblities that can occur whilst observing these skin cancers are;
- No change in size
- Increase in size
- Reduction in size
This is an observation of what happens in the public hospital system compared to a private practice. No intervention will be done.
We aim to observe patients over a 9-12 month period.
The observation will be done at baseline and secondly at the time of surgery. The difference in sizes will be documented.
https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=335683