As a skin specialist, I have a very varied week. I work predominantly with NHS skin cancer patients, but I also treat cosmetic cases at a private clinic. On Monday I was carrying out laser surgery on patients with very rare skin conditions. One was a sort of birth-mark that comes on late in life and looks like an elliptical line of cornflakes. This particular patient was so embarrassed by them that he didn't even like taking his clothes off. Another patient had some horrible large abscesses in the groin, in the armpits and under the breasts.
I had to break bad news to patients on Tuesday. That's always a very difficult part of my job: telling people that they have got a melanoma (malignant tumour), or that a melanoma has spread. I'm 38, and it is hardest telling people who are younger than you. We had a young mother recently who had three children under 10 – she had widespread melanoma. And going into the special-care baby unit, seeing a child whose skin is falling off and who you know may die very young, and then consoling the parents – that's something you never become immune to. People are very brave. You'd think they would be crying and jumping out of the room, but I've only had one patient break down in front of me. It's a very English thing.
On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, I'm at my private cosmetic dermatology clinic in Brighton. Often I'm treating cosmetic conditions that used to be done on the NHS, such as shaving off a mole, but which are no longer offered because of cost-constraints. I enjoy the difference between my NHS and private roles, but I'm very much predominantly NHS, with a bit of cosmetic work on the side, rather than the other way around.
On Wednesday morning, I have a general dermatology clinic where I see patients with rashes, acne, skin tumours and I love the person-to-person interaction.
In the summer, there's a lot of skin cancer on the south coast because there's a lot of sunshine, and a lot of retired people, who are more susceptible to the disease. There's an 100% increase in the number of mole examinations between April and November.
I spent Thursday removing tumours from the head and neck – a special interest of mine. I love the precision and completeness of a surgical procedure, the physical dexterity you require, and the planning. On Friday, I had a meeting with a pathologist where we looked at photographs of patients' skin and tried to work out an exact diagnosis. Sometimes it's difficult to tell one condition from another, so it's quite helpful to get a second opinion.
As told to Patrick Kingsley .
Dr Shergill works at Brighton and Sussex Universities hospitals NHS Trust, Queen Victoria hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Mcindoe Surgical Centre, Hove Skin Clinic, and Sk:n Clinic, Brighton.
