From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
Young men and women who have been losing their hair, causing them to go bald prematurely now have the opportunity to grow their hair at the dermatology clinic at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.
Others with various skin diseases such as acne, causing them to be traumatised and resort to self medication to address their facial problems also have the opportunity to access services at the clinic to address their predicaments.
Established barely a year ago, the dermatology clinic at the KATH has treated about 1300 patients with various skin diseases, including those who have been losing their hair prematurely.
So far, patients from the Ashanti Region and others from the northern sector of Ghana have been the main beneficiaries from the dermatology clinic, as they troop there in their numbers to access their services.
“Baldness is a skin disease which can easily be treated, so people with such problems should seek our services if they want to grow their hairs”.
These were the encouraging words of Dr Martin Kofi Agyei, when The Mirror caught up with him at his office at the KATH.
He said the problem cropped up from the use of some drugs and other infections, and therefore, reiterated the need for the public to seek medical treatment instead of resorting to self medication.
He said self medication, especially regarding acne and other skin diseases, usually compounds the problem, making treatment very difficult.
Dr Agyei, who is the Head of the Dermatology Department, pointed out that the public have taken skin diseases for granted “applying all forms of drugs before seeking medical care at a time the situation has worsened”.
“ If patients use the hospital as a last resort, after applying various drugs , soaps and pomade, we may not be able to identify the symptom of the diseases to enable us prescribe the correct drug for treatment. It is therefore, important for them to report to the hospital as soon as they experience one form of skin disease or another,” he advised.
Dr Agyei pointed out that skin diseases can affect the mouth, head, vulva and nails among other parts of the body, stressing “we take very good care of hair loss that affects both males and females. We also take care of the nails that have been diseased, as well as ringworms which are common among school children. We also take care of all forms of skin diseases at the face and mouth which induce patients to seek medication from the dentists”.
Dr Agyei also told the paper “skin diseases can occur as a result of infections and the effects of using some drugs.
“ Infections and the effects of the use of some drugs could result in blistering disorders, with the skin peeling off under extreme cases”. He explained.
Explaining further, he said, “ in cases where drugs have severe effect on the patient, one can lose the whole skin as if she/he has suffered severe burns.There is also a condition that can affect the nose, and when such condition affect the nails, they change colour, and in extreme cases one can totally lose the nails”.
He also hinted that skin diseases can affect the genital areas, but said “in such cases, patients need to be counselled to determine how the disease was contracted”.
According to Dr Agyei, some skin diseases are genetic and patients need to be treated effectively to prevent them from passing them to their offsprings .
“We have been providing services to patients with assorted skin disorders since may last year, and the impact has been tremendous” he noted, adding “patients from Ashanti and the entire northern sector of Ghana have been visiting on a daily basis, indicating that we are offering quality services to them” he confided.
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