Dermatology and Skin Care with Sanitas
Skin that coped perfectly well in Britain or Ireland does not cope here. You are getting several times the ultraviolet exposure it evolved for, and the damage accumulates quietly across years of ordinary sunshine.
Skin cancer, and why this matters more in Spain
If you have moved from northern Europe to southern Spain, your skin is getting several times the ultraviolet exposure it evolved for. Fair skin that coped in Britain or Ireland does not cope here, and the damage accumulates quietly over years.
An annual mole check is the single highest-value dermatology appointment you can book. The dermatologist examines your skin with a dermatoscope, a magnifier with a light, and photographs anything worth watching so it can be compared next year.
Go sooner than annually if a mole changes shape, colour or size, starts itching or bleeding, or is simply new and looks different from your others. Skin cancers caught early are usually dealt with in one appointment. Caught late they are a very different conversation.
The other reasons people go
Acne that has not responded to anything from the pharmacy. Eczema and psoriasis, both of which often change when you move climate. Rosacea. Fungal infections. Hair loss. Rashes nobody can identify. Wart and verruca removal.
Where the line falls on cosmetic work
Medical dermatology is covered. Cosmetic dermatology is not.
Removing a mole because it looks suspicious is medical. Removing one because you dislike it is cosmetic. Treating acne is medical; laser resurfacing of old acne scarring is cosmetic. Diagnosing hair loss is medical; transplanting hair is not.
Clinics deal with this distinction daily and will tell you which side something falls on. Ask before the appointment if you are not sure.
Waiting periods
None on consultations, so a mole check is available from the start of your policy. Minor procedures done in the clinic sit under outpatient surgery at 3 months. Anything needing a hospital bed is 10 months. Anything urgent is covered immediately.
See every Sanitas waiting period in one place, including how switching from another insurer waives nearly all of them.
Where the dermatologists are
720 clinics across 48 provinces, with 1,077 named specialists between them – and you can book any of them yourself, without a referral.
- Madrid – 123 clinics, 229 dermatologists
- Barcelona – 120 clinics, 171 dermatologists
- Valencia – 51 clinics, 84 dermatologists
- Malaga – 31 clinics, 33 dermatologists
- Balearics – 30 clinics, 34 dermatologists
- Seville – 28 clinics, 41 dermatologists
- Vizcaya – 22 clinics, 27 dermatologists
Ask us and we will check who is near you and what languages they work in.
What you pay
Nothing on a no-co-payment plan. A small fixed amount per visit on a co-payment plan. Cosmetic work you pay for either way.
Find a dermatologist near you
Browse dermatologists in the Sanitas directory – by province, with addresses, phone numbers and a map.
