Consultant Dermatologist Dr Alia Ahmed
MBBS BSc Psychology (Hons) MRCP (Derm)
Dr Alia Ahmed is a Consultant Dermatologist who sees and treats adults, young people and children. Dr Ahmed sees patients with hair loss and also specialises in psychodermatology (the psychological effects of chronic skin disease and the link between the skin and stress). Dr Alia Ahmed works in the NHS in Windsor at King Edward VII Hospital and in London at the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel.
Dr Alia Ahmed will see adults, young people and children with any hair or scalp condition, including:
- Non-scarring hair loss (e.g. telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, male and female pattern hair loss)
- Scarring hair loss (e.g. lichen planopilaris, frontal fibrosing alopecia, CCCA)
- Scalp conditions (e.g. itchy, flaky scalp, folliculitis, eczema, psoriasis, seborrhoeic dermatitis)
Why see Dr Alia Ahmed
Dr Alia Ahmed is experienced in dermatological surgical procedures and carries out biopsies for scalp conditions and hair loss.
Dr Alia Ahmed specialises in psychodermatology, that is the psychological effects of chronic skin disease and the link between the skin and stress. Psychodermatology appointments may be suitable for some of the following conditions:
- Chronic skin disease (e.g. acne, rosacea, vitiligo) that has a psychological impact (e.g. low self-esteem/body confidence, anxiety and depression)
- Skin conditions that are impacted by stress (e.g. eczema, psoriasis, urticaria)
- Chronic itch
- Non-resolving infestations
- Genital skin conditions and pain
- Hair pulling, skin picking and nail biting
- Body image issues and body dysmorphia
Psychodermatology appointments are scheduled for one hour.
At a Glance
- Specialises in hair-loss and scalp conditions for adults, young people and children
- Specialises in psychodermatology, the psychological effects of chronic skin disease and the link between the skin and stress
- Psychodermatology appointments are scheduled for one hour
- Available on Saturdays
Schedule
Saturdays: 9:30am to 5:00pm – every fortnight.
Please advise if you require a Psychodermatology appointment at the time of booking as we will schedule 60 minutes
Accepted Insurers
Dr Alia Ahmed is recognised by all major private insurers. Psychodermatology appointments have a charge of £520 and are not covered by private health insurers, they are offered on a self-pay basis only.
Memberships
Dr Alia Ahmed is registered with the GMC and on the specialist register for Dermatology. She is a member of the British Association of Dermatologists along with The British Hair and Nail Society, The Royal Society of Medicine, General Medical Council, British Medical Association and Medical Protection Society (MPS).
Education and Training
Dr Alia Ahmed graduated from Barts and the Royal London School of Medicine in 2008 and completed her Dermatology training in London, including a research fellowship in Psychodermatology, becoming a consultant in 2017. She also has a BSc in Psychology with Clinical Psychology.
Dr Alia Ahmed completed her dermatology rotations at Royal Free London Hospital, Luton and Dunstable University Hospital and Watford General Hospital.
In addition to her NHS work, Dr Ahmed is an honorary lecturer in Psychodermatology at the University of Hertfordshire. She has completed a research fellowship with the UK Dermatology Clinical Trials Network. Dr Ahmed is on the executive committee for Psychodermatology UK, and a spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation, as well as a contributor to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Skin. She is the elected British Association of Dermatologists regional representative for Thames Valley and Wessex.
She regularly attends conferences to keep up to date both in the UK and Internationally.
Dr Alia Ahmed publications include:
Dr Alia Ahmed is regularly interviewed by the press as a Dermatology expert, particularly about the link between mind and skin. Dr Ahmed has appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC news talking about the impact of chronic skin conditions on the mind. Some examples of Dr Alia Ahmed in the press include the following:
- HOW ANXIETY AFFECTS OUR SKIN – AND WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT? Vogue , 25th October 2020
- WHY PSYCHODERMATOLOGY IS THE REAL KEY TO BETTER SKIN, HubaBeauty, 13th November 2019
- HOW PSYCHODERMATOLOGY CAN BEAT STRESS *AND* GIVE US CLEARER SKIN, Glamour, 17th August 2019
- WHY YOUR SKIN FEELS SO ITCHY WHEN YOU ARE EXPERIENCING STRESS OR ANXIETY, Stylist, December 2020
Dr Ahmed is a regularly invited speaker at national and international conferences. She has over 30 conference presentations and her academic portfolio includes many peer reviewed publications. She has recently published a UK guideline in psychodermatology and contributed to several textbooks in dermatology. Some examples of Dr Ahmed’s publications are:
- Patel N, Kho J, Smith KE, Ahmed A, Van den Abbeele, Mandal AKJ, Missouris CG. Polymorphic cutaneous manifestations of COVID‐19 infection in a single viral host. Int J Dermatol. 2020 Jul 19 : 10.1111/ijd.15072.
- Ahmed A, Steed L, Burden-Teh E, Shah R, Sanyal S, Tour S, Dowey S, Whitton M, Batchelor JM, Bewley AP. Identifying key components for a psychological intervention for people with vitiligo – a quantitative and qualitative study in the United Kingdom using web-based questionnaires of people with vitiligo and healthcare professionals. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2018 Dec;32(12):2275-2283
- Ahmed A, Solman L, Williams HC. Topical crisaborole in the treatment of atopic dermatitis in children and adults: magnitude of benefit does not look promising. Br J Dermatol. 2018; 178(3):659-662
- Osinubi O, Ahmed A, Batchelor J, Grainge M, Grindley D, Thompson AR, Ratib S. The prevalence of psychological comorbidity in people with vitiligo: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Dermat 2018; 178(4):863-878
- Patten DK, Ahmed A, Greaves O, Dina R, Flora R, Tolley N. Anaplastic Spindle Cell Squamous Carcinoma Arising from Tall Cell Variant Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid Gland: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Case Rep Endocrinol. 2017; 2017:4581626