Welcome to our office!  We appreciate the opportunity to meet your skin care needs and goals.
Our mission is to provide you with the best possible medical care, as well as state-of-the-art treatments, in a friendly, courteous, and relaxed environment. The nature of our practice is to give each patient the utmost in care and service. We will make every effort to see you at your scheduled time.

• Hours
• New Patients – Preparing for your 1st appointment
• Cancellation policies
• FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
  1. Who do I speak with in the initial consultation – the physician or mostly an assistant?
  2. Why is it important that the consultation be with the physician?
  3. What questions should you ask when you’re selecting your skin care provider?
  4. Are cosmetic treatments covered by my insurance company?
  5. How much do treatments cost?
  6. Are men good candidates for any of the treatments?
  7. Does laser hair removal remove every unwanted hair?
  8. How are medical microdermabrasion treatments done in your office different than microdermabrasion treatments done at a spa?
  9. Do laser treatments hurt?
  10. What are lasers, and how are they used to treat various skin disorders?
• Payment Options
• Insurance Plans Accepted
• Notice of Privacy Policies
• Informative Websites – With Helpful Dermatology Information
• Directions & Map
• Information for your office visit

Hours

Our office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m..

Patient hours are by appointment only, and vary by day of the week. We invite you to contact our office by calling (866) 895-2955.

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New Patients – Preparing for your First appointment

To make the most of your time with us, the following steps should be taken:

1. Prior to your visit, contact your health insurance company to find out if you need a referral from your primary care physician (your regular doctor). If you do need a referral, it is important that you get the referral before your office visit, in order to ensure that your insurance company will pay for your visit.
2. Please arrive 15 minutes early for your first appointment, so that you will have sufficient time to check-in, complete your new patient paperwork, remove make-up, and relax prior to your visit.
3. Being on time for your appointment is greatly appreciated so that you are able to maximize the time you spend with Dr. Duke, and so that our other patients are not inconvenienced.
4. In fairness to our other patients, if you arrive late -- we regret that we may not be able to accommodate you on that day.
5. In advance of your visit, you can print out the new patient paperwork online, and complete it prior to your visit.
6. If your insurance plan requires a referral from your primary care physician, then you must obtain this referral before your appointment.
7. Please bring your insurance card to all appointments.

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Appointment Cancellation Policy

1. Your appointment is reserved especially for you. Should you need to cancel or change the date of your appointment, we require at least 24-hours notice as a courtesy to other patients seeking appointments. If less than 24-hours notice is given, if you miss an appointment, or if you are late - then a late cancellation fee or missed appointment fee will apply.
2. In fairness to other patients, if you arrive late -- we regret that we may not be able to accommodate you on that day -- and a late cancellation fee will apply.

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FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who do I speak with in the initial consultation – the physician or mostly an assistant?
2. Why is it important that the consultation be with the physician?
3. What questions should you ask when you’re selecting your skin care provider?
4. Are cosmetic treatments covered by my insurance company?
5. How much do treatments cost?
6. Are men good candidates for any of the treatments?
7. Does laser hair removal remove every unwanted hair?
8. How are medical microdermabrasion treatments done in your office different than microdermabrasion treatments done at a spa?
9. Do laser treatments hurt?
10. What are lasers, and how are they used to treat various skin disorders?

1. Who do I speak with in the initial consultation – the physician or mostly an assistant?
   During your initial consultation, Dr. Duke will conduct an objective, scientific evaluation of your current skin conditions. Dr. Duke, not an assistant, personally does consultations. You’ll get the real story, what will work and what won’t – for your unique skin conditions.
2. Why is it important that the consultation be with the physician?
   As a board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Duke has specialized training in all aspects of your skin and skin biology. This is her specialty. During your consultation, Dr. Duke will make customized recommendations of the appropriate skin care products or treatments – based on your individual skin conditions and your personal goals. As a trained physician, she will select the right products and treatments for your specific needs.
3. What questions should you ask when you are selecting your skin care provider?
   Your treatment outcome depends on many factors -- including the training and experience of the doctor you choose, the treatment that is selected for your individual skin conditions, the technology that is utilized in your treatment, and how the technology is used. Before choosing your physician, you should always ask these important questions about the doctor’s specific training:
   1. Are they board-certified in dermatology?
   2. What is the doctor’s specific training with lasers?
   3. Did they complete a one-year fellowship in lasers (if yes, where), or did they just get training at a weekend course from the sales representative of the laser manufacturer?
   4. Has the doctor participated in, and done, any laser research? Were their results published in a peer-reviewed, major medical journal?
   5. Have they presented their research at major medical conferences?
   6. Do they teach laser surgery to other doctors at teaching hospitals such as Yale or Harvard?
   7. Are all your lasers conveniently located on-site all day, every day?
   The answers to these questions will help you choose the most qualified skin care provider to help you meet your goals and select the best treatment options based on your unique skin conditions. Read more about Dr. Duke’s training, credentials, and laser expertise by clicking here.
4. Are cosmetic treatments covered by my insurance company?
   Unfortunately, health insurance plans do not cover cosmetic treatments, as they do not consider them medically necessary.
5. How much do treatments cost?
   The fee for treatments varies, depending on the treatment itself. Until Dr. Duke evaluates your specific conditions, it’s difficult to know what the exact fee will be. During your private consultation with Dr. Duke, she will be able to review all your options, and give you specific fees for each one. Prior to your visit, one of our receptionists can give you a general estimate for each particular treatment. While you might think that a particular treatment is the right one for you, Dr. Duke may recommend another treatment that is better suited to meet your specific goals.
6. Are men good candidates for any of the treatments?
   Yes, men are good candidates for all of the treatments we do, and they now represent a growing percentage of the patients in our practice. Laser hair removal is the most common treatment requested for areas including the back, shoulders, neck and chest. Other treatments that are now commonly performed include BOTOX® Cosmetic, Restylane®, and tattoo removal.
7. Does laser hair removal remove all unwanted hair?
   In order to achieve your best outcome and permanently remove as much unwanted hair as possible, most patients require a series of four to six treatments (spaced four to eight weeks apart). The reason for spacing treatments 4 to 8 weeks apart is to ensure that all of the individual hairs have been treated during their “growth” phase. During this growth phase, the laser treatment is more likely to permanently eliminate the hair. Since different hairs are at this growth stage at different times, you increase the likelihood of treating every hair during this phase by undergoing a series of four to six treatments. Upon completion of the series of treatments, most patients see a 50 to 90 percent reduction in the number of hairs permanently removed, with an average of 70 percent less hair. Additionally, the hairs that remain are typically lighter in color and less coarse -- because dark, thick hair responds better to the laser than does light, fine hair. At the present time, laser hair removal is not effective on white, gray, red, and blonde hair.
8. How are medical microdermabrasion treatments done in your office different than microdermabrasion treatments done at a spa?
   The equipment used at a dermatologist’s office is more powerful than the equipment used at a spa. While DiamondTome™ medical microdermabrasion requires no “downtime”, the treatments can be more aggressive. There is an actual biological effect on the skin that is treated with this type of equipment, rather than just a mild exfoliation. Medical grade microdermabrasion with the DiamondTome™ is a medical skin treatment, not just a spa experience that feels good.
9. Do laser treatments hurt?
   Most patients tolerate laser treatments without difficulty. The sensation of the laser is similar to the light snapping of a rubber band. For larger areas, or if you are sensitive to the laser treatment, we have a topical anesthetic cream that can be applied one hour before each treatment.
10. What are lasers, and how are they used to treat various skin disorders?
    Lasers are highly specialized medical equipment that generate light energy. This light energy is repeated, and magnified, in such a way that it creates a controlled burst of energy targeted at a specific element of the skin. Different skin problems are caused by different elements within the structure of your skin. As a result, there are a wide variety of different lasers available – each specialized to target different problems. Light coming from a regular light bulb contains all colors of the spectrum, and thus this light appears white. Each specific laser used by Dr. Duke contains just one color of the light spectrum, and each different color can be used to selectively treat different skin conditions without affecting the healthy surrounding skin. Yellow light can treat blood vessels. Green light can treat brown age spots. Other colors, or wavelengths, can treat unwanted hair, tattoos, port wine stains, wrinkles, and various components of the skin. Different lasers are needed to treat a specific target in the skin. There is no one laser that treats everything. Each of the lasers involves a slightly different type of procedure, healing period, and number of sessions. In recent years, there has been an explosion of new laser systems to treat different skin disorders. An in-depth knowledge of laser physics and systems is necessary not only to choose the most updated and appropriate laser system, but also to operate it correctly and oversee each patient’s healing period.

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Payment Options

1. Your office co-pay, as well as any fees for non-covered procedures or cosmetic procedures, is due upon completion of your visit.
2. We accept cash, personal checks, Visa and MasterCard.

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Notice of Privacy Policies

Click here for our Privacy Policies.

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Insurance Plans Accepted

The following are some of the health insurers that we participate with. However, within each insurer, there may be a few plans that we do NOT participate with.

To learn if you’re specific health insurance plan is accepted by our office, please call our office and speak with one of our receptionists. You should have your insurance card available when you call.

• Anthem
• Blue Cross/Blue Shield (most plans)
• Cigna
• Connecticare
• HCVM
• Health Choice
• HealthNet
• HMC
• Mashantucket
• Medicare
• Medspan
• MultiPlan
• Oxford
• United Health Care

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Informative websites

Patient Information on Various Skin Disorders

http://www.skinsite.com/index_dermatology_diseases.htm

American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS)

http://www.asds.net/ - Home page of the organization

American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery (ASLMS)

http://www.aslms.org/public/bestpractices.shtml - Best Practices when using Lasers

New London County Medical Association (NLCMA)

http://www.nlcma.org/nlcma/Main.htm

American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)

http://www.aad.org

Restylane®, USA

http://www.restylaneusa.com

Restylane® Rewards mail-in rebate form

http://www.restylaneusa.com/rewards_form.asp

BOTOX® Cosmetic information

http://www.botoxcosmetic.com/ - General information on Botox®
http://www.botoxcosmeticcard.com/ - Register your Benefits Card

“If you are having trouble loading any of the above links, then you may want to consider using a different web browser than your current one (most people use Internet Explorer). You can download another good web browser by going to: http://www.firefox.com/ “.

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Directions & Map

Directions from Google Local

DIRECTIONS TO DR. DUKE'S NEW OFFICE
55 Willow Street
Mystic, CT 06355

Our office is located on a quiet side-street, near downtown Mystic, and close to the children's playground. Willow Street is the cross street at Tim Horton's donut shop and the post office.

Heading North on Interstate 95 (from the Groton/New London area toward Mystic):

• Take Exit 90 off I-95. (This is the Mystic Seaport/Mystic Aquarium exit.)
• At the bottom of the exit ramp, turn RIGHT onto Route 27 south.

Heading South on Interstate 95 (from Rhode Island toward Mystic):

• Take Exit 90 off I-95. (This is the Mystic Seaport/Mystic Aquarium exit.)
• At the bottom of the exit ramp, turn LEFT onto Route 27 south.

• Follow Route 27 for 1.7 miles until it ends at Route 1. (You should note that after you have traveled 1.2 miles on Route 27, you should bear left at the fork where Shalett's Cleaners is located, continuing on Route 27. You will see the sign for Route 27 up ahead.)
• When Route 27 ends at Route 1 (at a traffic light), turn RIGHT on Route 1.
• Go ¼ mile on Route 1, and then take the 1st LEFT turn after the fire station onto Washington Street.
• At the second cross street on Washington Street, turn LEFT onto Willow Street at the SEAPORT MARINE sign.
• We are the first building on the left, at #55 Willow Street. Our sign is out front.

Note: During the summer, the Mystic drawbridge goes up once per hour at 20 minutes before the hour (7:40 AM - 7:40 PM). The above route should avoid any traffic that occurs at these times. However, an alternative route is to take the last RIGHT turn on Route 27 onto Washington Street (just before reaching Route 1), and then going straight until you reach the LEFT turn onto Willow Street. This avoids any traffic that occurs on Route 1 as a result of the bridge opening.

If you get lost, our phone number is (866) 895-2955.

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Information for Your Office Visit

In order to ensure that your first visit goes as smoothly as possible, you should remember to do the following:

1. Before your office visit, contact your health insurance company to find out if you need a referral from your primary care physician (your regular doctor). If you do need a referral, it is important that you get the referral before your office visit, in order to ensure that your insurance company will pay for your visit.
2. Bring your insurance card(s).
3. Please arrive 15 minutes early, so that you can complete the necessary paperwork.

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55 Willow Street
Mystic, Connecticut 06355

To learn what will work for your unique skin conditions, we invite you to contact us at our new skin care center to schedule a private consultation with Dr. Duke

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