Patient Education

Insurance Information

 

North Georgia Dermatology is committed to providing you with quality care. As a patient, you are financially responsible for all medical services.  It is your responsibility to provide us with accurate and complete insurance information. If we are providers with your insurance carrier, as a courtesy to you, we will file a claim for your visit. This is not a guarantee of payment. Each insurance plan has a unique set of policies regarding covered and non-covered services, deductibles, coordination of benefits, pre-existing conditions, co-pays and co-insurance.  It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the rules of your policy. You are responsible for timely payment of your account.

Below is a list of plans with which North Georgia Dermatology participates. This list is updated as needed; however, it may not be complete. It is always wise to check with your insurance carrier prior to your appointment to confirm that North Georgia Dermatology is an authorized provider.


Insurance Plans:

  • Aetna HMO
  • Aetna Non HMO
  • Beechstreet PPO
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • Board of Regents (BCBS)
  • CCN
  • Cigna
  • Coventry HMO & POS
  • First Medical Network
  • Evolutions Healthcare PPO
  • Galaxy Health Network
  • Great West HMO, PPO, POS
  • Humana PPO, HMO/ POS
  • Medicare
  • Medicaid which is secondary to Medicare
  • Multiplan PPO
  • PHCS PPO/POS
  • Principal
  • Railroad Medicare
  • Southcare PPO
  • State Teachers
  • Tricare for Life (secondary to Medicare)
  • UnitedHealthcare
  • USA Managed Care
  • Unicare

 

Payment Options

We accept checks, cash or Visa, Master Card and Discover. Please see our Financial Coordinator for details.



Acne is the most frequent skin condition in the United States. It is characterized by pimples that appear on the face, back and chest. Every year, about 80% of adolescents have some form of acne and about 5% of adults experience acne.

Acne is made up of two types of blemishes:

  • Whiteheads/Blackheads, also known as comedones, are non-inflammatory and appear more on the face and shoulders. As long as they remain uninfected, they are unlikely to lead to scarring.
  • Red Pustules or Papules are inflamed pores that fill with pus. These can lead to scarring.

Causes

In normal skin, oil glands under the skin, known as sebaceous glands, produce an oily substance called sebum. The sebum moves from the bottom to the top of each hair follicle and then spills out onto the surface of the skin, taking with it sloughed-off skin cells. With acne, the structure through which the sebum flows gets plugged up. This blockage traps sebum and sloughed-off cells below the skin, preventing them from being released onto the skin’s surface. If the pore’s opening is fully blocked, this produces a whitehead. If the pore’s opening is open, this produces blackheads. When either a whitehead or blackhead becomes inflammed, they can become red pustules or papules.

It is important for patients not to pick or scratch at individual lesions because it can make them inflamed and can lead to long-term scarring.

Treatment

Treating acne is a relatively slow process; there is no overnight remedy. Some treatments include:

  • Benzoyl Peroxide — Used in mild cases of acne, benzoyl peroxide reduces the blockages in the hair follicles.
  • Oral and Topical Antibiotics — Used to treat any infection in the pores.
  • Hormonal Treatments — Can be used for adult women with hormonally induced acne.
  • Tretinoin — A derivative of Vitamin A, tretinoin helps unplug the blocked-up material in whiteheads/blackheads. It has become a mainstay in the treatment of acne.
  • Extraction — Removal of whiteheads and blackheads using a small metal instrument that is centered on the comedone and pushed down, extruding the blocked pore.

North Georgia Dermatology - 771 Old Norcross Road, Suite 260, Lawrenceville, GA, 30046 - (770) 962-5040