The United Kingdom, along with the rest of the western world, is experiencing the phenomenon of increasing life span as standards of living and health care continue to improve (Department of Health 1999). The result is a dramatic increase in our ageing population, which necessitates change within society to successfully accommodate this. This is also true for nursing. Within the specialty of dermatology there is an increased need to examine the needs of the elderly population. This includes not only the diagnosis and treatment of dermatological diseases in elderly people, but also the provision of skin care education and practices alongside an increasing awareness of dermatological diseases that can occur in this age group.