Privacy Policy

Own Skin Dermatology & Advanced Aesthetics (“Own Skin”, “we”, “us”) is a dermatology clinic at Red Cross House, 1st Floor, Above Canara Bank, 11 MG Road, Camp, Pune 411001. This policy explains what personal information we collect through this website and in the course of your care, why we collect it, who we share it with and the choices you have. It is written to comply with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made under it, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Health information is sensitive. We treat everything you tell us about your skin, hair, medical history and medication as confidential, whether you share it through this website, on the phone, on WhatsApp or in the clinic.

1. Information we collect

Information you give us

• Appointment and enquiry forms: your name, phone number, email address, preferred contact method, the concern you describe and any message you add.
• Calls and WhatsApp: your number, the content of the conversation and any photographs you choose to send us.
• At the clinic: your registration details, medical and medication history, examination findings, treatment records, consent forms, clinical photographs taken with your consent, and payment records. These form your patient record and are held under medical record-keeping obligations.

Information collected automatically

• Server logs: our hosting provider records the IP address, browser type, pages requested and time of each request for security and to keep the site running. These logs are not used to identify you.
• Analytics: if we use website analytics, it is to understand which pages are read and how the site performs. We do not use analytics data to identify individual visitors and we do not sell it.
• Embedded services: the map on our contact page is provided by Google. When it loads, Google may set its own cookies and collect data under Google’s privacy policy.

2. Why we use your information

• To respond to your enquiry and arrange, confirm, reschedule or cancel appointments.
• To assess, treat and follow up your skin, hair or nail concern safely.
• To keep accurate medical records as required by law and professional regulation.
• To send you appointment reminders, aftercare instructions and results of any tests.
• To process payments and issue receipts.
• To keep the website secure and improve it.
• To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from authorities.

We do not send marketing messages unless you have agreed to receive them, and you can opt out at any time by replying to the message or writing to care@ownskin.co.in.

3. Who we share it with

We never sell your personal information. We share it only with:

• The clinical team involved in your care, all of whom are bound by professional confidentiality.
• Service providers who help us run the clinic and website, such as our web hosting provider, WhatsApp (Meta) when you message us on WhatsApp, and any practice-management or appointment software we use. They may process your data only on our instructions.
• Laboratories or referring doctors when a test or referral is part of your care, with your knowledge.
• Authorities where the law requires it, for example a court order or a public-health reporting duty.

Clinical photographs are never published, shared with third parties or used in marketing without a separate, specific written consent from you. See our consent page.

4. How long we keep it

Website enquiries that do not lead to an appointment are deleted within a reasonable period after we have responded. Patient records are retained for as long as required by applicable medical record-keeping rules and professional guidance, after which they are securely destroyed. Server logs are retained by our hosting provider for a limited period for security purposes.

5. How we protect it

This website is served over HTTPS. Access to patient records is limited to staff who need it for your care. Paper records are kept in secure storage at the clinic. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we ask that you avoid sharing more sensitive detail through the website form than is needed for us to contact you; the consultation is the right place for your full history.

6. Your rights

Subject to applicable law, you may:

• ask what personal information we hold about you and receive a copy;
• ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
• ask us to erase information we no longer need to keep, where the law allows;
• withdraw consent you have given, for example for marketing messages or the use of photographs;
• nominate another person to exercise these rights on your behalf if you are unable to;
• raise a grievance about how your information has been handled.

To exercise any of these rights, write to care@ownskin.co.in or to the clinic address above. We will respond within the time required by law. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India or other authority provided under applicable law.

7. Children

We treat patients under 18 only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian, who provides the child’s information on their behalf. We do not knowingly collect information from children through this website.

8. Cookies

This website uses only the cookies and local storage needed for it to function and, where enabled, for analytics. Embedded third-party services such as Google Maps may set their own cookies. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; the site will continue to work.

9. Links to other sites

Our website links to Instagram, Google and other external services. Their privacy practices are their own, and we encourage you to read their policies.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The effective date at the top of the page shows when it was last changed. Significant changes will be noted on this page.

11. Contact and grievances

Privacy questions and grievances should be addressed to the clinic’s designated grievance contact at care@ownskin.co.in, or by post to Own Skin Dermatology & Advanced Aesthetics, Red Cross House, 1st Floor, Above Canara Bank, 11 MG Road, Camp, Pune 411001. You can also call +91 86000 04399 during clinic hours.