Privacy Policy for Skinthesis (New Zealand).

Introduction

At Skinthesis, we are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal and health information with the utmost care. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and store personal and health information when you use our personalised skincare telehealth services. We comply with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 and the Health Information Privacy Code 2020.

By using our services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

When you use Skinthesis, we may collect the following types of personal and health information:

Personal Information: Name, contact details (email, phone number), address, and billing information.
Health Information: Details about your skin condition, medical history, skincare concerns, any images of your skin that you provide, and results from online questionnaires.
Usage Data: Information about how you interact with our website, including IP addresses, browser types, and device information.

2. How We Collect Information

We collect information from you directly in the following ways:

When you register for our services or schedule a consultation.
When you provide details during your consultation with a Skinthesis clinician (e.g., medical history, skin images).
When you complete an online questionnaire about your skin condition or medical history, we collect this information to help our clinicians assess your needs and create a personalised treatment plan.
When you interact with our website we may use cookies and tracking technologies to enhance your user experience.

3. How We Use Your Information

We will use your personal and health information for the following purposes:

To provide personalised skincare consultations and facilitate communication between you and our clinical team.
To develop customised skincare treatment plans based on the information you provide, including answers to online questionnaires.
To maintain and update your medical records for future consultations.
To provide you with prescribed treatments or products as part of your skincare plan.
To process payments.
To communicate with you regarding your treatment plan, follow up care, and updates about our services.
To improve the quality and functionality of our website and services.

4. Disclosure of Your Information

By accepting health care services from us, you agree we can collect information about you from other agencies for the purpose of maintaining an up-to-date health record and providing safe and quality health care. This may include:

From other health providers and shared health records:
Receipt of laboratory, radiology or other results
Accessing authorised national or regional health information systems [Could include region specific ESCR] to support your care by checking your medical history, laboratory or radiology results and current prescribing
Receipt of correspondence from hospitals, emergency departments, after-hours providers, specialist services, allied health providers or other secondary and community care providers – including discharge summaries, outpatient or specialist letters
Proactively contacting a hospital or specialist service to follow up on a referral or seek advice or an update on your care, where that contact results in information about you being shared with us
Receipt of letters from screening programmes (such as bowel, breast or cervical screening), including results, or notifications regarding attendance or non-attendance
From non-health agencies and organisations
Contact from or correspondence with Police, legal representatives, Oranga Tamariki, insurance companies, Ministry of Social Development (Work and Income New Zealand) and the Accident Compensation Corporation
Receipt of correspondence from employers, regarding, for example, fitness to work
Information from the New Zealand Police regarding firearms licences
Complaints:
If concerns are raised about the care or services we provide, we may disclose relevant health information to our regulators, insurers, indemnity providers, or legal advisers for the purpose of managing and responding to the concerns.

5. Health Information Privacy Code Compliance

We handle your health information in accordance with the Health Information Privacy Code 2020, which means:

We collect health information only when necessary for providing your skincare services.
We use your health information only for the purposes for which it was collected, unless otherwise permitted by law.
We take reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of your health information.
You have the right to access your health information and request corrections if necessary.

6. Your Rights

Under the Privacy Act 2020 and the Health Information Privacy Code 2020, you have the following rights:

Access: You can request access to your personal and health information at any time.
Correction: If you believe that any of the information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you can request that it be corrected.
Deletion: You may request the deletion of your personal information if it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@skinthesis.co.nz. We will respond to your request within 20 working days.

7. Retention and Security of Information

We will retain your personal and health information for as long as necessary to provide our services or as required by law. After this period, your information will be securely deleted or anonymised.

We take reasonable steps to protect your information from unauthorised access, loss, or misuse, using secure servers, encryption, and access controls. However, no method of electronic transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to gather information about your use of our website and improve your user experience. You can control the use of cookies through your browser settings.

9. Complaints

If you have any concerns about our handling of your personal or health information, please contact us at contact@skinthesis.co.nz.

If you make a complaint about the care or services we provide, we may disclose relevant health information to our insurers, indemnity providers, or legal advisers for the purpose of managing and responding to the complaint.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, New Zealand at www.privacy.org.nz.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services or legal obligations. Any changes will be posted on our website, and we encourage you to review this page periodically.

11. Contact Us

For any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
Email: contact@skinthesis.co.nz

expert care for your unique skin concerns.