Dermatalogy Doctor

Nature of the work

A dermatologist is trained to diagnose and treat pediatric and adult patients with disorders of the skin, mouth, external genitalia, hair, and nails as well as a number of sexually transmitted diseases. The dermatologist has earned additional training and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers, melanomas, moles, and other tumors of the skin; management of contact dermatitis and other allergic and non-allergic skin disorders; and recognition of the skin manifestations of systemic (e.g., internal malignancy) and infectious diseases. Dermatologists earn special training in dermatopathology and in the surgical techniques used in dermatology. They also have expertise in the management of cosmetic disorders of the skin such as hair loss, scars, and the skin changes associated with aging.¹

Dermatologists can receive training in the following subspecialties:

dermatopathology, which involves diagnosing and monitoring diseases of the skin including infectious, immunologic, degenerative, and neoplastic diseases.

pediatric dermatology, which involves treating specific skin disease categories with emphasis on those diseases which predominate in infants, children, and adolescents.

procedural dermatology, which involves studying, diagnosing, and surgical treating of diseases of the skin and adjacent mucous membranes, cutaneous appendages, hair, nails, and subcutaneous tissue.

Training/residency information

The residency training for dermatologists is three to four years. The three-year program must be preceded by a year of broad-based clinical training (PGY-1). Practice in a dermatology subspecialty requires one additional year of training.

References
1 The American Board of Medical Specialties. Guide to Physician Specialties. Evanston, IL: American Board of Medical Specialties; February 2008.
2 2010 Physician Compensation Survey [special feature]. Modern Healthcare . July 19, 2010: 20–26.