dermatologist
Meaning of dermatologist: One of the few specialties where the same doctor examines the lesion, takes the biopsy and removes the cancer, often in one visit.
Definition of dermatologist
A dermatologist is a doctor who specializes in the skin, hair and nails, the largest and most visible organ system. The work runs from common complaints such as acne, eczema and psoriasis to autoimmune skin disease, severe drug reactions and skin cancer, and it combines examination, biopsy, drug treatment and surgery within one specialty.
How dermatologist is built
- derm/o, dermat/o Combining form · Greek skin
- -logist Suffix · Greek specialist in a field of study
A medical term is read from its ending backwards: the suffix first, then the prefix, then the root. See all 223 word parts.
What does a dermatologist actually do?
Most of the diagnosis is visual, which is unusual in medicine, and it is done with the whole skin surface, the scalp, the nails and often the mouth in view rather than only the area a person points at. A hand-held magnifier with polarized light, used in dermoscopy, reveals pigment and vessel patterns invisible to the naked eye and substantially improves the recognition of skin cancer. When appearance is not enough, a small sample is taken: a shave for a raised lesion, a punch for a rash, or an excision that removes the whole thing. Patch testing identifies contact allergies over several days. Treatment ranges from creams and tablets through to injected biologic drugs, light therapy, freezing, lasers and surgery.
What are the subspecialties?
| Subspecialty | Focus |
|---|---|
| Dermatopathology | Reading skin biopsies under the microscope |
| Mohs micrographic surgery | Removing skin cancer in stages, checking the margins during the operation |
| Pediatric dermatology | Birthmarks, genetic skin disease and childhood rashes |
| Cosmetic and laser dermatology | Appearance-directed procedures |
Training length and structure differ by country. In the United States dermatology follows medical school, a preliminary year and a residency; elsewhere it is entered through a different sequence of general and specialty posts, so the route is not universal even where the resulting scope is similar.
Why does the skin reflect the rest of the body?
Skin is visible, so internal disease often declares itself there first. Yellowing points to the liver, unusual bruising to blood or vessel disease, and a rash across the cheeks and nose to lupus. Diabetes produces recognizable changes in skin and nails, thyroid disease alters hair and texture, and a few rashes are the first sign of an internal cancer. Drug reactions are a large part of the work, from mild rashes to severe conditions in which the skin detaches. Common problems such as acne and eczema make up most of the caseload, but the specialty exists partly because the rare and serious conditions look, at first glance, much like the ordinary ones.
Used in a sentence
The dermatologist performed a biopsy of the irregular mole noted during the skin examination.
Good to know
A skin examination by a dermatologist can identify changes in a mole or other growth that warrant biopsy, since visual appearance alone does not reliably distinguish every benign lesion from a cancerous one.
Word origin
Where “dermatologist” comes from
From Greek derma, dermatos, meaning skin, combined with -logist, one who studies a particular field.