Dermatology
The basics of dermatology
If you’ve ever tried to get an appointment with a dermatologist, you might have found yourself on a waiting list. However, what exactly to dermatologists do that makes them so popular? While you might think their skills have trained them to handle issues of the face like acne, there’s a bit more to dermatology than that.
Yes, they can handle tough acne
Dermatology is the study of the pathology of the skin and what happens within that pathology. And because of that, acne and blemishes do fall into that category. When the skin becomes inflamed or is subjected to oil and dirt, patients can find themselves having troubles with acne breakouts. However, some patients have medical conditions that might be causing these breakouts as well – which is one of the things that a dermatologist will try to determine. Acne can also be caused by an overproduction of oil in the skin due to hormones, so a dermatologist may try to control the acne in that way as well. Severe acne that causes scarring is their main concern and they have tools that can minimize the after effects of this acne.
Sores, lesions and bumps, oh my!
When you consider that the skin is the biggest organ in the body, you will realize that there are a lot of things that can go wrong. If you’ve ever stopped to look at your skin, you will see many imperfections – most of them minor and unimportant, but there are others that might concern you. When you have a rash, you might head to a dermatologist when your primary care physician can’t figure out what to do or if self-treatment doesn’t seem to work. Others can have lesions and cysts on their skin that may need to be excised – which is something that a dermatologist can also handle.
Looking for serious problems
If you’re concerned about sun damage and your skin, you’ll want to consider what dermatology can do for you. This kind of doctor will examine your skin, plotting out any suspicious marks and checking them yearly to see if they have changed. They can also remove moles and other suspicious growths in order to see if they are something more serious than a cosmetic issue. But while they can diagnose cancers, they can not necessarily treat them. They will call in an oncologist to help them with the diagnosis and create a plan of attack.
Do you need a dermatologist?
If you have a skin condition or concern that you can’t seem to get addressed by your primary care doctor, you may want to look into seeing what a dermatologist can offer you. The main rule of thumb is that if the sore or spot has grown or changed in any way quickly and without any provocation, you may want to have it looked at. In most cases, it will be a minor nuisance to have it checked and given the all clear – but in those cases when it is more serious, early detection is the best medicine.
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