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Who is a Dermatologist?

A dermatologist is a medical doctor who is trained in diagnosing and treating disorders affecting nails, skin, and hair. They also treat conditions that affect mucous membranes and delicate tissues lining the eyelids, nose, and mouth. Apart from medical and cosmetic conditions, a dermatologist may help observe the symptoms and signs of severe underlying health issues. For instance, a disorder like diabetes may cause symptoms that change your skin’s appearance. Dermatologists are the first healthcare professionals to detect such signs.

What is Meant by Dermatology?

Dermatology is a specific area of medicine that majorly focuses on disorders affecting the skin, hair, and nails. 

Skin is the largest part of your body as it contains hair follicles, nerve endings, pores, sweat glands, blood vessels, and several other structures. So in order to take care of your overall health, it becomes essential to include skincare measures in your routine. While internal medicine doctors or general healthcare professionals can detect and treat various conditions, a dermatologist has a deeper understanding and more experience dealing specifically with skin concerns.

When Should You Consult a Dermatologist?

If you are facing any skin or hair problems and you want an expert’s advice, get in touch with a dermatologist.

A dermatologist or a skin specialist will check your skin carefully for warning signs of any skin disorders or concerns, including skin cancer. 

If you are concerned about your skin and want to get reliable advice from trusted experts, Apollo 24|7’s website or app is the perfect place for you to find the best dermatologist online. 

Signs or symptoms for which dermatologists can offer help are listed below. 

• Acne
• Skin rashes
• Moles and warts
• Skin irritation
• Signs of ageing like sagging skin, wrinkles, or sun damage
• Dandruff
• Varicose veins
• Hair fall or hair damage
• Itchy skin 
• Scaly and flaky skin
• Skin discolouration or blemishes
• Fingernail issues

Roles and Responsibilities of a Dermatologist

The roles and responsibilities of a dermatologist include:

1. Cosmetic Conditions: a dermatologist may treat skin conditions that affect your appearance. It involves dark spots, hair loss, and wrinkles. Many dermatologists are experts in conducting cosmetic treatments as well, this includes laser hair removal, fillers, and chemical peels.
2. A dermatologist diagnoses and treats various conditions like acne, plaque psoriasis, and rosacea. A dermatologist may check for symptoms of other health issues from the condition of your skin. For instance, dry and itchy skin may specify some medical conditions related to the kidneys.
3. Surgery: many dermatologists conduct minor surgeries like removing warts or moles and performing skin biopsies. Other dermatologists are trained in extensive surgeries. This process may involve the removal of skin tissue that shows signs of skin cancer and/or benign cysts.

What Medical Conditions do Dermatologists Treat?

Dermatologists treat several medical conditions that affect your skin, hair, and nails. Some of the known health conditions include:

1. Skin Cancer: cancerous lesions can arise anywhere in the body. A dermatologist may eradicate cancer cells and observe further to ensure that they don't reoccur.
2. Skin Infections: infections caused by fungi, viruses, parasites, and bacteria may find their way into skin tissue and cause numerous skin infections. A dermatologist can help to detect the primary causes of diseases and specify a course of treatment.
3. Acne: based on the seriousness of your acne, a dermatologist may treat the condition with modern treatments; from lasers, medications, and other light therapies, to eradicating large cysts and chemical peels.

Types of Processes Followed by a Dermatologist

Dermatologists perform numerous processes and procedures, from minor ones like skin-tag removals to major ones like skin cancer treatment.   

Some processes that dermatologists follow include :

1. Cryotherapy: a specific treatment method that involves controlled exposure to cold temperature. It treats skin conditions such as warts, tumours, and skin tags.
2. Biopsy: a dermatologist may perform various biopsies to detect skin cancer and other related conditions. 
3. Sclerotherapy: a specific procedure that is used for treating and eliminating the after-effects of varicose and spider veins. Chemicals are injected into the injured veins, which may help remove the appearance of these veins.
4. Laser Therapy: This therapy eradicates sun spots, moles, tattoos, unwanted hair, blemishes, acne scars, and warts.
5. Chemical Peels: this process removes blemished skin spots. Peels may also help to rejuvenate skin and reduce symptoms of ageing. 
6. Tumescent Liposuction: a therapy that helps in eradicating all the unessential fat from the targeted areas of the body.
7. Mohs Surgery: This is a type of skin cancer surgery that removes thin layers of tissue around a tumour. The skin specialist checks the skin for symptoms of other cancer cells in between each removal. When there are no cancer cells found, the skin specialist stops extracting the tissues.
8. Dermabrasion: This is an exfoliating approach that curtails the presence of fine lines, acne scars, age spots, and precancerous skin patches. 
9. Surgical Excision: This surgery eliminates the unwanted growth of moles, skin tags, and lesions.
10. Cosmetic Injections: a skin specialist may help eliminate the presence of sagging skin and wrinkles by injecting fillers and botox.