Dermatologists
One night in 2005, 63-year-old American Donald Hammon was playing with his nine-year-old grandson when the boy suddenly told him there was a small spot behind his ear. Donald asked his wife to take a look, and she noticed it was just a tiny extra flap of skin behind his right ear. Donald didn't think much of it at the time, but that little spot began to grow bigger over time. Still, Donald waited almost a year before he went to see a dermatologist. Donald's visit to the dermatologist turned out to be something of a shock — after a few tests, it turned out that the patch of skin behind his ear was cancerous, and he had a type of skin cancer that required urgent surgery before it spread to other parts of his body. Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers to affect humans. According to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), around 1.5 million people worldwide were diagnosed with skin cancer in 2020, and it caused 120,000 deaths that same year. Skin cancer is one of the most common skin conditions, among roughly 3,000 different conditions that can affect human skin — after all, skin is the largest and heaviest organ in the body, and includes hair and nails too, so it's no surprise it's the organ most exposed to injury and disease of every kind. The World Health Organization estimates that about 900 million people around the world suffer from skin conditions, and with that in mind, it's easy to see why there's always growing demand for dermatologists in countries all over the world — they're the ones responsible for diagnosing and treating the thousands of skin conditions that affect millions of people every day. Who among us hasn't noticed a spot on their arm or foot at some point? Or felt an itch somewhere on their body? Or woken up one day to find their face covered in pimples?
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Refer patients to other specialists, as needed.
- Record patients' health histories.
- Provide dermatologic consultation to other health professionals.
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in dermatology.
- Instruct interns or residents in diagnosis and treatment of dermatological diseases.
- Conduct or order diagnostic tests such as chest radiographs (x-rays), microbiologic tests, or endocrinologic tests.
- Recommend diagnostic tests based on patients' histories and physical examination findings.
- Provide therapies such as intralesional steroids, chemical peels, or comodo removal to treat age spots, sun damage, rough skin, discolored skin, or oily skin.
- Provide dermabrasion or laser abrasion to treat atrophic scars, elevated scars, or other skin conditions.
- Prescribe hormonal agents or topical treatments such as contraceptives, spironolactone, antiandrogens, oral corticosteroids, retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, or antibiotics.
- Perform skin surgery to improve appearance, make early diagnoses, or control diseases such as skin cancer.
- Perform incisional biopsies to diagnose melanoma.
- Diagnose and treat pigmented lesions such as common acquired nevi, congenital nevi, dysplastic nevi, Spitz nevi, blue nevi, or melanoma.
- Counsel patients on topics such as the need for annual dermatologic screenings, sun protection, skin cancer awareness, or skin and lymph node self-examinations.
- Conduct complete skin examinations.
- Diagnose and treat skin conditions such as acne, dandruff, athlete's foot, moles, psoriasis, or skin cancer.