What is a dermatologist?
A dermatologist is a physician who specializes in skin care. This doctor receives extensive training in treating skin problems and helping keep skin healthy. With this extensive training, experience, and passion, a dermatologist helps keep skin, hair, and nails healthy, and healthy looking, throughout your lifetime.

Your Dermatologist's Training
After earning a medical degree and completing an internship, a dermatologist receives three more years of specialty training, becoming an expert dedicated to skin, hair and nails. Many dermatologists have general practices and see patients with all types of skin concerns. Some dermatologists gain additional training and expertise in specific areas of dermatology, such as pediatrics, surgery, or cosmetics, and may go on to have practices specializing in these areas.
Whether you need medical, surgical, or cosmetic treatment for your skin, you can find a dermatologist who meets your needs.

Who needs a dermatologist?
Dermatologists' eyes are uniquely trained to analyze the skin, hair, and nails. They can spot potential problems and diagnose a multitude of conditions ranging from minor to life-threatening.

These skills and knowledge can improve the lives of patients of all ages — the infant with a red birthmark, the child with eczema, the baby boomer with sun-damaged skin, the senior citizen with shingles — effectively treating their skin conditions and making them look and feel their best.

Dermatologists also are a great resource for learning how to prevent skin, hair and nail concerns. They can teach you how to protect yourself from the sun to avoid skin cancer, caution you about hairstyles that can contribute to hair loss, and advise you on how to care for your nails to prevent common conditions such as nail fungus.

Whether a dermatologist provides general medical care for the skin or focuses on a specialized area of medical, surgical or cosmetic dermatology, he or she can be your trusted partner in maintaining the health of your skin, hair and nails.

From the American Academy of Dermatology.