dermatology

the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases

Dermatology (from Greek ''derma,'' "skin") is a branch of medicine dealing with the skin, its structure, functions, and diseases, as well as its appendages (nails, hair, sweat glands). A doctor who practices dermatology is a dermatologist.

Scope of the field - The skin is the largest organ (anatomy)organ of the body and certainly the most visible. Although many skin diseases are isolated, a significant portion of skin symptoms reflects a more generalised disease that affects other organs. Hence, a dermatologist is required to have a working knowledge of basic surgery, rheumatology (many rheumatic diseases can feature skin symptoms), neurology (the "neurocuteaneous syndromes", such as neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis) and endocrinology.Dermatology is often practiced in tandem with venereology, the specialism that diagnoses and treats sexually transmitted diseases, and phlebology, the specialism that deals with problems of the superficial veinvenous system.The recent trend is to club dermatology with cosmetology. This incorporates the use of LASERS and other light sources to enhance one's looks.

Diagnosis - The first step of any contact with a doctor is the medical history. In order to classify a cuteous eruption, a dermatologist will ask detailed questions on the duration and temporal pattern of skin problems, itching or pain, relations to food intake, sunlight, over-the-counter creams and clothing. When an underlying disease is suspected, a more detailed history of related symptoms might be elicited (such as arthritis in a suspected case of lupus erythematosus).Physical examination is generally under bright light and involves the whole body. At this stage, the doctor may apply Wood's light, which may aid in diagnosing types of mycosis, or a dermatoscope, which enlarges a suspected lesion and may help differentiating lesions, e.g., between a naevus from melanoma. A morphological classification of dermatological lesions is critical to being able to diagnosis dermatological disorders. Dermatology diagnosis is often dependant upon pattern recognition of lesions and sysmptoms.Dermatology has the benefit of having easy access to tissue for diagnosis. Microbiological cultureCulture or Gram staining of suspected infectious lesions may identify a pathogen and help direct therapy.If the diagnosis is uncertain, or cutaneous malignancy is suspected, a small punch-hole biopsy can be taken under local anesthetic, to be examined by a specialist of histopathology.

Therapy - Again, the skin is immediately accessible to local therapy, often in the form of creams. Antibiotic creams can help eliminate infections, while inflammationinflammatory skin diseases (such as eczema and psoriasis) often respond to steroid creams. Apart from pharmacological ingredients, the base of the cream itself can be often be of benefit, e.g., a fatty cream in diseases that causes dry skin.Whereas topical medications treat many dermatological diseases, dermatologists also use oral medications. Antibiotics and immune suppressants are most often prescribed for dermatological problems.Surgical intervention may be necessary, e.g., in varicose veins or skin cancer. Varicose veins can also be treated with sclerotherapy (injecting an agent that obliterates the vein), whereas skin cancers can be treated with excisions.

Research - Due to the disease burden of many skin diseases, there is a large amount of medical research taking place in the field of dermatology, ranging from skin biology and immune response in the skin to the optimal therapy for psoriasis.

Dermatological diseases -

List of dermatological diseases

External links -

aad.org - American Academy of Dermatology

DermReview.com - Dermatology Review - well organized list of dermatology resources and a dermatology forum

dmoz.org - DMOZ - Skin Conditions, Diseases, Disorders

swisdom.org - SWISDOM / DOIT-Dermatology Online with Interactive Technology

dermatology.jwatch.org - Journal Watch Dermatology

beauty-fitness-guide.com - A-Z Dermatology

dermatlas.med.jhmi.edu - Skin Diseases and disordersMedicine Category:Dermatology!*da:Dermatologide:Dermatologie es:Dermatologíafr:Dermatologi eko:피부과he:דרמטולו גיהnl:Dermatologieja:皮膚 科学no:Dermatologipl:Dermato logiapt:Dermatologiatr:Dermato loji

Hidradenitis Suppurativa - HS-USA
HS-USA is a public non-profit charity dedicated to educating the public and medical personnel about Hidradenitis Suppurativa; patient advocacy; and research into a cure for HS.
http://www.hs-usa.org/

Hospital for all Surgeries in Chennai.
Hospital for all common Surgeries in Genral Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Ob. & Gynaec Surgery,ENT, Urology, Orthopedics etc at our modern hi-tech Hospital in the heart of Chennai.
http://www.mohanraohospital.com/

RxPinoy
Online directory of doctors and dentists in the Philippines. This site also promotes medical tourism in the Philippines.
http://www.rxpinoy.com/

All about Dermatology
Iranderma is a non-profit site designed for both patients and physicians as a portal site. Also, visitors are able to find information about common skin diseases, interesting cases, selected papers and so on.
http://www.iranderma.com/

American Academy of Dermatology - AAD
Official site of the AAD. Features news, patient information and industry updates.
http://www.aad.org/

Ocular Rosacea.
Signs, Symptoms, and Tear Studies Before and After Treatment with Doxycycline [Abstract, Jan Arch Dermatol. 1997;133:49-54] (c) AMA 1997
http://archderm.ama-assn.org/

Dermatology Online Journal
Publication designed to meet reference and education needs of the international dermatologic community. Includes past issues.
http://dermatology.cdlib.org/