Has your skin ever surprised you?
During our growing years, our moms and grandmas do their best to take care of our skin and hair needs. Growing up, for reasons beyond the obvious, our skin begins to surprise us. Pimples before your impending date, pigmentation on the face noticed weeks before your best friend’s wedding, fine wrinkles near your eyes by the time your second baby arrives, hair fall or dry skin when moving to a new city, can send you fretting for the quickest solution possible.
Why a Dermatologist for skin issues?
Your skin tells you what sort of environment you are in, how much stress you are going through and what products you have been using. A dry skinned Miss Jill gets acne on moving to a hot humid place, and a Mr. Jack gets tanned even on going to a vacation to a snow bound place. A suspicious looking mole on the skin can be perfectly benign whereas a linear band on the nail may turn out to be malignant!
The subject of skin is so vast and nuanced that a doctor needs to specialize in Dermatology, just as one needs to do to become a Cardiologist.
Who is a Dermatologist?
In India, an MBBS doctor who has the post-graduation degree of MD-DVL/DNB-Dermatology, DDVL/ DVL /DVD qualifies to be a Dermatologist and should ideally be the one approached for any issues related to skin and venereal (sexually transmitted) diseases.
Beware of Quacks
Unfortunately, there are many quacks practicing in the name of dermatologists in various parts of our country causing more harm than good to patients. Quacks are those who do not have the above qualification and yet call themselves as Dermatologists (partly so because it’s very difficult to get qualified). A dermatologist has well trained eyes to be an investigator of the skin, a skill earned through years of study and practice.
Is a Cosmetologist a Dermatologist?
Cosmetology is a term that is loosely used, causing lot of confusion and quackery.
In principle, we can differentiate between Medical Cosmetology and Non-Medical Cosmetology.
A Non-Medical Cosmetologist is a beautician who would work in a salon, spa etc..
A Medical Cosmetologist is ideally a Dermatologist or a Plastic Surgeon, as they are trained for it in their recognized PG degree. MBBS doctors and Dentists also practice medical cosmetology after taking certificate courses, and some of them are indeed famous. However, there are controversies around non-dermatologists/non-Plastic Surgeons practicing certain medical cosmetology procedures like hair transplantation etc..
A Dermatologist has the advantage of having a holistic picture of the underlying condition. For example, while an acne condition could be superficially mellowed down using facial peels, it’s root cause could be due to a physiological condition like PCOS.
So, when you want to consult a cosmetologist, try to understand their educational background and if they are qualified to solve the condition you have.
Can General Practitioners treat skin disorders?
Many people approach General Practitioners as they are used to meeting them often. While some of them are capable of curing some of the skin issues, the subject of skin is so vast and nuanced for them to know it all. So, a lot of time and money can be saved when consulting a dermatologist on time.
Experience
As with any profession, experience matters. A Doctor’s skill enhances with every patient they see.
If you want to consult a dermatologist with very less experience, you might want to look at the reputation of the medical college they studied, as experience starts right from there. For instance, Govt. colleges attract huge number of patients, giving the doctors the necessary proficiency in treatment.
Interaction
Many patients, prefer to go to dermatologists who take time to listen and explain the issue. For some patients, it is much more important than the doctor’s experience! Some patients need this time to gain the doctor’s trust. This is a matter of preference of the patient, but it does not mean that a less interacting doctor will not diagnose well.
So, when you read a review of a doctor spending less time, choose according to your preference.
I hope this blog was insightful to help you decide who you want to trust your skin with.
If you have any suggestion for my next blog topic, please mention it in the comments section below.
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