Board Certified Dermatologist

What training does a dermatologist have?

When it comes to diagnosing and treating conditions that affect the skin, hair, and nails, no one has completed more training than a board-certified dermatologist. Before they can begin practicing, dermatologists receive more than a decade of training, including:

  • Four years of college to earn a bachelor’s degree

  • Four years of medical school to become a medical doctor

  • A year-long internship in medicine

  • Three years of residency in dermatology, working alongside experienced doctors and completing 12,000 to 16,000 hours of treating patients.

What is a board-certified dermatologist?

To become board certified in dermatology requires:

  1. Going to medical school and becoming a doctor

  2. Successfully completing residency training in dermatology

  3. Passing the board exam, a challenging exam that tests the dermatologist on the knowledge and skills acquired during their years of training

Passing the board exam means the dermatologist is board certified. Board certification comes from the American Board of Dermatology. When you see that your dermatologist is board certified by the American Board of Dermatology, you know you are receiving care from someone who has received the most rigorous education in the field. There are many different kinds of boards, and other certifications do not reflect the same level of training and expertise.

  • When you see the letters FAAD after their name, you know a dermatologist is board certified. FAAD stands for Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.

  • Everyone’s skin is unique. No one understands your skin better than a board-certified dermatologist. When you partner with this expert, you get the best care.

    A board-certified dermatologist knows how to accurately diagnose and properly treat a wide variety of skin conditions from deadly skin cancers to warts.

    They have expertise in caring for conditions ranging from long-term diseases caused by problems with your immune system and allergic reactions to hair loss and infections caused by bacteria or viruses.

    Dermatologists understand the interaction between the skin and the rest of the body. What seems like a simple rash might be a sign of an underlying disease. For example, that itchy rash could be hives, scabies, or a skin reaction called contact dermatitis. Each of these diseases requires different treatment.

    When you’re under a dermatologist’s care for a skin condition, your dermatologist can monitor you for other medical conditions. For example, someone living with psoriasis has a greater risk of developing high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and diabetes, so a dermatologist will watch for signs of these conditions.

    Dermatologists also help patients who want help with cosmetic concerns like:

    Wrinkles

    Sagging skin

    Scarring caused by acne or surgery to remove a skin cancer

    Giving the skin to a healthier appearance after someone develops AIDS

    People trust their cosmetic concerns to board-certified dermatologists because dermatologists know the skin as well as the anatomy of the nerves and muscles that lie beneath the skin. This expertise helps them choose the best cosmetic approach for each patient, avoid issues with cosmetic treatments, and correct an issue quickly if it happens.

    Another benefit of seeing a dermatologist for a cosmetic concern is to make sure you have a cosmetic concern. For example, what looks like an age spot could be a skin cancer. Removing a skin cancer like you would an age spot can allow the skin cancer to grow and possibly spread.

  • Yes. After becoming a board-certified dermatologist, some dermatologists continue their medical training. They may receive advanced training within dermatology and become one of the following specialists:

    Dermatopathologist

    Mohs surgeon

    Pediatric dermatologist

    The following explains what each of these specialists does and when you might need a dermatologist who specializes in one of these areas.

  • This surgeon specializes in Mohs (pronounced Moes) surgery, a specialized surgery used to treat skin cancer.

    What makes Mohs surgery unique is that the surgeon can see where the cancer stops. This isn’t possible with other treatments for skin cancer

  • While all dermatologists learn about Mohs surgery during their training, a Mohs surgeon receives the most training in this area. In fact, most Mohs surgeons are dermatologists who have completed additional training, often during a fellowship program. The additional training in Mohs surgery typically takes one year and focuses on Mohs surgery and surgical reconstruction.

  • The dermatopathologist examines tissue removed during a skin biopsy with a microscope and provides your dermatologist with a written report called a biopsy report or pathology report. This report will tell if you have a disease, and if so, what it is. If a disease is found, it will include other information that can help determine the best possible treatment.

    For some conditions, like skin cancer, a skin biopsy is the only way to get an accurate diagnosis and know how deep the cancer lies within the skin.

  • To become a board-certified dermatopathologist, a doctor must first complete training in dermatology — or sometimes in pathology. Once this training is complete, the doctor spends one year developing advanced skills in diagnosing skin disease by examining skin samples under a microscope. This training is needed to pass the board exam in dermatopathology. Only doctors who pass this exam become a board-certified dermatopathologist.