Dermatology is a medical specialty that treats skin, hair, and nail diseases. It is a rapidly growing healthcare industry in the United States. Although this specialty typically blends disease-based and aesthetic dermatology, this course will focus on dermatology or dermatopathology.
Dermatologists treat and/or prevent a wide variety of skin conditions such as:
- Acne
- Hair loss
- Skin cancers (including melanoma)
- Psoriasis
- Skin infections
- Warts and cysts
The majority of specimens that are submitted to the dermatopathology laboratory are biopsies of suspicious lesions and cutaneous tumors, as well as excisions of skin cancer.
