Who is a dermatologist?
Dermatologists are medical professionals who detect, diagnose, and treat skin, hair, and nail diseases. They can help treat cosmetic concerns like scars and hair loss. Dermatologists near you can also address issues with the mucous membrane or the soft tissue that lines a person's mouth, nose, and eyelids.
Besides cosmetic problems, a dermatologist can identify the symptoms and early indications of severe underlying medical conditions. For instance, diabetes can result in symptoms that affect the appearance of one's skin, and a dermatologist may be the first medical professional to detect these symptoms. Also, dermatologists are the first medical professionals to discover any unusual skin growths, moles, or patches that may be signs of fatal skin cancer called melanoma.
What are a dermatologist's educational requirements?
Dermatologists are highly trained medical professionals with at least 12 years of education. They undergo rigorous training after completing a four-year bachelor's degree in a related field. Aspiring dermatologists must complete a year-long clinical internship after four years of medical school.
The next step in the dermatologist training process is a three-year residency at a dermatology clinic. Doctors who enroll in a dermatology residency program will undergo theoretical coursework and practical residency training. At this stage, a medical professional manages patient cases and makes choices about diagnosing and treating dermatological illnesses under the supervision of senior medical staff.
After finishing residency programs, aspirants must pass a board exam to become officially certified. In the U.S., organizations like the American Board of Dermatology (ABD) and the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology (AOBD) offer board certification for dermatologists.
The initials FAAD, which follow a dermatologist's name, show whether or not they hold board certification. FAAD, "Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology," is an abbreviation for the best dermatologists.
What are some specialties of dermatology?
Some dermatologists choose to further their education after becoming board-certified, pursuing advanced training in specific dermatology subspecialties, such as:
- Pediatric dermatology: Pediatric dermatologists focus on diagnosing and treating hair, skin, and nail conditions in children, from newborns to adolescents. While all dermatologists can treat children, certain conditions like birthmarks (e.g., port-wine stains, hemangiomas) and acne are more prevalent in this age group.
- Medical dermatology: Medical dermatologists specialize in diagnosing and treating serious skin conditions that may affect other body parts. These systemic effects mean the disease or its treatment may cause issues beyond the skin.
- Surgical dermatology: Dermatologic surgeons are experts in performing skin surgeries, typically in an office setting with local anesthesia. Their procedures range from cancerous tissue removal to hair restoration, scar removal, and laser treatments.
- Cosmetic dermatology: Cosmetic dermatologists can improve the look of the hair, skin, and nails through various treatments. These include removing age spots, wrinkles, unwanted hair, cellulite, scars, tattoos, and stretch marks.
- Dermatopathology: Dermatopathologists are medical doctors who specialize in dermatology and pathology. They focus on the microscopic examination of skin tissue and samples. They diagnose diseases like skin cancer and provide detailed biopsy or pathology reports that guide the dermatologist in selecting the best treatment.
What are some common conditions dermatologists treat?
Dermatologists diagnose and treat various concerns. Some of these are listed below:
- Acne: Acne is a common condition in which your skin pores clog, producing whiteheads, blackheads, and other pimples. There are several types of acne, including hormonal, cystic, nodular, and fungal. You will likely develop acne on your face, chest, shoulders, and upper back.
- Eczema: Eczema is a type of dermatitis that weakens the skin’s barrier function and causes it to become dry, bumpy, and itchy. While symptoms of eczema can develop anywhere on your body, they are most likely to form on your face (especially around your cheeks), lips, neck, elbows, hands, knees, ankles, and feet.
- Rosacea: Rosacea is an inflammatory illness that causes redness on your face and other body parts. There are four different types of rosacea: erythematotelangiectatic (symptoms come and go abruptly), papulopustular (causes pus-filled pimples on your skin), phymatous (results in thick, swollen skin), and ocular (affects your eyes).
- Psoriasis: Psoriasis, an autoimmune disease, causes skin inflammation. Its main symptoms are thick, scaly, and discolored areas of your skin called plaques. These plaques commonly develop on your face, elbows, knees, genitals, lower back, palms, and feet.
What types of procedures do dermatologists do?
Dermatologists may perform various procedures, including surgery for skin cancer and the excision of skin tags. You can see a dermatologist near you for procedures like:
- Biopsy procedures: This treatment diagnoses and treats problems like skin cancer.
- Chemical peels: This process exfoliates the skin, regenerates new skin, and lessens the signs of aging.
- Laser therapy helps eliminate wrinkles, warts, moles, freckles, tattoos, and unwanted hair.
- Mohs surgery: It is a surgical process that extracts tiny layers of tissue surrounding a tumor to treat skin cancer.
- Sclerotherapy: This treatment for spider and varicose veins includes injecting chemicals into damaged veins to reduce their appearance.
- Cosmetic injections: These injections, which can be either Botox or fillers, help preserve the contours of the face by minimizing the appearance of wrinkles and sagging skin.
- Cryotherapy: This therapy involves regulated exposure to freezing temperatures to alleviate skin disorders such as skin tags, warts, and tumors.
- Dermabrasion: It is an exfoliating method that lessens the visibility of scars, age spots, fine lines, precancerous skin areas, and acne.
- Tumescent liposuction: Dermatologists employ this standard treatment to remove excess fat from specific body parts. The stomach, hips, and thighs are the common regions.
What is melanoma?
Uncontrolled or abnormal cell division in a specific body part is the primary cause of cancer. Melanocytes create the pigment melanin, which gives the skin its color (tan, black, or brown). Skin neoplasia, known as melanoma, develops when melanocytes grow excessively or uncontrolled. It is the third most prevalent and deadly type of skin cancer because, if ignored or undiagnosed, it might spread to other body areas.
The risk of developing melanoma can rise with prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, lamps, and tanning beds. This cancer can manifest itself in any body area, including the skin. Yet, it often appears on body parts exposed to too much sunlight, including the face, arms, legs, or back.
Melanoma begins with skin outgrowths or moles that have just developed and started to expand rapidly. You must immediately consult a board-certified dermatologist for a complete diagnosis and treatment if you notice any growths or spots on your skin with abnormal growth or edges.
What are the stages of melanoma and their treatments?
Staging cancer involves determining the extent of its spread through tissue, lymph system, and bloodstream from its origin. The course of treatment that the doctor recommends for melanoma will depend on the stage of the disease.
The staging system for melanoma is as follows:
Stage 0: At stage 0, abnormal melanocytes are present only on the epidermis or the outermost layer of skin, commonly referred to as melanoma in situ. This type of melanoma affects only the top layer of skin, and the dermatologist can generally remove the layer during a biopsy. If the entire tissue cannot be removed, the surgeon may also remove a section of surrounding healthy skin to ensure all of the affected area is removed. Depending on the case, further treatment may not be necessary.
Stages 1 & 2:
- 1A: The dermatologist detects a tumor measuring less than 1 millimeter (mm) in thickness without evidence of ulceration.
- 1B: The dermatologist detects a tumor measuring less than 1 mm thick, with evidence of ulceration. Alternatively, the thickness of the tumor measures between 1-2 mm, but there is no evidence of ulceration.
- 2A: If the tumor is between 1-2 mm thick and ulcerated or 2-4 mm thick without ulceration, it falls under this sub-stage.
- 2B: If the tumor is between 2-4 mm thick and ulcerated or thicker than 4 mm without ulceration, it falls under this sub-stage.
- 2C: If the tumor is over 4 mm thick and ulcerated, it falls under this sub-stage.
Treatment for stage 1 and 2 melanoma typically involves removing the cancerous cells, a portion of healthy skin, and a layer of tissue beneath the skin. In the case of very thin melanomas, the dermatologist can often entirely remove the cancerous cells during a biopsy. If not, the doctor can surgically extract it later. In some cases, early-stage melanoma may not require any additional treatment.
Stages 3 & 4: The tumor, which may or may not be ulcerated, is of any size. Additionally, at least one of the following conditions is true:
- Cancer has been detected in at least one lymph node.
- Lymph nodes are connected.
- Cancer cells have been found in a lymphatic vessel between the tumor and the nearest lymph nodes.
- Cancer cells have been discovered more than 2 centimeters away from the primary tumor.
- Other tiny tumors have been detected on or underneath the skin within 2 cm of the primary tumor.
When cancer reaches stage 4, it has already spread to various parts of the body, such as soft tissues, bones, and other organs.
The extent of the cancer spread determines the severity of the melanoma. In stage 3 melanoma, cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or away from the primary tumor. Treatment usually involves wide-excision surgery based on number, size, and location.
Additional treatments include immunotherapy, targeted therapy, vaccines, radiation therapy, isolated limb perfusion, and chemotherapy. Although immunotherapy and targeted therapies have not so far cured melanoma, they can increase life expectancy. Each treatment option has side effects, so you should discuss them with the doctor. Clinical trials can help access innovative therapies that have not yet been approved for general use. If you are willing to explore, talk to a doctor.
How can you find the best dermatologist near you in Downers Grove, Illinois?
Our external appearance significantly impacts how we feel within. Scars or other skin issues that bring back harmful or painful memories may make us less confident. Therefore, choosing a skilled and friendly dermatologist is essential to healing.
Reputable dermatologists in Downers Grove, Illinois, are now simple to find, thanks to Zocdoc. We list the medical specialists or treatments that best match your preferences. You can select one based on its accessibility and location. Also, Zocdoc offers a unique feature that allows you to enter the name of your insurance company or plan and get the best dermatologists in your vicinity based on that information.
If you need assistance finding dermatologists who accept your insurance, Zocdoc's patient help center is here. You can connect your medical, dental, and vision insurance plans to your Zocdoc account, but remember, you can only use one per appointment.
For people with multiple insurance plans, you can include secondary insurance details in the appointment notes. If your provider utilizes Zocdoc's intake forms, you can enter your secondary insurance information.
At Zocdoc, we value the relationships between patients and doctors. Every doctor on Zocdoc has a thorough personal profile that includes information about their schooling, clinical experience, board certification, accolades, and other relevant information. You may also check the profiles to determine whether the dermatologist has any past expertise in handling a specific skin issue. Further, you can find out the dermatologist’s gender, the languages they speak, and whether they treat children.
The Zocdoc website's simplicity helps patients to explore fast and easily. The provider profiles on Zocdoc also feature verified reviews and user ratings from previous patients, providing fair reviews of the experts and their services. It will assist you in making better decisions for yourself. Also, you can search the FAQs for insightful answers if you have any inquiries.
After deciding on a dermatologist, arranging an online or in-person consultation is simple. If you have trouble making the call, text your problem to the chatbox. The customer service person will respond and resolve the issue. You can also look for a purple icon on doctors' profiles that allows such video consultations.
With Zocdoc, you can book appointments before, during, and after office hours, depending on the dermatologist’s availability. You can also book appointments on weekends and holidays if the doctor’s schedule permits.
What's best? With Zocdoc, scheduling an appointment with the best dermatologist near you becomes easy, safe, and 100% free.
Dermatology-related statistics for Illinois and the U.S.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2024, about 10,180 dermatologists worked in the United States. Approximately 8,770 dermatologists worked in physicians' offices and almost 210 in outpatient care centers.
Data from the American Academy of Dermatology Association about different dermatological problems shows that acne is the most common skin condition in the U.S. It affects about 50 million people annually. Atopic dermatitis impacts nearly 1 in 10 and 1 in 5 Americans of all ages and Americans under 18 years of age, respectively. Approximately 7.5 million people in the US have psoriasis, and around 80 million suffer from androgenetic alopecia.
According to statistics from the CDC, in 2022, there were nearly 97,059 new cases of melanoma in the U.S. This number was approximately 10.7% higher than the number of new cases over the last decade. In Illinois, about 3,821 cases were reported. Moreover, around 8,350 Americans died of melanoma in 2023, which was almost a 25.9% decrease from melanoma-related deaths since 2013.
As per the American Cancer Society estimates, in 2025, 4,220 people in Illinois will be diagnosed with melanoma, and 270 of them will lose their lives from this deadly neoplasm.
Sources
Mayo Clinic
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
OSF Healthcare System
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
American Cancer Society
Best Accredited Colleges
Healthline[1]
Healthline[2]
WebMD
Cleveland Clinic[1]
Cleveland Clinic[2]
Cleveland Clinic[3]
Cleveland Clinic[4]
Cleveland Clinic[5]
Cleveland Clinic[6]
Cleveland Clinic[7]
American Academy of Dermatology Association
