Dr. Todd Minars joined his father’s dermatology practice, Minars Dermatology, in Hollywood, Florida in 2002. Since then, the office has experienced substantial growth in medical, laser, cosmetic and surgical dermatology. Here, he discusses the varied problems and conditions that fall under the category of medical dermatology.
Medical dermatology concerns any problem or condition of the skin that is not purely cosmetic. That means there is a dysfunction in the skin, either in its function or appearance. Examples of medical dermatology include psoriasis, eczema, warts, acne and skin cancer. Those are the most common diagnoses that fall under this rubric, which we see often in our practice.
Some of the other things that fall under the heading of medical dermatology, or are common, are sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes and genital warts. This is because all these types of STDs affect the skin, so this category is broad.
We also see a lot of infections which give you skin diseases, such as folliculitis, which is an infection of the hair follicles. It looks like pimples or pustules on the skin, and people often get it on their rear ends or thighs, which happens when they are spending a lot of time sitting or sweating. Boils are also a infection that affects the skin; they are just sort of a deeper version of the pimples or pustules.
Dermatological Specialty vs General Doctor
People with STDs often prefer to see dermatologists because they are specialists in the field as far as skin conditions are concerned. They are set up to treat warts in general, and that would include genital warts. In our office, we have medicine we use for that such as liquid nitrogen, and we have other specialist instruments on hand which a regular general doctor may not have.
Another benefit of a dermatologist is that we can usually diagnose these things as we see them frequently, without having to do special tests. It falls under our specialty. We have learned about it, and it is part of our expertise. A general doctor might know a little about a specific skin condition, for example, but will not have any specific intimate knowledge about it.
If you have something wrong with your skin, it often saves time to go straight to a specialist. I often see patients who wasted a few days or weeks treating something incorrectly, something a regular doctor might only see once a year. We see it every day, which is why it is usually more efficient to see somebody whose specialty is dermatology.
Get Someone Board-Certified
When looking for a good dermatologist, you can always go to the American Academy of Dermatology website. They have a dermatologist finder according to area, and everyone who is on that website is a board-certified dermatologist. I would recommend seeing someone who is board-certified only. Otherwise there are people who say they are dermatologists but are really medical doctors in the broadest sense of the word, even though they have not actually done a residency in dermatology.
In Florida, where Minars Dermatology is located, they just passed a law saying that someone cannot use the term “dermatologist” without having been accredited with one of the major boards. That new law means you are getting someone who is specifically trained in the field, who will treat you using the best techniques and drawing on specific knowledge of the profession.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
