While general dermatologists have experience and training in a range of pediatric dermatological conditions, they may refer young patients to a pediatric dermatologist for evaluation and treatment of rare, genetic, or severe conditions or those unresponsive to current therapies. A pediatric dermatologist specializes in evaluating and treating skin disorders in infants, children, and teenagers. Beyond their education in general dermatology, pediatric de...

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Shingles is a manifestation of the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. While chickenpox is usually isolated to young children, shingles typically happens to people over age 50. When the herpes zoster virus is triggered by a stressful event, shingles begins as a painful, itchy sensation in the skin followed by a blistery, fluid-filled rash isolated to one side of the body. What are the Symptoms of Shingles? The herpes zoste...

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Nail surgery is a way to remove a portion of the nail or an entire nail due to a disorder, deformity, or fungus. Nail surgery isn’t typically the first line of treatment for nail problems, but ingrown nail surgery or nail surgery to remove an extremely thick fungus may be the best option after consultation. Often, podiatrists conduct an ingrown toenail nail surgery for their patients after other nail grooming methods prove inefficient. For example, a...

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Cryosurgery, also known as cryosurgical destruction, uses liquid nitrogen to treat various skin lesions. This intense cold liquid (liquid nitrogen), with a temperature of -196 °C (-320 °F), is applied to target areas to destroy unwanted cell structures. Cryosurgery vs. Cryotherapy What’s the difference? Cryotherapy is a light application of liquid nitrogen used for cosmetic purposes while cryosurgery is reserved for destruction of various skin lesi...

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What is a Fungal Infection? There are two broad categories of fungal infections: Relatively innocuous fungal infections that live on the skin, hair, and nails (like athlete’s foot or jock itch) Potentially more dangerous fungal infections that invade deeper structures of the skin or organs in the body called “deep fungal infections”. Dermatologists treat fungal infections of the skin, as well as fungal infections in hair and nails. Often, t...

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A biopsy is the removal of a piece of skin to help render a diagnosis of skin cancers or inflammatory conditions. Dermatologists biopsy an area to confirm a diagnosis that cannot be rendered with the eyes alone. We need a microscope to be certain.  If a patient comes in with a mole, the dermatologist can closely examine the mole and suspect it may be skin cancer or a spot that could later become a cancer – but without a biopsy, we can’t know for s...

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Dermatopathology is the study of skin diseases seen with a biopsy. It requires a dual knowledge of skin diseases and pathology to interpret skin biopsies. What is dermatopathology compared to dermatology? Dermatopathology is a specialization of dermatology and pathology that focuses on skin diseases. It requires extra training and additional board certification specific to skin diseases. A dermatopathologist is trained both in a dermatology clinic as w...

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ED & C stands for electrodesiccation and curettage. This procedure is also known as curettage and electrodesiccation (C & E). ED & C is a method for treating certain types of skin cancer (including basal cell carcinoma and superficial squamous cell carcinoma) through a series of scraping and cauterizing techniques. When used on the right types of skin cancer, it is highly effective in completely removing cancerous skin cells and preventing ...

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A skin spot referred to as a “precancerous lesion” is usually a specific sun-induced growth called actinic keratosis. It’s one of the most common issues we see in dermatology, and it’s what prompts most patients to schedule their dermatologist visits to start with. After years of exposure to UV rays, either from the sun or tanning beds, areas with the most damage start to turn into rough, dry, scaly patches. The patches then develop into thick ...

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