A skin doctor is a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of a dermatovenereological profile. Such diseases can bring a lot of unpleasant symptoms to the patient, including the development of cosmetic defects. It is important to consult a specialist in a timely manner for specialized help.
The basics of the profession
The skin doctor provides a diagnostic and treatment process in cases where the patient has a dermatovenereological disease. Patients can get an appointment with such a doctor both in the direction from pediatricians, therapists and surgeons, as well as with independent treatment. In the first case, a venereal dermatologist often encounters a rather severe pathology, which general specialists could not cope with.
Place of work
Although a skin doctor is a narrow specialist, this profession is not uncommon. Currently, such doctors work in almost every clinic. In addition, in every major city there is a skin dispensary. The schedule of doctors in such institutions is designed in such a way that specialized outpatient care is provided to patients in 2 shifts. If the dispensary also includes a hospital, then around-the-clock monitoring of hospitalized people is provided.
In general hospitals, most often the whole rate of a dermatovenerologist is not allocated. In such institutions, specialists work part-time, that is, they are not in the hospital during the working day, but come for several hours, consult patients referred by the attending doctors, make their appointments and go to the main place of work.
Underlying pathology
A good skin doctor should perfectly know the features of the differential diagnosis of all dermatovenereological diseases, both among themselves and with the main pathologies of other profiles.
The main nosological groups that this specialist has to deal with are:
- all kinds of dermatitis;
- infectious (fungal, bacterial and viral) lesions of the skin and visible mucous membranes;
- various types of urticaria and other diseases of the skin and visible mucous membranes caused by exposure to allergens;
- congenital pathology of the skin associated with gene disorders (for example, ichthyosis);
- autoimmune diseases (psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus) ;
- diseases of the venereological profile (syphilis, gonorrhea).
All these diseases in the absence of a dermatovenerologist should be able to diagnose and general specialists. If necessary, they are even able to prescribe certain therapeutic measures, the implementation of which may be necessary even before consulting a skin doctor.
Basic diagnostic measures
Such a specialist has a whole set of research methods, thanks to which he can clarify the alleged diagnosis. Among the main diagnostic measures, the following should be highlighted:
- General clinical blood and urine tests.
- Scraping from the affected area with further microscopic examination.
- The use of nutrient media to determine the sensitivity of microorganisms to certain drugs.
- Using a Wood lamp and other technical means to better visualize the affected area.
- Immunological and allergological tests.
For each disease, the doctor determines the list of necessary diagnostic measures. After them, the patient is given one or another diagnosis. At the same time, to clarify this, this doctor may need advisory assistance from specialists of other profiles.
Essential Medicines
In the process of his professional activity, the skin doctor has to use a lot of different drugs to treat his patients. Most of them belong to the following pharmacological groups:
- Antihistamines.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Antibiotics.
- Antifungal drugs.
- Glucocorticosteroids.
- Cytostatics.
Most often, the treatment of dermatovenereological pathology involves the appointment of drugs from several pharmacological groups at once. At the same time, a children's skin doctor is much more limited in the choice of drugs than his colleagues involved in the treatment of adult patients.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to reduce the severity of the inflammatory process and swelling. In addition, antihistamines can significantly reduce the effects of allergens. Often this leads to a gradual recovery. Antibiotics and antimycotics are prescribed if the disease has an infectious nature. Glucocorticosteroids are prescribed in more severe cases, when it is not possible to get rid of the main symptoms of the disease using conventional drugs. They should be used especially carefully for the treatment of minors. As for cytostatics, their use is designed to reduce the activity of pathogenic autoimmune processes. Such drugs are prescribed for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus and psoriasis.
The main difficulties of professional activity
In the process of their work, any skin doctor faces certain difficulties. The main ones are the following:
- A similar clinical picture of many dermatovenereological diseases.
- High frequency of infection of affected areas of the skin and visible mucous membranes.
- Frequent infection of affected skin.
- High probability of infection in the treatment of the patient.
Differential diagnosis of diseases of the dermatovenereological profile is a serious problem, especially among young specialists. The fact is that almost all of them are manifested by a rash, inflammatory process and swelling of the affected tissues. Only the severity of such pathological reactions and the nature of the rashes differ.
When should I contact?
You can sign up to a specialist in this profile if any symptoms of a dermatovenereological profile are identified. The main among them is the occurrence of rashes, itching, inflammation and swelling of the skin. Reception of a skin doctor will establish the fact of the presence or absence of diseases of the dermatovenereological profile, clarify the existing diagnosis and conduct a rational course of treatment.
In addition, you can visit this specialist for preventive purposes after contact with a person with a skin disease. It is also important to check after unprotected accidental sexual intercourse.
Recommendations from a dermatovenerologist
Diseases of this profile, like many others, are often easier to prevent than to treat them later. In order to reduce the likelihood of their development, you should avoid:
- contacts with the skin of a patient who is diagnosed with a dermatovenereological disease of an infectious nature;
- excessive insolation;
- unprotected random sexual intercourse;
- contacts with an allergen known to a particular person.
If these fairly simple recommendations are followed, the probability of independently encountering unpleasant symptoms of any dermatovenereological diseases is significantly reduced.