What is the skin doctor treating?

The skin doctor is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the dermatovenereological profile. Such diseases can bring a lot of unpleasant symptoms to the patient, including lead to the development of cosmetic defects. It is important to contact a specialist for help in a timely manner.

Fundamentals of the profession

The skin doctor provides a diagnostic and therapeutic process in those cases when the patient has a dermatovenereological disease. On admission to such a doctor, patients can fall in the direction of pediatricians, therapists and surgeons, and with self-treatment. In the first case, the skin and venereal physician often faces a rather severe pathology, with which specialists of a general profile could not cope.

Place of work

The skin doctor, although a narrow specialist, but 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 so that specialized ambulatory medical care is provided to patients in 2 shifts. If the dispensary includes a hospital in its structure, then there is a round-the-clock monitoring of hospitalized people.

In general hospitals, the rate of the doctor-dermatovenerologist is not usually 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, advise the patients sent by the treating doctors, make their appointments and go to the main place of work.

The main pathology

A good skin doctor should perfectly know the features of differential diagnosis of all dermatovenereological diseases both among themselves and with the main pathologies of other profiles.

The main nosological groups with which this specialist has to deal 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 (eg, ichthyosis);
• Autoimmune diseases (psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus);
• Diseases of the venereal section (syphilis, gonorrhea).

All these diseases in the absence of a dermatovenerologist should be able to diagnose and specialists in general. If necessary, they are able even to prescribe certain medical measures, which may be necessary before the consultation of the dermatologist.

Basic diagnostic measures

Such a specialist has a whole set of research methods, through which he can clarify the alleged diagnosis. Among the main diagnostic activities are the following:

1. General clinical tests of blood and urine.
2. Soskob from the affected area with further microscopic examination.
3. The use of nutrient media to determine the sensitivity of microorganisms to these or other drugs.
4. Using a Wood lamp and other technical means to better visualize the affected area.
5. Immunological and allergological tests.

At each disease the doctor determines the list of necessary diagnostic measures. After they are carried out, the patient is exposed to one or another diagnosis. In order to clarify this, this doctor may need to consult with specialists of other profiles.

Essential Medicines

In the course of his professional activities, the skin doctor has to use quite a lot of different drugs to treat his patients. Most of them belong to the following pharmacological groups:

1. Antihistamines.
2. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
3. Antibiotics.
4. Antifungal preparations.
5. Glucocorticosteroids.
6. Cytostatics.

Most often, the treatment of dermatovenereological pathology implies the appointment of drugs from several pharmacological groups. At the same time, the children's skin doctor is much more limited in the choice of medications than his colleagues involved in the therapy of adult patients.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to reduce the severity of the inflammatory process and puffiness. Antihistamines in addition to this can significantly reduce the effects of exposure to allergens. Often this leads to a gradual recovery. Antibiotics and antimycotics are prescribed if the disease is of 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 with the help of conventional drugs. They should be used especially carefully for the treatment of minors. As for cytostatics, their use is intended 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 course of their work, any skin doctor faces certain difficulties. The main of them are the following:

1. A similar clinical picture of many dermatovenereological diseases.
2. High incidence of infection of affected areas of skin and visible mucous membranes.
3. Frequent infection of affected areas of the skin.
4. High probability of infection in the treatment of a patient.

Differential diagnosis of diseases of the dermatovenereological profile constitutes serious difficulties, especially among young specialists. The fact is that almost all of them are manifested by the rash, the inflammatory process and the swelling of the affected tissues. The only difference is the severity of such pathological reactions and the nature of the rashes.

When should I apply?

You can register with a specialist of this profile if you have any symptoms of a dermatovenereological profile. The main among them is the occurrence of rashes, itching, inflammation and swelling of the skin. Reception of a dermatologist will make it possible to establish the presence or absence of diseases of the dermatovenerologic profile, to clarify the diagnosis and to conduct a rational course of treatment.

In addition, you can visit this specialist with a prophylactic goal after contact with a person who has skin disease. It is also important to check after unprotected casual sex.

Recommendations from the 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, one should avoid:

• Contact with the skin of the patient, who diagnosed dermatovenereological disease of an infectious nature;
• Excessive insolation;
• Unprotected casual sexual acts;
• Contacts with a well-known for a person allergen.

With these fairly simple recommendations, the probability of self-encountering unpleasant symptoms of any dermatovenereological diseases is significantly reduced.