What Kind Of Doctor Should I See For Skin Problems?
While it might not seem it, the skin is the biggest organ in a human body and has numerous vital functions for survival. It protects people from disease, extreme temperatures, and hazardous materials. As well as this, it is also a good gauge of the health of a person. Changes in the skin, such as texture and colour are both signs of illness and other ailments.
Because of this, it is absolutely vital that you take excellent care of your skin and keeping on top of any issues that arise with this. Most common skin problems can be diagnosed at your local GP. Sometimes general practice doctors will refer you to a skin specialist if they can’t determine the cause of the problem. These specialists are called dermatologists.
When To See Your GP
A lot of skin problems can be either self-diagnosed or simply diagnosed by your local pharmacist. Some of these issues can include skin problems such as acne, plantar warts and verrucas, contact dermatitis, and eczema. However sometimes the skin issues might be slightly more serious that you need to see a GP. If it appears that your skin problem is more serious, your pharmacist will often refer you to a general practice (GP) doctor.
The kinds of skin issues that GPs deal with are benign lesions, athlete’s foot, insect bites, and minor rashes. If a GP’s treatments don’t help to clear up your issue or if they cannot treat your issue to begin with a GP will refer you to a dermatologist.
What Is a Dermatologist?
Dermatologists are specialist doctors that deal with serious skin problems. On top of general skin issues, they can also help with issues regarding hair and nails. Dermatologists are some of the specialists most frequently visited by patients, due to the huge variety of skin conditions. Some of these issues can include lesions and lumps, rashes, serious acne cases, and pigmentation and discolouration issues. Dermatologists can help diagnose serious illnesses and diseases from what may seem like mild skin symptoms.
When To See a Dermatologist
Sometimes a skin problem might seem too severe to see a GP, and so you may have to go directly to a dermatologist, such as Harley Street Dermatology Clinic in London. If a skin problem, such as a rash or sores, covers more than 10% of your skin, you should seek help from a dermatologist as soon as possible, especially if they are accompanied by other symptoms such as muscle pain, difficulty sleeping, and fever.
It is important that you seek help as soon as possible because these symptoms may lead to something serious such as cancer and can also expose other ailments such as organ failure. For example, yellowing of the skin and eyes is an indicator of liver failure.
Seeing a dermatologist can also lead to a faster diagnosis, as they are skin specialists, they can recognise serious problems a lot faster than a GP can. They can also really help with the prevention of scars associated with some skin conditions.