Two situations in which you should book an appointment with a dermatologist
There are several situations in which it is worth booking an appointment with a dermatologist. Continue reading to find out more.
You are worried that you might have skin cancer
If you have reason to believe that you might have skin cancer (for example, if you have a mole on your face or body that has begun to develop scabs and bleed, has developed an irregular border or has grown in size), then it is extremely important to visit a dermatologist as soon as possible.
The dermatologist will use a variety of tools to closely inspect your mole. If this examination leads them to believe that the mole could potentially be cancerous, they may perform an excision biopsy.
This will involve using surgical instruments to extract the mole from your skin. If they decide to do this, they will numb the mole and the surrounding area with a local anaesthetic, to ensure that this procedure is as painless as possible. This excision will leave behind a small scar, which will fade over time.
The excision of the mole will achieve two things. Firstly, it will provide the dermatologist with a sample of the skin tissue, which they can then send to a lab, where it will be checked for the presence of cancerous cells.
Secondly, if the mole does happen to be cancerous, removing it will reduce the risk of the cancer spreading to other areas of your body (assuming that this has not already occurred).
You are suffering from chronic, severe acne
If you are suffering from chronic, severe acne, which is affecting your self-confidence and your overall wellbeing, then it is definitely worth consulting with a dermatologist.
The dermatologist will examine your acne and may also ask for details about your diet, lifestyle and medical history. Based on this discussion and their examination of your skin, they may then provide you with prescription medication.
For example, if you are a woman and they suspect your acne is caused by hormonal disruptions in your body, they may prescribe hormonal contraception to regulate your hormone levels.
They may also prescribe a topical medication, such as tretinoin; this is a form of vitamin A that has been shown to resolve certain types of acne.
Finally, they may recommend that you eliminate certain food groups for a certain amount of time, in order to determine if these foods are affecting your skin. Dairy, for example, is thought to trigger acne in some people.
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