Dermatology and venereology

Cooperation with other disciplines

Although the limits of the specialty are well-defined, dermatology is directly linked to other medical specialties.

Skin lesions can be indicative of more serious systematic problems that affect different internal tissues and organs. Many different skin symptoms or conditions are actually the first sign of autoimmune or rheumatological diseases that can be potentially serious because they affect the internal organs and/or the osteomuscular system. The best-known example of this is cutaneous psoriasis, which is associated with arthritis in 20% of cases. 

It is therefore important to not underestimate any skin lesions, big or small, and always correctly diagnose conditions.

In other cases, dermatological issues can originate from:

• infections: verrucae, shingles, etc.
• inflammation conditions: acne, psoriasis, rosacea, seborrheic or atopic dermatitis, etc.
• allergies: hives, eczema, etc.
• autoimmune diseases: vitiligo, lupus, various types of scleroderma, etc. 

Many correlations have also been found between certain skin or hair pathologies (acne, alopecia, dermatitis etc.) and emotional factors and/or stress conditions (psychodermatology). For this reason, training as a dermatologist involves building a solid multidisciplinary understanding of immunology, neurology, infectiology, endocrinology, rheumatology, angiology and phlebology. 

Finally, oncological dermatology is also very important as it aims to:

• prevent and treat skin tumour pathologies (melanomas, epitheliums)
• monitor moles and precancerous lesions (i.e. skin lesions, such as actinic keratoses, which may be precursors to skin cancer)

Treatment options

Depending on the clinical situation of the patient and their specific needs, the specialist will be able to prescribe medical, pharmacological, surgical or cosmetic treatments. Some of the most common therapies used to treat different dermatological diseases or problems include: 

• PUVA therapy for psoriasis
• laser surgery to correct or improve the appearance of scars or lesions due to acne or to reduce dark skin spots (dyschromia), or to remove precancerous lesions
• dermabrasion, which involves the controlled removal of the superficial layers of skin on the face or body, in order to minimise imperfections such as wrinkles, different kinds of scars, skin patches, stretch marks and even tattoos
• sclerotherapy, a medical procedure used to treat malformations of blood vessels such as varicose veins and haemorrhoids