Public perception of dermatology and dermatologists: a very relevant but untapped issue

Dermatology has many faces and encompasses a variety of fields including medical dermatology, skin oncology and surgery, genetic and paediatric skin diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, allergic skin diseases and aesthetic medicine.1 These fields are heterogeneously practiced by hospital-based dermatologists, extra hospital public dermatologists and private practice dermatologists. These differences are brought about by the possibility of performing certain techniques (e.g. surgery, allergy testing), the ability to prescribe expensive drugs (e.g. biologics) and the economical revenue of treating different disorders (e.g. chronic skin disease vs aesthetic problems) among others. Dermatology practice is also affected by the number of dermatologists in each area, and the availability and attitude of primary care physicians (e.g. general practitioners and paediatricians) to treat skin disease.