All You Need to Know About Dermatology
In order to know the meaning of the term dermatology, it is necessary, in the first place, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can state that it is a word that derives from Greek, since it is the result of the sum of two components of that language:
-The noun “derma, dermatos”, which can be translated as “skin”.
-The compositional element “logy”, which is used to indicate “treaty” or “study”.
Dermatology is the specialty of medicine focused on the diseases and functions of the skin (the largest organ in the human body). A specialist in dermatology is known as a dermatologist. See Abbreviation Finder for acronyms related to Dermatology.
An expert in dermatology is in a position to study the structure of the skin, analyze its functioning and prevent, diagnose and treat disorders that may occur in it. It should be noted that the inconveniences of the skin can be generated directly in this integument or be a consequence of some type of internal condition.
To all of the above, it must be added that dermatology, as we understand it today, originated about 110 years ago. And it is that it began to establish itself as a medical specialty in Europe at the end of the 19th century.
Hence, at that time, three important schools focused on this science and on the study of the skin began to emerge. We are referring to the Vienna General Hospital, the Saint Louis Hospital in Paris and the London hospital.
However, we cannot ignore the fact that there are different documents that come to record that already in Classical Greece the first dermatological diseases were already collected and studied. Moreover, there are documents from Ancient Rome where it is clear that he was already becoming aware of pathologies related to the skin such as scabies, herpes zoster, ringworm or leprosy, among many others.
Although training varies from country to country, a dermatologist is generally a medical graduate who later specialized in dermatology. This allows the professional to have knowledge of endocrinology, neurology and other issues that are necessary to know the skin in depth.
Cosmetic dermatology, on the other hand, is the specialty of dermatology focused on aesthetics. In this case, the purpose is to treat imperfections that affect the skin (scars, color changes , etc.).
The different types of dermatitis, leprosy, acne, hives, melanoma and vitiligo are some of the diseases and disorders that cause skin problems and that can be diagnosed, prevented and/or treated by dermatology.
It is important to mention that the elementary lesions that are recorded on the skin can be divided into primary lesions and secondary lesions. Primary lesions include cysts, abscesses, blisters, wheals, pustules, and vesicles. As for secondary lesions, we can name ulcers, bedsores and scabs.
Likewise, we cannot forget dermatological surgery, which is the part of Dermatology that is responsible for using different surgical techniques to solve skin problems.