The Dermatologist: Why You May Need An Appointment

People tend not to give their skin the weight it deserves and neglecting your skin is not only highly dangerous, but it also shows a grave misunderstanding of how important this organ is and how delicately it must be protected. If you see anything on your skin that could be suspicious or if you have existing risk factors for cancer, you should make an appointment to see a dermatologist.

Experts spend a lot of time talking about irregular moles and the importance of sunscreen, but they don’t often go into the broader picture. There are a number of reasons why you might want to see a dermatologist. Perhaps you have a rash, or feel like you might be suffering from eczema or psoriasis. Maybe you are looking for a way to clear up your acne. Perhaps none of the over-the-counter treatments have done anything to get rid of your athlete’s foot. Whatever your reasons, you’re likely to find that a skin doctor can help you get to the bottom of it.

But there are more serious reasons to seek out the help of a dermatologist. Anytime you develop something on your skin that could be suspicious, you should get it checked out just to be on the safe side. Of course, that begs the question: what is considered “suspicious”? Before getting into that, you should understand that skin cancer is often seen as less serious, mostly because when detected early the chance of successful treatment is good. And much skin cancer is detected early, because the signs are right out in the open for you to see. But those signs won’t do you any good if you ignore them. Moles and lesions that continue to grow larger or are continually bleeding and then scabbing over need to be looked at by a doctor. Anything that stands out as unusual, is very dark brown or black, or has changed in shape could be an early sign of skin cancer. It could be nothing, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

If you have several risk factors for skin cancer, you should be seeing a dermatologist on a regular basis even if you have no other reason to do so. Risk factors include a family history of skin cancer, fair skin, repeated exposure to the sun or tanning beds, and more. By making regular appointments, you can cut your risk of developing serious skin cancer drastically.