What you see is what you get

I want to express that I have the utmost respect for all medical fields (specialty and sub-specialty, inclusive) should anything I write suggest the contrary. My goal is not to overlook the importance of these fields, but to bring attention to the one that’s often “overlooked.”

For instance, what’s the first thing your cardiologist sees? You got it - your skin (even if you wear your heart on your sleeve).

And what about the rheumatologist? Although it would be convenient, these docs certainly don’t have X-ray vision.

How many urologists do you see walking around their office making diagnoses by looking at a cup of urine?

The gastroenterologist? Needs no explanation.

And the oncologist… are you really going to accept a diagnosis of cancer without a biopsy? If an oncologist is giving you a confident diagnosis of cancer by looking at your skin, you probably don’t have very long to live (this does not apply to skin cancer).

Last I checked, hematologists can’t diagnose leukemia by looking at blood.

Although there are many exceptions to the rule, the dermatologist often only needs to look at you to make a diagnosis. A picture, in this case, is worth a thousand words. Or perhaps only one or two? (Depends which textbook you use).

I hope you learn something by reading this, even if it is merely the existence of a specialty called dermatology.