Dermatologic surgeons are surgeons who specialize in surgery of the skin.
A dermatologic surgeon demonstrates competence in the diagnosis, medical care, and surgical management of the following:
- Diseases and disorders of the skin, hair, nails, veins, and nearby tissues
- Benign and malignant growths and skin cancers
- Aging and sun-damaged skin
- Cosmetic improvement of the skin
Techniques available to a dermatologic surgeon include lasers, traditional scalpel surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, photodynamic therapy, liposuction, blepharoplasty (cosmetic eyelid surgery), minimally-invasive facelift surgery (e.g., the S-lift), and a variety of topical and injectable agents such as dermal fillers including fat transfer and hyaluronic acid.
Some specially trained surgeons perform Mohs cancer surgery, which can be an effective method for the treatment of recurrent, indistinct, or difficult skin cancers.
Famous quotes containing the word surgeon:
“When Sir Robert Walpole was dying, he told Ranby his surgeon that he desired his body might be opened. Ranby acting great horror cried, “Good God, my Lord, don’t talk of that!” “Nay,” said Sir Robert, “it will not be till I am dead, and that I shall not feel it—nor you neither.””
—Horace Walpole (1717–1797)