Healthcare practitioners
Dermatologist
Diagnose and treat diseases relating to the skin, hair, and nails. May perform both medical and dermatological surgery functions.
Median pay
$328,730
Growth to 2035
+7%
faster than average
Openings a year
400
Time to qualify*
7 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Dermatologist
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Dermatologist: 40% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Conduct complete skin examinations.
- Diagnose and treat pigmented lesions such as common acquired nevi, congenital nevi, dysplastic nevi, Spitz nevi, blue nevi, or melanoma.
- Perform incisional biopsies to diagnose melanoma.
- Perform skin surgery to improve appearance, make early diagnoses, or control diseases such as skin cancer.
- Counsel patients on topics such as the need for annual dermatologic screenings, sun protection, skin cancer awareness, or skin and lymph node self-examinations.
- Diagnose and treat skin conditions such as acne, dandruff, athlete's foot, moles, psoriasis, or skin cancer.
- Record patients' health histories.
- Recommend diagnostic tests based on patients' histories and physical examination findings.
Also called: Board Certified Dermatologist · Dermatologist MD (Dermatologist Medical Doctor) · Dermatologist Physician · Dermatopathologist · Doctor · MD (Medical Doctor) · Mohs Micrographic Surgeon · Mohs Surgeon
Outlook and AI
Dermatologists held 12,200 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 13,000 by 2035 (+7%, faster than average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Dermatologist vs. Pediatric surgeon
- Dermatologist vs. Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric
- Dermatologist vs. Ophthalmologists, except pediatric
- Dermatologist vs. Cardiologist
- Dermatologist vs. Physician (other specialties)
- Dermatologist vs. General internal medicine physician
- Dermatologist vs. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
- Dermatologist vs. Neurologist
- Dermatologist vs. Emergency medicine physician