Health & Medicine

Dermatologist

Treat skin, hair, and nail problems like acne, rashes, and skin cancer with medicine and small procedures

Open interactive guide

What does a Dermatologist do?

Dermatologists work mostly in private offices and clinics. They diagnose rashes and acne, check moles for skin cancer, and do small procedures such as removing spots. It suits people who notice fine detail and like both medicine and quick hands-on work.

A day in the life

8:00 AMReview the schedule and prep the exam rooms
8:30 AMExamine patients' skin and check moles under a bright light
10:30 AMTake a tiny skin sample to test for cancer
12:30 PMRead lab reports from earlier samples
1:30 PMTreat acne, eczema, and warts and explain care plans
4:30 PMUpdate charts and answer patient messages

What's great

  • Clinic hours are often steadier than for other doctors
  • Patients can see their skin improve
  • Mix of medical care and small procedures
  • Catching skin cancer early can protect patients

The hard parts

  • Getting into a residency is very competitive
  • Many years of training after college
  • Visits are often short and fast-paced
  • Some cases, like advanced skin cancer, are serious

What is a Dermatologist's salary and outlook?

$126k – $315k
Salary Range
Doctorate / Professional degree
Typical Education
Growing

Typical pay in this guide runs from about $126,000 to $315,000 a year, with a midpoint around $210,000. These are planning figures for students, not a job offer or an official wage.

CareerLens rates the outlook as Growing.

For the official national outlook, see BLS Occupational Data.

How do you become a Dermatologist?

A common path is MD or DO plus 1 year of internship and 3 years of dermatology residency. The ladder often runs from Dermatology Resident to Dermatologist, then Practice Partner or Clinic Director, and Chief Medical Officer. Other routes: Fellowship in Mohs surgery, a skin cancer procedure; Board certification in dermatology; Osteopathic medical school (DO) instead of MD.

  • Fellowship in Mohs surgery, a skin cancer procedure
  • Board certification in dermatology
  • Osteopathic medical school (DO) instead of MD

Career path

Entry level
Dermatology Resident
Mid career
Dermatologist
Senior
Practice Partner or Clinic Director
Executive
Chief Medical Officer

Will AI replace a Dermatologist?

How much will AI change this job?

Quite a bit

AI will help with some tasks in this job, while the most important parts stay human.

AI helps spot skin problems, but doctors still decide care.

Dermatologists look at skin, hair, and nails to find problems and treat them. AI tools can help scan images and spot patterns faster, but doctors still examine patients and make final decisions. The job will use more smart tools, while the caring and diagnosing stays human.

AI can help with

  • Scanning skin photos for early signs of trouble
  • Sorting patient records and history quickly
  • Suggesting possible conditions based on symptoms

What stays human

  • Talking with patients about worries and treatment choices
  • Doing skin exams, biopsies, and procedures by hand
  • Making final diagnosis and treatment decisions

Skills to build now

  • Study biology and health science in school
  • Practice careful observation skills, like noticing small details
  • Build comfort talking with and helping other people

Based on public research from Anthropic and OpenAI, drafted with AI, checked automatically, and read by a person. How we know

This describes how the work may change. It is not a prediction that the job will disappear.