Dermatology is a branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases. A doctor of medicine who specialises in this is called a Dermatologist.
When you come to the Dermatology Outpatient Department you will be seen by a member of the Dermatology team who will ask questions about your illness and examine your skin to try to determine or confirm the diagnosis. Further tests may be ordered. These include but are not limited to blood tests, skin biopsy or skin scraping. A biopsy is a minor procedure using local anaesthetic to remove a small piece of the skin for examination under a microscope in the laboratory. A skin scraping is a gentle scrape removing a layer of skin from the affected area for testing. Sometimes these tests can all be done during one clinic visit, but for some conditions the diagnosis will take several follow-up appointments. Occasionally some tests can be arranged even before you are seen at the clinic to try to speed up the process. Once a diagnosis has been made, the medical staff will discuss treatment with you.