Explaining the Role of the Dermatopathologist

When you have a skin condition or problem, your dermatologist mayhave to perform a series of tests to accurately determine what your condition actually is. Oftentimes, he will take a few samples of your affected skin or in other parts of your body like your nails or hair. He will then send these samples to a dermatopathologist who will mircoscopically analyze them to render a diagnosis.

Pathology is a branch of medical science that deals with the observation and analysis of diseases, their behavior, and their cause-and-effect relationship to other organisms. A dermatopathologist closely identifies and studies diseases that affect the human skin. Most of these professionals work by looking at the cellular structure and attributes of the samples (biopsies) given by your dermatologist under a microscope.

After the examination of the samples, the dermatopathologist will then record or write his findings through what is called a biopsy or pathology report. Aside from determining what disease or microorganisms are present in the sample, the biopsy report will also contain other relevant information that could help the dermatologist determine the best steps to take in treating the patient.