Skin Problems

Started by TheSky
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

Browse articles Compare schools My application plan Read Interview Feedback
Practice for interviews Ask an Advisor
T

TheSky

Full Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Did any of you go into dermatology because of personal skin problems? Do dermatologists have skin problems?
 
^Not quite the response I was looking for lol, but thanks anyway.

I'm asking because I heard that dermatologists are supposed to have perfect skin, otherwise people won't go to them for their own skin problems. So perhaps dermatologists are a breed that have been naturally selected (or artificially, by all the residency directors) because they have wonderful skin (on top of the competitive grades, scores, etc.).
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
i think dermatologists in general seem to have ironically not-great skin (but maybe that's just the academic derms). if you go into cosmetics having less than perfect skin is probably a liability.

i would think having skin problems (acne, psoriasis etc) would probably compel people to go into dermatology since they can understand the emotional component of being marked or disfigured and understand why derm isn't just a frivolous enterprise.
 
^I would think those types of dermatologists would be the best. While having a disease isn't a prerequisite to being a doctor, I think it certainly helps one in becoming a better doctor.
 
TheSky said:
^I would think those types of dermatologists would be the best. While having a disease isn't a prerequisite to being a doctor, I think it certainly helps one in becoming a better doctor.
Click to expand...

I disagree. That would exclude men from being OBGYNS, women from being urologists, and anyone from being pancreatic cancer experts.
 
A 4-6 month course of isotretinoin has been is a prerequisite for applying for at least the last 6-7 years.
 
2oRadio said:
I disagree. That would exclude men from being OBGYNS, women from being urologists, and anyone from being pancreatic cancer experts.
Click to expand...

You're arguing over nothing. I said that having a disease isn't a prerequisite for being a doctor. But the point is that having a disease and then treating patients for that disease can only make you a better doctor. I know that I would rather go to a doc that suffered from the same thing as me because then I know that the doc would choose the safest, most effective treatments. I've been to docs (and especially dermatologists) who only cared about the short term while sacrificing long term safety.
 
TheSky said:
You're arguing over nothing. I said that having a disease isn't a prerequisite for being a doctor. But the point is that having a disease and then treating patients for that disease can only make you a better doctor. I know that I would rather go to a doc that suffered from the same thing as me because then I know that the doc would choose the safest, most effective treatments. I've been to docs (and especially dermatologists) who only cared about the short term while sacrificing long term safety.
Click to expand...

You ask the question and then answer it yourself? 😕
 
That's not the answer. The question wasn't whether having a disease would make one a better doctor or not. The question was whether dermatologists have skin diseases (and I'm talking about more than just a few pimples that resolve on their own).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.