Overview

The Centre of Dermatology provides comprehensive care for conditions affecting the skin, hair, nails, sweat glands, mucous membranes, and cosmetic skin health. Dermatology covers both medical and procedural care, from common concerns such as acne, eczema, fungal infections, and hair fall to complex conditions such as psoriasis, autoimmune skin disease, severe allergies, chronic wounds, and skin cancer.

Healthy skin is important for protection, temperature control, infection prevention, appearance, and overall wellbeing. Timely dermatology care helps relieve symptoms, prevent complications, and improve quality of life.

What Is Dermatology?

Dermatology is the medical specialty that diagnoses and treats diseases of the skin, hair, and nails. A dermatologist evaluates rashes, infections, pigmentation, allergy-related skin problems, hair loss, nail disease, and cosmetic concerns.

Common areas of care include:

• Acne and acne scars

• Eczema and dermatitis

• Psoriasis

• Fungal, bacterial, viral, and parasitic skin infections

• Hair loss and scalp disorders

• Nail infections and nail changes

• Skin allergies and urticaria

• Pigmentation disorders such as melasma and vitiligo

• Warts, skin tags, moles, and cysts

• Chronic itching

• Autoimmune and blistering skin diseases

• Paediatric dermatology

• Skin cancer screening

• Cosmetic dermatology and laser-based treatments

Causes and Risk Factors

Skin conditions may occur due to infection, allergy, genetics, hormones, immune system changes, environmental exposure, medicines, or lifestyle factors.

Common risk factors include:

• Family history of skin disease

• Sensitive or allergy-prone skin

• Excessive sun exposure

• Poor skin hygiene or excessive harsh cleansing

• Diabetes or weak immunity

• Hormonal changes

• Stress and poor sleep

• Exposure to chemicals, cosmetics, or irritants

• Contact with infected skin, animals, or contaminated surfaces

• Humid weather and sweating

• Certain medicines

• Smoking or poor nutrition

Identifying triggers is important for preventing recurrence, especially in eczema, urticaria, acne, and fungal infections.

Symptoms

Skin, hair, and nail problems may appear in many ways. Persistent or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a dermatologist.

Common symptoms include:

• Rash, redness, or swelling

• Itching, burning, or pain

• Pimples, blackheads, or cystic acne

• Dry, cracked, or scaly skin

• White, dark, or uneven skin patches

• Hair fall or bald patches

• Dandruff or scalp itching

• Thick, discoloured, or brittle nails

• Blisters, boils, or pus-filled lesions

• Warts, moles, or changing skin growths

• Non-healing wounds

• Recurrent fungal infections

• Hives or sudden skin swelling

Urgent care is needed for rapidly spreading rash, facial or lip swelling, breathing difficulty, severe skin peeling, high fever with rash, painful blisters, infected wounds, or a mole that changes rapidly.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis begins with a detailed skin examination and review of symptoms, triggers, medicines, allergies, lifestyle, and medical history.

Common diagnostic methods include:

• Clinical skin, hair, and nail examination

• Dermoscopy for moles, pigmentation, and hair/scalp assessment

• Skin scraping or microscopy for fungal infections

• Wood’s lamp examination in selected pigmentation or infection cases

• Patch testing for suspected contact allergy

• Blood tests for autoimmune, hormonal, nutritional, or infection-related causes

• Skin culture when bacterial infection is suspected

• Skin biopsy for unclear, severe, or suspicious lesions

• Hair pull test, scalp examination, or trichoscopy for hair loss

• Nail clipping or culture for nail infections

Correct diagnosis helps avoid unnecessary creams, antibiotics, or steroid misuse.

Treatment Options

Treatment depends on the condition, severity, age, skin type, medical history, and patient goals.

Dermatology care may include:

• Topical creams, ointments, gels, or medicated shampoos

• Oral medicines for infections, acne, allergy, inflammation, or autoimmune disease

• Moisturiser and barrier-repair guidance

• Sunscreen and photoprotection advice

• Acne treatment and scar management

• Antifungal, antibacterial, or antiviral treatment

• Steroid and non-steroid anti-inflammatory medicines when appropriate

• Hair loss treatment and nutritional correction

• Wart, mole, cyst, or skin tag removal when indicated

• Cryotherapy, chemical peels, lasers, or light-based treatments in selected cases

• Biopsy or excision of suspicious skin lesions

• Long-term treatment plans for chronic diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo, and autoimmune skin disorders

Patients should avoid using strong steroid creams, fairness creams, or mixed over-the-counter skin products without medical advice.

Prevention and Outlook

Many skin problems can be reduced through gentle cleansing, regular moisturising, sun protection, avoiding known allergens or irritants, not sharing towels or personal items, wearing breathable clothing, controlling diabetes, and seeking early care for infections or changing skin lesions.

The outlook depends on the condition. Many skin infections and acne-related problems improve with proper treatment. Chronic conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, vitiligo, and hair loss may need long-term care, but symptoms can often be controlled effectively with regular follow-up.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When should I see a dermatologist?
   You should see a dermatologist for persistent rash, acne, itching, hair fall, nail changes, pigmentation, recurrent infections, non-healing wounds, or changing moles.

2. Is eczema contagious?
   No. Eczema is not contagious. It is usually related to skin sensitivity, genetics, immune response, and environmental triggers.

3. Can acne be treated permanently?
   Acne can often be controlled very well, but some people need long-term maintenance treatment to prevent recurrence and scarring.

4. Are fungal infections common?
   Yes. Fungal infections are common, especially in warm, humid areas or skin folds. Proper treatment and hygiene help prevent recurrence.

5. When is a mole concerning?
   A mole should be checked if it changes in size, shape, colour, bleeds, itches, becomes painful, or looks different from other moles.

6. Can dermatology help with hair fall?
   Yes. Dermatologists evaluate causes such as genetics, hormones, nutritional deficiency, stress, scalp disease, medicines, and autoimmune conditions before planning treatment.