dermatologist

American  

[dur-muh-tol-uh-jist] / ˌdɜr məˈtɒl ə dʒɪst /

noun

• dermatologists
  plural

1. a specialist in dermatology, especially a doctor who specializes in the treatment of diseases of the skin.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dermatologists
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dermatologist

First recorded in 1860–65; dermatolog(y) + -ist

Explanation

The person who examines your moles, acne, and other skin problems is called a dermatologist. Once visited mainly for acne problems, dermatologists have become more important, as skin problems have grown more common with our increased exposure to the sun. You know that an "-logy" at the end of a word means "study" and that "-logist" means "one who studies. In the noun dermatologist, the object being studied is the derma, the Greek word for "skin." (The Greeks also used it to refer to "leather" or "hide," which still works for diehard sun worshipers. And think of elephants being called "pachyderms," with their "thick skin.") Dermatology and dermatologist both appeared in English in the 19th century.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dermatologist dermatologists

“This is an individual-level based vaccination for somebody’s individual tumor,” said Michael Christopher, a dermatologist in Tucson, Ariz., who specializes in early detection of skin cancer.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Her dermatologist found three more cancerous marks which needed urgent treatment.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Dr. Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, a dermatologist practicing at Houshmand Dermatology in Dallas, said it’s not just the lipids themselves that matter, but the proportions in which they appear.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Everyone’s checking in with best wishes: my local library, my dermatologist, even a hospital I haven’t visited in years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

So I fall back on the support networks of my real-life social class, call the dermatologist I know in Key West, and bludgeon him into prescribing something sight unseen.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Chemical sunscreens are considered safe by dermatologists, but studies establishing that some chemical UV filters harm coral reefs—and others pointing to possible associations with hormonal health issues in humans—have put some consumers on edge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

However, dermatologists have told the BBC there have not been clinical trials with large enough sample sizes for long enough periods of time to know the benefits of at-home LED masks.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

When these interventions helped my inflammation but didn’t stimulate much hair growth, I saw three additional dermatologists, desperately seeking a solution for a condition I had poured thousands of dollars into treating.

From Slate ● May 23, 2026

The collapse of the proposed federal ban has left many dermatologists disappointed.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

In the morning I called the medical information service and asked for the names of some prominent dermatologists.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin