Skin color, texture, and folds help distinguish people as individuals. Anything that interferes with skin function or causes changes in appearance can have important consequences for physical and mental health. Dermatologists are the medical doctors who diagnose and treat disorders of the skin.
Many problems that appear on the skin are limited to the skin. Sometimes, however, the skin provides clues to a disorder that affects the entire body. Consequently, doctors often must consider many possible diseases when evaluating skin problems. They may need to order blood tests or other laboratory tests to look for an internal disease in people who come to them with a skin problem.
