I suspect that many readers of this website might wonder about the field of dermatopathology and what a dermatopathologist does. This is my attempt to clarify. This section is a cross between a Frequently Asked Questions section and a section in which I offer answers that I wish were asked of me. Here, you will learn something of the discipline of dermatopathology, but also about why it matters to me -- and other matters.
Goya
The Forge
La fragua
1812-1816 Oil on linen
71 1/2 inches x 49 1/4 inches
181.6 cm x 125 cm
The Frick Collection, New York City
United States
Dermatopathology (dermato = skin; pathology = a study of disease): the medical discipline whose practitioners study and make judgments about the diseases of the skin by means of evaluating the histopathological structure of cutaneous biopsies through a microscope. The discipline also includes studying skin diseases by means of histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, and molecular biological techniques when necessary. Those who practice dermatopathology usually have an MD or DO medical degree but may also have other credentials.