What is the difference between dermatologist and plastic surgeon?

Dermatologists and plastic surgeons are both doctors specialising in skincare. However, there is a vast difference in their responsibilities and treatment.

Both dermatologists and plastic surgeons are in the profession of helping people resolve skin-related deformities and diseases. According to a recent report released by the New York Times, both dermatology and plastic surgery are among the most competitive fields awaiting appointments for residency programmes. Although they have similar objectives and execute same procedures yet there is a difference in their career paths. So some of the differences among the two fields are listed below, both in the context of medical school and practice.

Dermatologists

Dermatologists are doctors specialising in skincare. They work with the patients for diagnosing and treating their hair, skin and nails. They can remove the skin or suggest some antibiotics and medications after examining the skin. They also work with oncologists for performing biopsies of cysts and moles to determine whether these spots can be cancerous. They also remove malevolent sections if they consider it be necessary. 

Plastic Surgeons

Plastic surgeons work with their patients to transform the appearance of their faces and bodies. They are trained medical surgeons who specialise in tissue transfers, laser surgery and body contouring. They enjoy making their patients feel good about their body by working on their bones of skull and face or through performing liposuction. They often focus on elective surgeries like facelifts, breast augmentations and rhinoplasties. To be successful, they are required to have an in-depth knowledge of tissue transfers and skin grafts.

Responsibilities of dermatologist vs plastic surgeon

Dermatologists diagnose and cure skin cancers thereby preventing the illness from spreading. On the other hand, plastic surgeons execute procedures which are desired by the patients for aesthetic reasons. Dermatologists apply skin lotions, creams and cleansers to cure their patients whereas plastic surgeons can use saws, scalpels and lasers to cut the bones and skin.

Job responsibilities of a dermatologist

• Suggesting skincare products for increasing the chances of a patient's recovery
• Analysing conditions such as acne, athlete's foot, dandruff and psoriasis
• Using medical equipment such as dermoscopy to get a closer look at the pigmented skin
• Most of the dermatologists use minimum and invasive skin and facial procedures such as dermal fillers Restylane, Radiesse and Juvederm, along with skin-rejuvenation processes such as microdermabrasion.

Job responsibilities of a plastic surgeon

• Learning about the medical history, medical allergies or any previous health conditions  of patients for ensuring that they are healthy for undergoing surgery
• Discussion with the patients  regarding the risk to be borne by them while undergoing the operation 
• Executing the latest  medical techniques of surgery
• Prescribing  antibiotic  treatments for patients prior and after the medical procedure
• Performing aesthetic procedures such as facelifts, tummy tucks, nose jobs and breast enhancements.

Training for Dermatology vs Plastic Surgery

For training, these two careers vary in many aspects. Dermatologists work in a clinical setting whereas plastic surgeons work in the operation theatres most of the time. Dermatologists are experts who study for four years in college, followed by four years in medical school and practice up to three of residency in pediatrics, internal medicine. They later undergo over three years of dermatology training. Some of them also specialize in cosmetic dermatological training which includes the training in cosmetic techniques.

Some of the dermatologists sub-specialising in cosmetic dermatology spend extra time in training related to lasers, treatments related to leg veins and injectable. They are trained to do surgeries related to skin cancers but not aesthetic surgeries such as facelifts. On the other hand, plastic surgeons are trained to operate these cosmetic surgeries.

Plastic surgeons undergo formal training in general surgery, including orthopedic surgery, neck and head surgery along with some ophthalmology. The period of training for plastic surgeons is a minimum of six years whereas it takes approximately four years for dermatologists to complete their training.

Plastic surgeons vs dermatologists in practice

Dermatologists work towards treating skin-related issues through medication or creams, plastic surgeons perform skin-related surgeries. Dermatologists, who are specialised in skin cancer, often perform limited surgeries particularly in the case of Mohs surgery used for removing cancerous tumors. However, in case of more complicated tumors, requiring extensive reconstruction, they require the help of plastic surgeons. 

Dermatology is a medical specialisation whereas plastic surgery is a core surgical super specialisation.

As shared earlier, dermatologists diagnose and cure hair, skin and nails with the help of medications, along with performing minor operations such as skin biopsy and removing of nails. They deal with a variety of medical problems and aliments such as chronic acne to autoimmune disorders, cancers along with sexually transmitted diseases.

Their main objective is to maintain normal skin and treat the disorders of the skin while dealing with nails, hair and mucous membranes. On the other hand, plastic surgeons learn the basics of the operating appendix, thyroid and major surgeries in an emergency. They are even trained to cure acute burns, injuries to the body and face, birth defects, grafting of skin and transplantation of hands and fingers through aesthetic surgery and microscopic surgery.  

Plastic surgeons perform alternative or reconstructive operations for aesthetic reasons whereas dermatologists are concerned with the condition of health, skin and associated tissues. The plastic surgeons perform a variety of cosmetic surgeries such as liposuction and breast enlargement. As discussed before, they also perform reconstructive operations for restoring patients to normal appearances after birth defects, injuries and burns.

Conclusion

Generally, there is an overlapping of the plastic surgeons and dermatologists in doing lasers, hair transplantations along with injectable techniques of enhancing beauty such as fillers and Botox. Both of these medical experts can work together for providing the best aesthetic plastic surgery and medications for beautifications and anti-ageing. Although both of them earn a considerable amount of incomes. According to the American Medical Group Association, the average income earned by dermatologists in a year is $375,176 and the average income earned by plastic surgeons is $390,142.