Dermatologist Salaries

While not the deepest, the skin is surely the largest organ of the human body - and makes people go pretty deep into their pockets to keep it looking good. But it's not just the beauty concerns, the rise in in the incidence of skin cancers like Basal Cell, Melanomas, etc. have been keeping the demand strong for skin doctors.

Dermatologist enjoy a strong demand, good lifestyle, good Money, easy to setup private group practice and no emergencies !

Check out some representative median salaries

• Houston, TX: $225,000/-
• Los Angeles, CA: $245,000/-
• Miami, FL: $220,000/-
• New York, NY: $ 256,000/-
• Seattle, WA: $240,000/-

National Average = $215,000/-

According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, The annual salary for dermatologists ranges from $224,630 to $418,789/- a year and there is project shortage of dermatologist due to "An aging U.S. population, a rise in the incidence and prevalence of skin problems and melanoma, and insurance carriers moving toward granting patients direct access to dermatologists"


Little wonder then, a Dermatology residency remains exceptionally tough for IMGs to get into.

Here are some excerpts obtained from An article that appeared in the 2001 Physician Compensation report:

- A general dermatologist doing no cosmetic care, working in the office five days per week (dermatology has little call or hospital duty), should be able to generate $550,000 per year: from a lot of patients, about 40 to 50 per day with most pulling in $50 to $75. - but with an overhead of expenses in the 56% 57% range, like primary care, leaving a net income for the general dermatologist of about $240,000."

- A "derm path" (Dermatopathologist) can look at about 100 slides daily, charging about $75 each. Thus, revenues can approach $2 million per year per doc. And typical overhead rate is about 30% much lower than in general dermatology!

- Mohs Micrographic surgery (MMS). This is the most common kind of skin cancer surgery today. Huffman says it can generate $1.5 million per year in revenue, with overhead of about 40%.

( What is Mohs Surgery? : Mohs Micrographic Surgery is a skin cancer surgical treatment technique originally introduced using fixed tissue specimens by Frederic Mohs and later on modified to be used on fresh frozen tissue. Dermatologist can do a one-year fellowship after residency to learn the procedure )

HOWEVER, since January 2008 - Due to a change in Medicare payment formula, Income for Dermatologists doing Mohs Surgeries will be reducing by 20% to 30% - Read Here

Fellowship Opportunities after Dermatology residency:

- Dermatopathology : e.g. Tulane University program
- Pediatric Dermatology: e.g. Medical College of Wisconsin Program
- Procedural Dermatology / Mohs Surgery Fellowship / Dermatology Surgery: e.g. Medical University of South Carolina Fellowship Program

Click Here for a great write up on the different surgical techniques that a dermatologist can learn and perform



Also Read:


- Dermatology & IMGs
- Mohs Surgery Incomes to Decrease for U.S. Dermatologists
- Look Who's stealing from the Dermatologists


Nice Books:

- Mohs Micrographic Surgery
- Dermatology: A Quick Glance
- A Dermatologist's Little Instruction Book
( An entertaining look at the specialty of dermatology)
- Atlas of Clinical Dermatology
- Color Atlas of Dermatopathology




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