Dermatologists
Diagnose and treat diseases relating to the skin, hair, and nails. May perform both medical and dermatological surgery functions.
Dermatologists diagnose and treat diseases relating to the skin, hair, and nails. May perform both medical and dermatological surgery functions. The role is projected to grow 6% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Doctoral or professional degree, and shows low AI exposure (0.34 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £92,847 a year for Specialist medical practitioners (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £67,335 to £136,100 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2212). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Dermatologists, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Entrance exam NEET-UG for admission to MBBS[1][2]
- 2 · Qualification MBBS degree from an NMC-listed medical college[3]
- 3 · Registration Registration as a medical practitioner on the National Medical Register / with a State Medical Council[3][4]
- 4 · Qualification NEET-PG for a postgraduate seat, then MD in Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy[5][6]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- NEET (UG) — National Testing Agency (read on 2026-09-27)
- MCC UG Medical Counselling — Medical Counselling Committee, MoHFW (read on 2026-09-27)
- National Medical Commission — home (read on 2026-09-27)
- NMC — Ethics & Medical Registration Board (read on 2026-09-27)
- MCC PG Medical Counselling — Medical Counselling Committee, MoHFW (read on 2026-09-27)
- NMC — PG Curriculum (competency-based PG programmes) (read on 2026-09-27)
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
- Biology
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Psychology
What you'd actually do
- Conduct complete skin examinations.
- Diagnose and treat pigmented lesions such as common acquired nevi, congenital nevi, dysplastic nevi, Spitz nevi, blue nevi, or melanoma.
- Perform incisional biopsies to diagnose melanoma.
- Perform skin surgery to improve appearance, make early diagnoses, or control diseases such as skin cancer.
- Counsel patients on topics such as the need for annual dermatologic screenings, sun protection, skin cancer awareness, or skin and lymph node self-examinations.
- Diagnose and treat skin conditions such as acne, dandruff, athlete's foot, moles, psoriasis, or skin cancer.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Dermatologists do?
Diagnose and treat diseases relating to the skin, hair, and nails. May perform both medical and dermatological surgery functions.
What is the job outlook for Dermatologists?
The role is projected to grow 6% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 10,900 workers.
How do I become a dermatologists?
The typical entry education is a Doctoral or professional degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Dermatologists need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Dermatologists?
Our AI-durability model gives Dermatologists a score of 0.34 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Dermatologists has very high barrier to entry — very highly gated — extended graduate education, licensure, or years of specialised training are required.