“Dermatologists don’t save lives.”

This was a recent comment made by a non-dermatologist about our field. I beg to differ.

As an academic dermatologist, I specialize in the treatment of difficult skin cancers, esp when they cannot be treated by straightforward surgeries. 1/ This pt had undergone a kidney transplant for polycystic kidney disease and was on anti-rejection immunosuppressive meds. He then developed a deep 3.1 mm melanoma on his scalp (+BRAF mutation), underwent excision and complete lymph node neck dissection after a positive SLN. 2/