Dermatology Made Easy

Book Title: Dermatology Made Easy

Book Author: Amanda Oakley

Publication Information: Banbury, UK, Scion Publishing Limited, 2017, 420 pp, $14.49, paperback

Dermatology Made Easy is a perfect solution to the constant struggle that dermatology diagnosis presents to primary care physicians and other providers. It can be described as concise and immensely informative. This book is written by Dr Amanda Oakley, a practicing dermatologist and adjunct professor at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of DermNet NZ.

At the beginning of the book, the author lists and explains commonly used terminology in the field of dermatology which sets the tone well. There are six main chapters. Each chapter is further divided into multiple subdivisions based on the context. The first chapter discusses differential diagnosis of different skin rashes and has a picture and brief summary for each rash. This is the most helpful section because it organizes the skin disorders based on symptoms, morphology, and body sites, which makes it easy to navigate through the book. The second chapter describes all the infectious rashes in detail. Chapter three includes inflammatory rashes such as acne, eczema, pemphigus, etc. The fourth chapter focuses on noninflammatory skin diseases that include alopecia, vitiligo and other conditions. Chapter five is about skin lesions that include melanoma, moles, etc. The last one discusses investigations and treatments, including a particularly helpful section on interpreting dermatopathology. The treatment options including medications and physical treatments are also enumerated in detail.

This well-formatted book covers a vast array of topics ranging from common to rare skin disorders. The pictures are immensely helpful in the understanding of various skin rashes. This book can be used for a quick review of a given topic, or as an atlas. It provides valuable information regarding when referral to a dermatologist is warranted.

It would be fair to say that this book is derived from DermNet NZ, which is an online resource with immense amount of information and images regarding skin disorders. The book and the website really complement each other well. Something that sets this book apart from the other available dermatology books such as Thomas Habif’s Clinical Dermatology² and Fitzpatrick’s Color Atlas³ is the more streamlined organization of the text, although all of the books have great images. In conclusion, Dermatology Made Easy provides us with vast amount of information regarding skin disorders. The language is lucid, and the topics are presented in a well-organized manner. The book is appropriately priced. It is a valuable tool for increasing understanding regarding diagnosis and treatment of skin disorders. It will be helpful not only to physicians but also to residents and medical students.