Preface

Clinical Dermatology is the product of decades of interaction with our primary care and dermatology colleagues and residents. It features concise, practical information on the diagnosis and management of common skin disorders. Diagnostic features, cost-effective management, evidence-based medicine, and patient-centered care are emphasized.

Clinicians, residents, and medical students will find this textbook helpful in expanding their understanding and management of skin disorders. Our advisory group, consisting of primary care physicians, residents, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and medical students, was instrumental in the design and review of this textbook.

Clinical Dermatology is divided into three sections.

• Section One covers the principles of diagnosis, management of common skin disorders, and diagnostic and surgical procedures.

• Section Two covers common skin disorders and selected less common disorders with high morbidity. The information on each disease is formatted into ten sections: introduction, pathogenesis, history, physical examination, laboratory findings, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, management, indications for consultation, and patient information. Evidence-based reviews and national and international guidelines are used when available in the management sections.

• Section Three focuses on the differential diagnosis of diseases in specific body regions based on history and physical examination. This section also includes the differential diagnosis of purpura, fever and rash, hospital-acquired rashes, pruritus, and skin ulcers. A chapter on cosmetic dermatology completes this section.

The online learning center (www.LangeClinicalDermatology.com) for this textbook contains multimedia presentations that complement and expand the content in the textbook. It contains the following.

• Videos with detailed demonstrations of common cutaneous diagnostic and surgical procedures.

• Clinical unknown cases with self-assessment questions that cover challenging diagnostic and management problems.

• PowerPoint presentations that cover the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of common skin disorders. These PowerPoints can be used for a rapid review of cutaneous disease or by educators for teaching.

We would like to thank our editors, Anne Sydor and Christina M. Thomas, the production supervisor, Sherri Souffrance, and the project manager, Asheesh Ratra. We are grateful for contributions of photographs from Doctors Whitney Tope, Spencer Holmes, Bruce Bart, Richard Steinberg, Cindy Vehe, Dan Kaplan, Marna Ericson, Valda Kaye, Mark Wilke, Warren Goodman, David Ahrenholz, and the residents of the University of Minnesota dermatology residency programs. We thank our reviewers Jamie Santilli, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Community Health; Catherine Manabat, MD, medicine/dermatology resident; Sanober Amin, MD, PhD, dermatology resident; Cynthia Olson, MD, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota Department of Dermatology; our medical student reviewers James Dorrian, Kathleen P. Lane, Matthew Majerus, Julie Fox, Jaime Loso, Maria Smith, and Heather Haberman PA-C and Victoria Eddy NP.

We want to especially acknowledge Robert W. Goltz, MD, who was our mentor and chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Minnesota (1971 to 1985). His mastery of the art, science, and practice of medicine influenced all who were privileged to train with him.

We are especially grateful for our husbands’ support and patience during this project.