Dermatology is the medical and surgical specialty focused on diseases of the skin, hair, and nails. With average wait times for routine dermatology appointments exceeding 30–45 days in most metropolitan markets and 60–90 days in many rural areas, dermatology has one of the most acute access crises in American medicine — and continues to be one of the highest-compensated and most actively recruited physician specialties.
Dermatology is a primary medical specialty requiring four years of dedicated training after medical school (one year of medical or transitional internship plus three years of dermatology). Dermatologists are board-certified through the American Board of Dermatology (ABD), and they diagnose and treat the full range of skin disease — from common conditions (acne, eczema, psoriasis, skin cancer) to rare and complex inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases.
Modern dermatology practice spans medical dermatology (the largest segment), Mohs micrographic surgery, pediatric dermatology, dermatopathology, cosmetic dermatology, complex medical dermatology with biologic therapy, and teledermatology. Subspecialty fellowship training is available in Mohs surgery, pediatric dermatology, and dermatopathology; cosmetic and complex medical dermatology are typically practice-focused without formal fellowship.
Dermatology practice settings have shifted significantly over the past decade. PE-backed dermatology platforms (USDP, Forefront, Schweiger, Anne Arundel, and similar) have consolidated a substantial share of US dermatology practices, while independent partnership practices, hospital-employed dermatology, multi-specialty groups, academic centers, and teledermatology platforms continue to compete actively for every available dermatology candidate.
Dermatology recruiting spans medical, surgical, pediatric, and cosmetic subspecialties. Our team covers each:
Medical / General Dermatology — Outpatient general dermatology managing skin cancer screening, acne, eczema, psoriasis, and routine skin disease.
Mohs Micrographic Surgery — Fellowship-trained Mohs surgeons performing tissue-sparing skin cancer removal. The most in-demand dermatology subspecialty.
Pediatric Dermatology — Subspecialty fellowship-trained pediatric dermatologists at children's hospitals and pediatric specialty groups. Severe national shortage.
Dermatopathology — Fellowship-trained dermatopathologists reading skin biopsies. Often combined with active clinical practice.
Cosmetic Dermatology — Practice-focused cosmetic dermatologists running aesthetic services (botox, fillers, lasers, body contouring).
Complex Medical Dermatology — Subspecialty-focused medical dermatologists managing autoimmune, biologic-treated, and complex inflammatory skin disease.
Teledermatology — Fully remote or hybrid teledermatology positions, increasingly competitive with traditional in-office practice models.
Dermatology has one of the most acute access crises in American medicine. Average wait times for routine dermatology appointments exceed 30–45 days in most metropolitan markets and 60–90 days in many rural areas. The American Academy of Dermatology has documented persistent dermatologist undersupply driven by limited residency expansion and growing skin cancer incidence in an aging population.
Subspecialty supply is particularly constrained for Mohs surgery and pediatric dermatology, with successful searches typically requiring 120–240+ days. PE platform consolidation continues to reshape dermatology practice economics, while teledermatology has emerged as a competitive alternative to traditional office-based practice.
Dermatology compensation has historically led most of medicine and continues to rise. Medical dermatologists typically earn $400,000–$600,000 in employed positions and $750,000+ in mature partnerships. Mohs surgeons typically earn $500,000–$800,000, pediatric dermatologists $325,000–$475,000, and dermatopathologists $400,000–$600,000.
MedicalRecruiting.com operates a dedicated dermatology recruiting practice serving hospitals, dermatology groups, multi-specialty groups, and academic medical centers across all 50 states. For a complete overview of our dermatology recruiting services — including the subspecialties we cover, the organizations we serve, our process, and current dermatology compensation benchmarks — visit our dermatology recruiters page.
For interim dermatology coverage during permanent searches, see our locum tenens services. To browse the full directory of medical specialties we recruit for, visit the specialties hub.
For dermatology candidates exploring opportunities, browse current openings on our jobs board, review dermatology compensation data on our physician salary comparison tool, and submit your CV through our candidate portal for visibility to our employer network.
Dermatology has persistent undersupply driven by limited residency expansion (dermatology has one of the smallest residency training pipelines among major medical specialties) and growing skin cancer incidence in an aging population. Average wait times for routine dermatology appointments exceed 30–45 days in most metropolitan markets and 60–90 days in many rural areas.
Mohs micrographic surgery is a tissue-sparing technique for removing skin cancer with real-time microscopic margin evaluation during the procedure. Mohs surgeons are dermatologists who completed a one-year ACMS-accredited fellowship after dermatology residency. Mohs surgery is the most in-demand dermatology subspecialty by recruiter activity.
Medical dermatologists typically earn $400,000–$600,000 in employed positions and $750,000+ in mature partnerships. Mohs surgeons typically earn $500,000–$800,000, pediatric dermatologists $325,000–$475,000, dermatopathologists $400,000–$600,000, and cosmetic-heavy practices $1M+ for established practitioners.
Visit our dedicated dermatology recruiters page for a complete overview of our dermatology recruiting practice, the subspecialties we cover, the organizations we serve, and current dermatology compensation benchmarks.