Review: Journal of American Academy of Dermatology: June 2017

Dermatology: An illustrated colour text, 6th ed, by Elsevier is the newest edition of the illustrated introductory dermatology text. Dermatology: An illustrated colour text continues to be targeted toward medical students, general practitioners, and early resident trainees with the objective of introducing the diagnosis and management of common dermatologic diseases. It is a concise, well-organized text with significant supplemental online resources to expand the scope of the text. The authors, Drs Gawkrodger and Ardern-Jones, succeed with the newest edition in providing both a readable introductory text and covering a wide range of dermatologic topics.

The publication is divided into 3 sections and is comprised of 67 succinct chapters. The first section introduces basic dermatologic principles, including microanatomy, physiology, and basic dermatologic terminology and physical examination taking. The second section comprises the bulk of the publication and is arranged by disease entity with each treated as an educational unit for rapid accessibility. Clinical images and illustrations are excellent and of high quality. The final section describes various special topics in dermatology, including chapters on procedural dermatology, pediatric dermatology, and unique demographics in dermatology, such as pregnancy, geriatric, and skin of color. The online resources include the complete text and review flashcards and chapter self-assessments. The interface is easy to navigate and the learning resources supplement the text well.

This text is not intended to be all-inclusive, but instead functions as an accessible reference to introductory dermatology. The authors succeed in this aspect. In an increasingly technological age, supplementation with online content makes the use of this text and its resources more valuable. While the book is non-comprehensive, it serves as a good reference for medical students, nurses, general practitioners, and early dermatology trainees.

Bryan Baillis, MD Charleston, South Carolina

Medical students, hospital resident / junior doctors, specialty registrars in dermatology or internal medicine, specialist nurses