23/01/2026
In the UK, the term Consultant Dermatologist is not a protected term. So anyone can use the term, even if they have not completed the necessary training. It can be very confusing for patients who think they are seeing someone who isn’t necessarily who they think they are.
To become a Consultant Dermatologist in the UK, you have to have completed medical school, undertaken and completed resident doctor training and also undertaken postgraduate degrees to become a Member of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) and completed the Speciality Certificate in Dermatology. Many will then undertake further postgraduate degrees such as an MSc, BSc, MD or PhD in order to subspecialise.
If you are ever unsure of someone’s accreditations, regardless of speciality, go to the GMC website and put in the doctor’s name and/or GMC number. This will tell you whether the doctor is on the GP register or Specialist register and which Specialist register they are on. You don’t want to see someone who says they are a Consultant Dermatologist and find out they are a colorectal surgeon!
The British Association of Dermatologists have made it easier by creating the BAD tick for us to use to clearly display our Consultant Dermatologist credentials.
Thank you to for highlighting this important issue 👏👏👏
