dermato

Dermato is a combining form used in medical terminology to denote a relation to the skin. Derived from the Greek derma, meaning skin, it is part of a family of roots such as dermat-, dermato-, and derma- that appear in many skin-related terms. In practice, dermato- is used to form words describing skin conditions, diseases, and procedures, such as dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), dermatosis (a general term for skin lesions), dermatoscopy (a noninvasive imaging of the skin using a dermatoscope), and dermatomal (relating to a skin segment supplied by a spinal nerve).

The term also appears in connections to the medical specialty of dermatology, which focuses on the skin, hair, nails, and mucous membranes. While dermatology is the standard word for the field, dermato- provides the root from which related terms are built, and it can be seen in various compound terms that indicate skin involvement. For example, dermatopathology studies skin diseases at the microscopic level, and dermatomyositis denotes a condition affecting both the skin and muscles.

Usage and scope: Dermato- is primarily a lexical form used to construct terms rather than a standalone medical discipline. It signals skin-related concepts across anatomy, pathology, diagnostics, and treatment. In clinical writing, the preference often falls to dermat- in everyday terms such as dermatologist or dermatology, but dermato- remains an established variant in certain medical words.

See also: Dermatology, Dermatosis, Dermatoscopy, Dermatomal, Dermatopathology, Dermatomyositis.