What does a dermatologist do, and what does a plastic surgeon do?
A dermatologist is the medical specialist in diseases of the skin, hair and nails. Their ground is diagnosis and medical management: active acne, psoriasis, dermatitis, rosacea, skin infections, cutaneous allergies, mole checks. Their central tool is clinical judgement and, where needed, prescription — treatments that require supervision.
A plastic surgeon is the surgical specialist of the skin and its tissues: they excise lesions (moles, cysts, lipomas, skin tumours), reconstruct what excision or injury leaves behind (grafts, flaps, burn sequelae) and treat scars surgically. They also operate medical-surgical lasers when the problem is solved with energy rather than a scalpel.
In Mexico each specialty carries its own licence (cédula) issued by the DGP, publicly verifiable at cedulaprofesional.sep.gob.mx. A serious physician of either specialty will show you theirs without being asked twice. The step-by-step verification method is in our guide on how to choose a plastic surgeon in Puebla — it works for any specialist.
The decision table: your problem → the right specialist
Find your case in this list. It is written to be useful, not to sell: several rows end at the dermatologist, not the surgeon.
- Active acne (breakouts): dermatologist. Acne control is medical — it needs prescription and follow-up. The scars acne leaves, however, are plastic-surgery ground.
- Psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, rosacea, hives: dermatologist. These are chronic skin diseases controlled with supervised medical treatment.
- Facial dark spots and melasma: diagnosis first (is it melasma, a lentigo, or something else?). Melasma is controlled with photoprotection and prescription topicals; laser comes last and only in selected cases.
- A mole that changed, bleeds or worries you: both, in that order. The check and diagnosis are dermatologic; if the lesion must be excised — especially on the face — excision with biopsy and an aesthetic closure are surgical. See skin cancer screening.
- Diagnosed or suspected skin cancer (basal cell, squamous cell): both. Diagnosis is dermatologic; carcinoma surgery with margins and the reconstruction of the defect belong to the plastic surgeon.
- Sebaceous cyst, lipoma, large warts: plastic surgeon — these are minor excisions resolved in-office with an aesthetic closure.
- Scars: keloids, acne scars, surgical or burn sequelae: plastic surgeon. The keloid scar and the burn sequela are surgical and medical-laser problems.
- Hair loss: diagnosing the cause (effluvium, alopecia areata, hormonal) is dermatologic/trichologic; a hair transplant, when indicated, is performed by the surgeon.
- Drooping eyelids, excess skin, surgical facial ageing: plastic surgeon — blepharoplasty, facelift.
The cases where the honest answer is "both"
There is a group of problems — skin cancer, suspicious moles, lesions that must be excised in visible areas — where no single specialist can give you the complete answer alone. The dermatologist has the diagnostic eye; the plastic surgeon has the excision with margins, the biopsy and the reconstruction, so the result does not remind you of the disease every time you look in the mirror.
That is why the Clínica Dermatológica y Cirugía Estética de Puebla has existed under that name since 1971: it was founded by a dermatologist, Dr. Francisco Arellano Ocampo, and is directed today by his son, plastic surgeon Dr. Arístides Arellano Huacuja. The dermatology consultation and the operating room have worked under the same roof for more than five decades, so the patient never has to coordinate two practices that do not know each other: diagnosis and surgical solution continue seamlessly. See the clinic’s dermatology consultation.
And Dr. Arístides Arellano — which specialist is he?
So there is no ambiguity: Dr. Arístides Arellano Huacuja is a plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgeon — specialty licence 0002008 (DGP), medical licence D.G.P. 1125959. He is not a dermatologist, and nobody in this house will present him as one.
What he is: the second generation of a dermatologic clinic founded in 1971, its current director, and the surgeon who for more than four decades has operated on what dermatology diagnoses — excisions, reconstructions, scars and medical-surgical laser. If your problem sits in the surgical column of the table above, it is his ground. If it sits in the medical column, the clinic’s dermatology consultation is the right door — and it is in the same building.
How to verify any specialist before you book
Whether with us or with any other physician in Puebla, always verify the same three things: (1) the specialty licence at cedulaprofesional.sep.gob.mx — full name and specialty must match; (2) that the practice is an identifiable medical establishment, not just a social-media account; (3) that you receive a diagnosis and a written plan before anyone sells you a package of sessions. The full step-by-step, with DGP portal screenshots, is in the verification guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can a dermatologist remove moles or cysts?
Minor excisions are performed in different settings, but when the lesion is on the face, needs a biopsy with margins, or the closure has aesthetic implications, it is usually performed by a plastic surgeon. With suspicious lesions, what matters most is that the specimen is always sent for pathology.
Can a plastic surgeon treat my acne?
Controlling active acne is dermatologic medical treatment: it requires prescription and follow-up. What the plastic surgeon does treat are the sequelae — acne scars — with subcision, laser and other techniques. They are two different stages of the same problem.
Who do I see first if I suspect skin cancer?
First, a diagnostic check of the lesion. If it is confirmed or suspicion is high, treatment is usually surgical: excision with margins and, when the defect requires it, reconstruction. In a clinic where the dermatology consultation and the plastic surgeon work together, both steps are coordinated without you moving between practices.
How do I know a specialist really holds the specialty they claim?
Verify their specialty licence in Mexico’s public DGP registry (cedulaprofesional.sep.gob.mx): enter the physician’s full name and confirm the advertised specialty appears. It is free, takes two minutes, and no serious physician minds.
Is Dr. Arístides Arellano a dermatologist?
No. He is a plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgeon, specialty licence 0002008. He directs the Clínica Dermatológica y Cirugía Estética de Puebla, founded in 1971 by his father, dermatologist Dr. Francisco Arellano Ocampo; the clinic’s dermatology consultation covers medical diagnosis and management of the skin, and he covers the surgical and laser ground.
Which specialist treats scars?
Scars — keloid, hypertrophic, acne, burn or previous-surgery scars — are plastic-surgery ground, combining surgical techniques (revision, subcision, grafts) and medical laser depending on the scar type. Results may vary from person to person.
Every case is different. Get your questions answered in a personal consultation.
Book a consultation on WhatsAppEvery figure published on this site is approximate and is not a quote. Any procedure or treatment first requires a private assessment consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano —$800 MXN, charged separately— and it is at that consultation that the definitive cost of your case is determined.
Educational content; it does not replace a medical consultation. Results may vary from person to person.