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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by seeing your family doctor. He or she may refer you to a doctor who specializes in skin disorders (dermatologist) or hormone problems (endocrinologist). Because appointments can be brief and there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment.
What you can do
Before your appointment, you may want to write a list that answers some of the following questions:
- Has anyone in your family ever had this problem?
- Does diabetes run in your family?
- Have you ever had problems with your ovaries, adrenal glands or thyroid?
- What medications and supplements do you take on a regular basis?
- Have you ever had to take high doses of prednisone for more than a week?
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to spend more time on. Your doctor may ask:
- When did your symptoms begin?
- Have they gotten worse?
- What areas of your body are affected?
- Have you ever had cancer?
- Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 5th ed. Edinburgh, U.K.; New York, N.Y.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..X0001-6--TOP&isbn=978-0-7234-3541-9&uniqId=230100505-57. Accessed March 29, 2012.
- Goldstein BG, et al. Metabolic and inherited diseases affecting the skin. http://www.uptodate.com/index.html. Accessed March 29, 2012.
- Rose PT. Pigmentary disorders. Medical Clinics of North America. 2009;93:1225.
- Owen C. Cutaneous manifestations of internal malignancy. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed March 30, 2012.
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