DFPC Team | Beneath the Surface

DFPC Team

DFPC Team

The DFPC Team is the group behind Derm for Primary Care. Every Thursday they write Beneath the Surface, a dermatology newsletter for primary care clinicians. They cover rash recognition, skin cancer screening, acne, eczema, psoriasis and when to refer. Each issue also brings downloadable guides, infographics, book recommendations and hand-picked videos, plus courses for readers who want to go deeper.

Rosacea, lupus, or neither?

Oct 29, 2026

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3 min read

Rosacea, lupus, or neither?

One fold of skin separates the two diagnoses. Five lupus skin mistakes, and the medication list that causes one of them.

Acne

The same pimple, the same place, every visit

Oct 22, 2026

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3 min read

The same pimple, the same place, every visit

Hormones, friction, product buildup, or a pore that never fully healed... today's issue gives you two free one-page handouts that let your patient sort their recurrent acne into its pattern in the waiting room, so you know where to look before you write a script.

Hyperpigmentation in the wrong places? Think of this disease first

Oct 15, 2026

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3 min read

Hyperpigmentation in the wrong places? Think of this disease first

Creases, scars, gums, and knuckles. Where to look, what to order, and how to diagnose a disease that could be putting your patients' lives in danger

Five thyroid skin signs and the labs they should trigger

Oct 8, 2026

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3 min read

Five thyroid skin signs and the labs they should trigger

Thyroid autoimmunity hides behind hair loss, hives, and dry skin. Five places primary care misses it.

Hidradenitis suppurativa: 5 mistakes that delay diagnosis

Oct 1, 2026

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6 min read

Hidradenitis suppurativa: 5 mistakes that delay diagnosis

Patients wait 7 to 10 years for this diagnosis. You can make it at the first visit.

The skin was showing you the diabetes first...

Sep 24, 2026

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3 min read

The skin was showing you the diabetes first...

Why "just a bruise," "just a rash," and "just dry skin" are costing your patients years of undiagnosed hyperglycemia.

Why autumn is so rough on your patients’ skin

Sep 17, 2026

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5 min read

Why autumn is so rough on your patients’ skin

How to get ahead of eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, and cold-triggered flares before winter.

Contact dermatitis: five mistakes that keep the rash coming back

Sep 10, 2026

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5 min read

Contact dermatitis: five mistakes that keep the rash coming back

Irritant or allergic? Poison ivy for two weeks or three? When to stop treating and start patch testing.

Aging

+2

Botox or Sculptra? The one test that decides.

Sep 8, 2026

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4 min read

Botox or Sculptra? The one test that decides.

Different mechanisms, different timelines, and complications that show up in your exam room first.

Skin Health

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More is not better: what a skincare routine actually needs

Sep 3, 2026

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4 min read

More is not better: what a skincare routine actually needs

You're Wasting Money on Skincare. Here's Proof 3 Products Is Enough

The condition your patients have decided not to mention...

Aug 27, 2026

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3 min read

The condition your patients have decided not to mention...

What hyperhidrosis actually is, why half of patients never mention it, and what to do when they finally do.

Seborrheic Keratosis: The Growth Everyone Recognizes and Almost No One Investigates

Aug 20, 2026

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3 min read

Seborrheic Keratosis: The Growth Everyone Recognizes and Almost No One Investigates

It's the most reflexively diagnosed lesion in primary care, and that confidence is exactly what lets melanoma hide inside it.

Hair and Scalp

Alopecia in women: recognition, diagnosis, and management

Aug 13, 2026

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3 min read

Alopecia in women: recognition, diagnosis, and management

A practical guide to recognizing the most common causes of hair loss in women and approaching diagnosis and management.

Urticaria: Diagnosis and Treatment

Aug 6, 2026

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6 min read

Urticaria: Diagnosis and Treatment

Chronic hives are rarely an allergy, and the treatment ladder gained two new rungs while most of us were still ordering panels.

The Autoimmune Disease We Still Call Cosmetic

Jul 30, 2026

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6 min read

The Autoimmune Disease We Still Call Cosmetic

Vitiligo has an approved repigmentation therapy, a systemic option under review, and a mental health burden most visits never touch.

The Inflammatory Skin Disease Hiding in Plain Sight

Jul 23, 2026

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6 min read

The Inflammatory Skin Disease Hiding in Plain Sight

Understanding pseudofolliculitis barbae changes how you counsel, prescribe, and prevent recurrence.

Skin Health

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Microneedling: miracle, marketing, or something in between

Jul 16, 2026

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6 min read

Microneedling: miracle, marketing, or something in between

Patients request it by name to erase scars and years. Here is what the needles actually do, and what they don't.

Skin Health

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What current evidence says about diagnosing and treating cellulitis

Jul 9, 2026

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7 min read

What current evidence says about diagnosing and treating cellulitis

This week we stay on the lower leg and look at one of the most common reasons a patient lands in urgent care or the hospital

Skin Health

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Clean Beauty's Dirty Secret: When "Natural" Becomes the Allergen

Jul 2, 2026

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7 min read

Clean Beauty's Dirty Secret: When "Natural" Becomes the Allergen

This week, the rash isn't from what they stopped using. It's from what they switched to.

Skin Health

Dermatology 101: Everything You Should Know

Jun 25, 2026

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6 min read

Dermatology 101: Everything You Should Know

Understanding the Skin from the Inside Out

Eczema

Eczema in Focus: Lifestyle Strategies & New Trends

Jun 18, 2026

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4 min read

Eczema in Focus: Lifestyle Strategies & New Trends

Exploring how daily habits, environment, and mindful care can change the course of eczema management.

Skin Health

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15 years, 5,767 studies: what the science actually agrees on

Jun 11, 2026

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3 min read

15 years, 5,767 studies: what the science actually agrees on

A data-driven look at the past, present, and future of gut microbiome science

Hair and Scalp

The Myth of “Hair Getting Used to” Your Shampoo

Jun 4, 2026

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4 min read

The Myth of “Hair Getting Used to” Your Shampoo

Patients swear their shampoo "stopped working." It didn't... Here's what's actually happening and what to do about it.

The Rep Relationship, Restructured: Five Moves That Turn a Sales Visit Into a Working Session

May 28, 2026

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6 min read

The Rep Relationship, Restructured: Five Moves That Turn a Sales Visit Into a Working Session

The cultural conversation around reps swings between two unhelpful poles. One pole treats every rep interaction as a compromise of clinical judgment. The other treats reps as friendly access infrastructure with no influence at all. Neither is accurate in day-to-day dermatology practice.

Why Your Prescription Never Reaches the Patient: Five Access Failures Costing Dermatology Outcomes

May 21, 2026

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5 min read

Why Your Prescription Never Reaches the Patient: Five Access Failures Costing Dermatology Outcomes

Here are five clinical mistakes that turn a good prescription into a treatment that never starts.