A licensed doctor has the legal right to practice medicine in a state, in any field. A board-certified dermatologist has gone further: after medical school, they completed a dermatology residency and passed the specialty board's exams. A license is the legal minimum, while board certification shows training and testing in skin, hair and nail care specifically. You can check both online, for free, in a few minutes.
Below is what each credential you might see actually means, what it does not prove, and where to verify it.
State license: the legal minimum to practice
Every physician needs a license from the state where they practice. To get one, a doctor must graduate from medical school and meet the state's training and exam requirements.
What a license does not tell you is the doctor's specialty. Medical licenses are not issued by specialty, so a licensed physician in any field can legally treat skin. A license alone does not tell you someone trained as a dermatologist.
How to check a license. New York, like other states, offers a free public online lookup of licensed professionals, run by the state agency that issues the licenses. Search for it on the state's official government website rather than a third-party directory. A license lookup generally shows whether a license is current. If you can't find a provider by name, ask the office for the license number and search by that.
Board certification: specialty exams and ongoing upkeep
Board certification is voluntary, but it is the clearest sign that a doctor trained as a dermatologist. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the path includes four years of medical school, a one-year internship and three years of dermatology residency. To become board certified, the doctor must then pass a board exam. The American Board of Dermatology also runs a continuing certification program, which is how dermatologists keep their certification current after that first exam.
The AAD recognizes three organizations that certify dermatologists:
- The American Board of Dermatology (ABD)
- The American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology, for osteopathic physicians
- The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
How to verify board certification:
- American Board of Dermatology. The ABD's website has a free public search tool for checking whether a dermatologist is board certified by the ABD.
- ABMS. The ABD is a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), which runs its own free lookup called Certification Matters.
- Osteopathic dermatologists. If your dermatologist trained as an osteopathic physician, their certification may come from the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology instead. The American Osteopathic Association can confirm it.
When someone says "board certified," it is fair to ask: certified in what? A doctor can be board certified in another specialty, such as family medicine or internal medicine, and still offer skin treatments. Only certification from one of the dermatology boards above means board certified in dermatology.
FAAD: an American Academy of Dermatology designation
FAAD stands for Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. The AAD explains that FAAD after a dermatologist's name indicates board certification. You can see it listed in the AAD's Find a Dermatologist directory.
FAAD also reflects membership in the AAD, which is a professional choice. A board-certified dermatologist who is not an AAD member won't use the letters, so a missing FAAD does not, by itself, mean a lack of certification. The board's own lookup is the direct check.
NPI number: a billing identifier, not a credential
An NPI (National Provider Identifier) is a unique 10-digit number that health care providers use on insurance claims and other standard health care transactions. It is issued under rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and anyone can search the public NPI Registry.
An NPI is not a license, a degree or a certification, and CMS notes that the number itself carries no information about a provider's specialty. Its main use for patients is as a precise search key. If two doctors share a name, the NPI Registry can help you confirm which one practices where.
"Skin specialist," "aesthetician," "cosmetic doctor": titles that are not board certification
Several titles sound official but do not mean board certification in dermatology:
- "Skin specialist" or "skin expert." These are descriptions, not credentials. Anyone can use them.
- Esthetician (aesthetician). Estheticians are licensed to provide cosmetic skin care such as facials. They are not physicians and do not diagnose or treat skin disease.
- "Cosmetic doctor." This is not a medical specialty, so the title alone tells you nothing about training. Check what the person is actually certified in.
- "Board certified" with no specialty named. Ask which board.
Physician assistants hold a separate, legitimate credential. PA-C means a physician assistant certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). PAs are licensed medical providers, and many work in dermatology practices. The NCCPA offers a free online tool to verify a PA's certification.
A quick credentials comparison
- State medical license: the legal right to practice medicine in that state. Does not show a specialty. Check it with the state's official license lookup.
- Board certified in dermatology: completed a dermatology residency and passed the specialty board's exam. Check it with the ABD's search or ABMS Certification Matters (for osteopathic physicians, the American Osteopathic Association).
- FAAD: a board-certified dermatologist who is a fellow of the AAD. Check it in the AAD's Find a Dermatologist directory.
- NPI: an identification number for billing. Proves no training. Check it in the NPI Registry.
- PA-C: a nationally certified physician assistant. Check it with the NCCPA's verification tool.
- Esthetician: licensed for cosmetic skin care, not for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Checking our providers
We welcome patients checking the credentials of anyone who treats them, including ours. Dr. Evangeline Perez is a board-certified dermatologist with more than 20 years of experience. Nicole Marie Colucci, PA-C, is a board-certified physician assistant (NCCPA). Kerry Ly, PA-C, speaks Mandarin and Cantonese in addition to English. You can read about each of them on the providers page, and learn more about Bay Ridge Dermatology, established in 2008.
Credentials matter most when the stakes are higher: a mole that has changed, a rash that hasn't responded to treatment, sudden hair loss, or any procedure on your face. In those moments, it is worth seeing a board-certified dermatologist.
If you would like an appointment, you can book online or call (347) 497-4984.
This article is general information, not medical advice. For advice about your own skin, see a dermatologist.