The ethos of this bestselling text is that however much or little you know about skin disease you can always arrive at the right diagnosis. The secret is to examine the surface of the rash or skin lesion which will help you classify the clinical features correctly – colour, surface features, type of lesion, border and how long it has been present. Algorithms throughout each chapter give the differential diagnosis for the features you have elicited.

Accompanying clinical photographs and a clear description of the condition will enable you to check whether you are right or not. If your choice seems unlikely, any conditions that could be confused with the one you selected are listed along the base of the algorithm to help you compare diagnoses so that you can get to the right answer.

We hope this new edition – now enhanced with specific instructions on treatment – will be the only quick clinical reference you will ever need for dermatology diagnoses.