The Department of Dermatology was established in 1953, making it the earliest Western medicine dermatology department in Guangdong Province. Under the leadership of senior dermatology experts Professors Xu Deqing and Zeng Fanqin, the department achieved many "firsts" in Western medicine dermatology within Guangdong Province: the first master's and doctoral degree-granting site, the first postdoctoral research program, one of the first national clinical drug trial bases, one of the first specialized residency training bases, the first department to establish inpatient wards, and the first to possess independent immunology laboratories, dermatopathology units, and dermatomycology research facilities.
The department currently has 9 senior professional title holders, 5 associate senior professional title holders, and 9 staff members with overseas research experience of one year or more. Annual outpatient visits exceed 200,000. With 32 inpatient beds, the department admits over 1,000 patients annually. It comprises five subspecialties: Immune Skin Diseases, Infectious Skin Diseases (including medical mycology and sexually transmitted diseases), Dermatological Cosmetology, Dermatological Surgery, and Dermatopathology. The department has achieved outstanding research performance, securing 18 general and youth projects from the National Natural Science Foundation of China over the past decade, along with 1 key project (a Guangdong joint key project). It has published over 100 SCI-indexed papers and maintains in-depth collaborations with institutions such as Georgetown University (USA), Chiba University (Japan), the CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (Netherlands), and research centers in Brazil. The department has trained more than 130 master's students and over 40 doctoral students. Many students have received national scholarships and the Annual Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the Dermatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association during their studies. As the leading unit for undergraduate teaching in Dermatology and Venereology at Sun Yat-sen University, the department is responsible for developing teaching materials, curricula, and examination syllabi. It also conducts theoretical teaching and clinical practicums for five-year clinical medicine, stomatology, and nursing programs, as well as full English-language teaching for eight-year clinical medicine programs and international students, earning the distinction of a Sun Yat-sen University Elite Course.
Currently, the department has become a discipline with leading comprehensive strength in the province and advanced standing nationally. It also enjoys a high reputation in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. In 2013, it was recognized as a Guangdong Provincial Key Specialty.