Lead generation for dermatologists is the work of turning people who search Google for a procedure (mole mapping, a hair consultation, mole removal) into appointment requests, and measuring what each step costs. Across 97 organic results for 12 procedure searches in Italy, 49 belonged to clinic chains, 17 to individual dermatology practices and 16 to booking platforms, and none of the 12 pages showed a single ad (Visilay survey, 12 November 2026, Google Italy on mobile).
So the demand is there, and it is bigger than it looks.
Most practices just look at it from the wrong side.
The three mistakes we see most often:
- working only on "dermatologist + city", when in Italy "mappatura nei" (mole mapping) alone gets 8,100 searches a month and "epiluminescenza" (dermoscopy) 6,600, against 3,600 for "dermatologo milano" (DataForSEO, Google Ads Italy, 12-month average);
- counting people who want the public health service as patients, when they will never book a private visit;
- leaving the word "trichologist" to people who are not doctors, exactly where clicks cost the most.
Why listen to us? We do not run a dermatology practice with a public case study, and we will not pretend we do.
The method is the one we used with Contesini Consulenze, two energy advice offices near Mantua: starting from zero, 299 contact requests at €7.20 each, and 68% became a sales opportunity.
What does an energy consultant have to do with a dermatologist?
That 68%. It is the number almost no medical practice knows: how many requests actually become a visit. Without it, every channel looks like it works.
In this guide:
- where a dermatologist's patients search, query by query, with volumes and cost per click;
- who holds those results today (not the platforms);
- the "trichologist" problem, in Italy and in the UK;
- what a dermatologist may publish under Italian medical advertising rules, with the UK reference point;
- what a new patient costs, with the formula and two examples;
- what ChatGPT and AI Overviews read when someone searches for a skin procedure.
Where a dermatologist's patients search (12 queries, 97 results, no ads)
A dermatologist's patients mostly search for the procedure, not the doctor: the 12 Italian queries we surveyed add up to almost 44,000 searches a month, against 3,600 for "dermatologo milano". The table shows who holds the first results for each one.
| Italian query (meaning) | Searches a month | Avg CPC | Chains and clinics | Individual practices | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tricologo (trichologist) | 12,100 | $3.44 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| mappatura nei (mole mapping) | 8,100 | $0.85 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| epiluminescenza (dermoscopy) | 6,600 | $0.73 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| visita dermatologica (dermatology visit) | 6,600 | $0.97 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| visita tricologica (hair consultation) | 2,900 | $5.56 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| crioterapia verruche (wart cryotherapy) | 1,600 | $0.28 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| dermatologo pediatrico (paediatric dermatologist) | 1,600 | $0.80 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| controllo nei (mole check) | 1,300 | $0.70 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| rimozione nei (mole removal) | 880 | $1.29 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| laser macchie viso (laser for facial spots) | 880 | $1.25 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| quanto costa una visita dermatologica (dermatology visit cost) | 880 | $0.90 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| dermatologo online (online dermatologist) | 480 | $1.68 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 43,920 | 49 of 97 | 17 of 97 | 16 of 97 |
Three things stand out.
First: on procedures, chains win, not platforms. On "mole mapping" 8 of 9 results belong to groups such as Humanitas and Santagostino. Platforms only dominate generic searches: "dermatology visit" (6 of 9) and "online dermatologist" (4 of 9). That is why the city map we analysed in our dermatology SEO guide tells only half the story.
Second: a single practice wins where the procedure is surgical. On "mole removal" 4 of 7 results are dermatologists' own sites. On "mole mapping", none.
Third: no ads on 12 national searches. On mobile, with no city, nobody bids on these words. With a city it barely changes: on the 14 local searches we read for our Google Ads guide for dermatologists there were 5 ads in total, none from a practice.
For comparison, in the UK "dermatologist near me" gets 27,100 searches a month at $3.21 a click, and "private dermatologist" 3,600 at $3.04 (DataForSEO, Google Ads UK, November 2026): UK clicks on the doctor are already pricier than Italian clicks on the procedure.
The four channels that bring a dermatologist requests (and what each one does)
A dermatologist gets requests from four search channels: the Google Business Profile, the site's procedure pages, Google Ads and booking platforms. Each catches a different moment, and each needs measuring on its own.
The practice's Google profile
The local pack (the three profiles on the map) appeared on 6 of the 12 searches, including mole mapping and hair consultation. It is the channel that brings phone calls, often without a visit to the site.
The tricky part is whose name goes on it: the practice, the individual doctor or both. We set out Google's rules in our guide to Google profiles for practitioners.
Procedure pages on the site
This is where a single practice beats a chain: one page for mole removal, one for mole mapping, one for the hair consultation, each with timings, fee and how to book. Which pages you need and what they must show is in our guide to the dermatology website.
Google Ads
With Italian CPCs under a dollar on mole mapping and mole checks, and nobody bidding on national searches, ads cover the city while the pages grow. Banned words (Botox, isotretinoin) and account structure are in the dedicated guide.
Booking platforms
MioDottore, Doctolib and iDoctors held 16 of 97 positions, concentrated on generic searches. They bring real requests, but the patient stays tied to the platform.
So platform or website?
Both, if you know how many patients each one brings. That is why every request needs a recorded source: form, profile phone number, platform, ad.
The word "trichologist" (the priciest clicks, and competitors who are not doctors)
In Italy "tricologo" is the highest-volume skin search in our sample, 12,100 a month, with an average CPC of $3.44: four times mole mapping. "Visita tricologica" (hair consultation) reaches $5.56 a click. The UK pattern is the same: "trichologist" gets 8,100 searches a month at $7.54 a click, more than double "private dermatologist".
And who is on that page?
On the Italian "tricologo" search only 4 of 9 organic results belong to doctors or healthcare providers. The rest: two directory pages, a video, a Facebook post and a hair-product brand.
The map is worse. One profile is a trichologist whose Google category is "Image consultant", and on "hair consultation" 2 of 4 map profiles are not doctors: him, plus an institute listed as "Hair replacement service".
And here is the interesting part…
On "visita tricologica" all 8 organic results were medical providers (6 chains, 2 dermatologists). When the query says "consultation", Google rewards doctors. The non-medical centres only survive on the map.
For a practice, that means:
- build the page on the hair consultation, and explain what a dermatologist does that a beauty centre cannot (diagnosis, prescription, tests);
- use "trichologist" in ads with care: it is the dearest word and also brings people looking for shampoo or a hair transplant;
- keep "Dermatologist" as the main category on the Google profile.
Paying $5 a click for people who wanted shampoo?
On hair searches clicks cost more than six times mole mapping, and not every competitor is a doctor. Let's look at where your practice's requests come from and which ones become visits.
Book a strategy callThe requests that will never become patients (public service, NHS, free)
Some people who reach a private practice are really looking for the public service or a free visit: every month in Italy there are 210 searches for "dermatologo convenzionato" (state-funded dermatologist), 140 for "mappatura nei asl" (mole mapping on the public service) and 50 for "dermatologo gratis". Few searches, but not cheap: "dermatologo convenzionato" has a CPC of $1.98, more than double "dermatologo" ($0.77).
The UK has its version. On "lead generation for dermatologists" Google UK showed the question "Why won't my GP refer me to a dermatologist?" right next to "How much does a private dermatologist consultation cost in the UK?".
Then just exclude them from the ads.
Not enough. These people also arrive from the map and the procedure pages, and they call. The filter goes in three places:
- on the page: say plainly "private appointment, not available on the NHS" (or the national equivalent) next to the fee;
- in the form: a field for the procedure and a clear "private" statement;
- on the phone: reception logs how many callers wanted a public referral, so you know how big the problem is.
What a dermatologist may publish to attract patients (fees yes, fear no)
In Italy a dermatologist may publish qualifications, procedures and fees, as long as the information is truthful and the price is not the only content of the message. That is what the FNOMCeO guidelines on health advertising say, republished by the Parma Medical Council on 16 June 2026 to apply articles 55-57 of the Italian medical code of ethics (the text of article 56 is on the FNOMCeO site).
Three bans matter most for a dermatologist:
- no content that may "cause unfounded fears": "one mole in three is dangerous, book now" is exactly the message not to write;
- no "consumerist pressure": bundles, time-limited discounts, two treatments for one;
- no selling products, not even through a link: the site cannot send visitors to a cream or supplement shop, or host ads from companies in the sector.
The third is the easiest to break on hair and pigmentation pages: on "laser macchie viso" Google shows a block of anti-spot cosmetics next to the results, and the urge to link one is strong.
In the UK the reference point is different but the spirit is close: the ASA's guidance on advertising cosmetic interventions covers claims, before-and-after images, the trivialisation of treatments and the ban on advertising prescription-only medicines such as Botox. Check the version in force before you publish.
What about reviews?
You can ask for them, not buy them. Google's content policy bans incentives for reviews, and a doctor should never confirm, in a reply, that the reviewer is a patient.
A date few practices use: Italy's national melanoma prevention day
Italian law no. 99 of 15 May 2026 created a national day for the prevention of cutaneous melanoma on the first Saturday of May (the second, if the first falls on 1 May). In 2027 that is Saturday 8 May.
It is health information, not promotion: a page explaining the day, who should have their moles checked and how to book fits the rules and lands in the months when Italian searches for "mappatura nei" climb to 9,900 (March to July 2026, against 5,400 in December 2025). UK practices can do the same with their own awareness calendar.
From request to visit (the form that does not ask for a photo of the mole)
A dermatologist's contact form should ask only what is needed to book: name, contact details, procedure, practice location, first visit or follow-up. Diagnosis, symptoms and photos belong in the visit, not in a form that ends up in an inbox.
There is a privacy reason too. Italy's data protection authority clarified in 2019 that health data processed for care needs no consent, while other purposes, such as promotion, do. Under UK GDPR health data is also special category data: a newsletter about aesthetic treatments sent to someone who booked a mole check is a different purpose.
Requests get lost here:
- the form lands in a mailbox nobody reads on Saturday, when many patients search;
- calls from the Google profile are not logged, so the map seems to bring nothing;
- confirmation arrives days later, and the patient has already booked on a platform.
The test is simple: fill in your own form on a phone and time the reply. If the email lands in spam, the problem is technical: we explain it in website not generating leads.
What a new patient costs (the formula, with mole mapping and hair consultation)
The cost of a new patient from Google Ads is the cost per click divided by two rates: how many clicks become a request, and how many requests become a visit. The formula is CPC ÷ (request rate × visit rate).
Two examples with assumed rates, identical for both procedures: 8 clicks in 100 become a request, 6 requests in 10 become a visit.
- Mole mapping (Italy): 0.85 ÷ (0.08 × 0.6) = about $18 per patient;
- hair consultation (Italy): 5.56 ÷ (0.08 × 0.6) = about $116 per patient.
Same rates, six times the cost. With the UK "trichologist" CPC of $7.54, the same maths gives about $157.
Are these numbers made up?
The rates are: we chose them to show the method. The CPCs are not, they come from DataForSEO in November 2026. You only get the real rates by counting your practice's requests and visits, as with Contesini, where 68% of requests became opportunities. The tools to record each source are in our roundup of lead generation tools.
What ChatGPT and AI Overviews read when someone searches for a skin procedure
Google showed an AI answer on 11 of the 12 Italian searches we surveyed. On the 5 where sources were readable, the most cited sites were chains (Humanitas, Santagostino, Artemisia Lab), bodies such as AIRC and Fondazione Veronesi, and social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube).
With one exception that matters.
The site of a single dermatologist, annazampetti.it, was cited in 2 of 5 AI answers: dermoscopy and mole removal. In both cases the cited page explains one specific procedure.
ChatGPT tells a similar story. We asked it (12 November 2026, web search on, in Italian) how a private dermatologist can find patients on Google without breaching the code of ethics: it cited the FNOMCeO code, the Italian Ministry of Health, Google Business Profile help and the Parma guidelines, and recommended pages on mole checks, dermoscopy and hair loss.
In short: to get into AI answers you need what Google needs, one page per procedure, with verifiable information and the doctor's name. Nobody can guarantee a citation, but without that page there is nothing to cite. We tested how ChatGPT picks local businesses in our local AI visibility study; if you want to work on it properly, that is our GEO service.
For the wider picture on doctors (ethics code, platforms, cost per patient) see our guide to lead generation for doctors; here we stopped on what changes for dermatology.
Frequently asked questions about lead generation for dermatologists
It depends: it is worth it if you know how many patients it brings in a year and what each one costs. In our Italian survey platforms held 16 of 97 results, concentrated on generic searches such as "dermatology visit"; on procedures such as mole mapping, chains and practice sites win.
Yes. In Italy the FNOMCeO health advertising guidelines allow fees to be published, as long as the price is not the only content of the message; discounts and bundles count as banned "consumerist pressure". In the UK, check the ASA guidance on cosmetic interventions for aesthetic treatments.
Yes, but carefully. In the UK "trichologist" gets 8,100 searches a month at $7.54 a click, and it also brings people looking for products or non-medical centres. In our Italian survey the "hair consultation" results were all medical providers: that is the phrase to build the page on.
Yes, from campaigns and from your patient count. In Italy "state-funded dermatologist" costs $1.98 a click, more than double "dermatologist". State clearly on your pages that the appointment is private, so the wrong person stops before calling.
It depends: nobody can guarantee a citation. In our survey, though, the site of a single dermatologist was cited in 2 of 5 Google AI answers, each time through a page dedicated to one procedure.
Lead generation for dermatologists, in short (and the date to note)
Patients search for the procedure, not the doctor.
On procedures, chains win: 49 results of 97.
Single practices win where they have a precise page, such as mole removal.
On hair, clicks cost more and not every competitor is a doctor.
Count every request by source and outcome, or cost per patient stays a guess.
Our view is simple: for a dermatologist the first page to write is not the home page, it is the page of the procedure you want to fill in the diary.
If you want us to build the path from search to visit with you, with every request tracked, the method is on our lead generation page, or you can get in touch.
