The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Nigeria was established in 1967 but the Medical School of the Faculty effectively took off in October 1970, after the Nigerian civil war. Several sub-Departments including the sub-Department of Dermatology became operational in the College of Medicine at about the same time. The sub-department was created to meet the increasing dermatological needs of the populace, serving as a tertiary referral center for a host of skin disorders and sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS.
In 2005 and 2009, the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria gave the Department partial and full accreditation respectively, to train dermatologists. The Department also has full accreditation with the West African College of Physicians.