Like all of my best decisions, becoming a physician was an instant, life-changing epiphany. It was after college while leading wilderness survival canoe trips and bracing an ankle injury 28 miles away from camp that I felt a gut feeling, a jolt of absolute certainty, that hands on medical knowledge was my passion. Unlike others who have an innate talent like a concert musician, I felt that I could be most useful to society as a physician… In dermatology, there is compassion, healing, art, knowledge, trust and connection with each patient.
Dermatology is like a kaleidoscope of medicine. Skin shows all. Patterns, colors, textures, and stories As a fellowship-trained laser and skin cancer surgeon, I’ve gained expertise in facial anatomy via over 15,000 facial surgeries and reconstructions. Aesthetic surgery found me perhaps more than I sought it! From day one of dermatology in 2001, my patients asked me to help them cosmetically with the same importance as helping them medically. I absolutely honor the significance of cosmetic surgery to health and wellness. As a child, I won several state and international awards for my artwork but never considered being an artist as a career. Now, every single day I get to be an artist: it’s as if my practice is my studio where together my patient and I design. It feels like doing live sculpture.