Dermatologists writing on KevinMD about skin: skin cancer and sun exposure, hair loss and what it costs emotionally, aesthetic medicine and its evidence, racial bias in dermatology AI, why primary care needs more dermatology training, and the business of a new practice. Board-review cases make up part of this archive. Two maintained records draw on this archive: Private equity and corporate medicine: what physicians say, in their own words, and Artificial intelligence: what physicians say, in their own words.

Why billing can make or break a new practice

Physician
July 3, 2026

When I finished residency in New York and moved to Hawaii, I spent a couple of years in an established practice before deciding to go out on my own. The reasons were probably the same ones many physicians consider independent practice in the first place: autonomy, the ability to shape the patient experience yourself, and the opportunity to build something that reflects how you actually want to practice medicine.

Two years …

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Why billing can make or break a new practice

Aesthetic medicine needs stronger scientific evidence

Conditions and Diseases
May 13, 2026

There is a quiet but growing discomfort among physicians working at the intersection of clinical care and aesthetic medicine. It is not about technique. It is not about patient demand. It is about something more fundamental: the pace at which practice is evolving compared to the pace at which evidence is being produced. Over the past decade, aesthetic medicine has expanded rapidly. Procedures once considered niche are now routine, widely …

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Aesthetic medicine needs stronger scientific evidence

Hair loss and the emotional toll: a doctor’s perspective

Conditions and Diseases
May 9, 2026

The story that I still can recall is about a patient sitting across from me and apologizing for telling me, “I know that this is not really a health concern for me.” It was neither pain nor a life-threatening illness that brought him to see me. It was just baldness. However, what he was feeling was absolutely real. He discussed the importance of not using mirrors. Not accepting invitations because …

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Hair loss and the emotional toll: a doctor’s perspective

Why Florida physician background checks are driving doctors away

Physician
April 9, 2026

I decided to be a physician because my mother died from tuberculosis, after quite a struggle, including with not only tuberculosis, but also with the United States Public Health System, when I was 15 years old. I got an academic scholarship to college and then put myself through medical school.

I did an internal medicine residency at Washington University and Barnes Hospital and was an emergency room physician for about seven …

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Why Florida physician background checks are driving doctors away

What AI can never replace in medicine

Physician
October 22, 2025

When I opened my dermatology practice 25 years ago, I used paper charts, a prescription pad, and a Dictaphone. Today, I use AI daily: for transcription, charting, and even reviewing complex labs. It’s certainly made my work more efficient.

But I’ve also seen something else: the erosion of trust between patients and physicians. I’m fortunate to practice independently, with the freedom to answer only to my patients, not a corporate boss. …

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What AI can never replace in medicine

The dangerous racial bias in dermatology AI

Health Technology
October 21, 2025

The Bay Area has become the epicenter of artificial intelligence, home to renowned startups and labs racing to prove AI’s power to transform our daily lives.

Just three months ago, California released its own Frontier AI Policy Report, commissioned by Governor Gavin Newsom, which warned that without stronger oversight and transparency, AI models threaten equity and accountability, especially in health care. Nowhere is this danger more urgent than in dermatology.

A …

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The dangerous racial bias in dermatology AI

The truth about sun exposure: What dermatologists want you to know

Conditions and Diseases
August 30, 2025

Sunlight is essential to life. It stimulates the production of Vitamin D, a hormone that plays a crucial role in bone health, immune function, and possibly the prevention of several chronic diseases. Sun exposure also influences our circadian rhythm, improves mood through serotonin regulation, and has been linked to better mental health outcomes, including reduced risk of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

In moderation, sunlight can be deeply beneficial, especially in populations …

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The truth about sun exposure: What dermatologists want you to know

Why primary care needs better dermatology training

Conditions and Diseases
August 25, 2025

About a month ago, I developed a very sudden and alarming skin condition—clusters of painful, itchy bumps that quickly spread across my arms, legs, and chest. At first, I was not overly worried. I made an appointment with my primary care physician, expecting answers. But the exam was brief—she took a cursory glance and speculated it was an allergic reaction. To her credit, she didn’t jump to conclusions. She snapped …

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Why primary care needs better dermatology training

Summer’s dark side: How not to dim your fun

Conditions and Diseases
August 12, 2025

It’s all fun and games until your health becomes one big puzzle to solve, and little do many people know what risks and hazards might surround us during our favorite summertime activities. I learned this personally after what should have been an innocent business trip turned into a year-and-a-half nightmare for me after contaminated water made me sick. I contracted bacteria that led to a secondary chronic inflammatory breast disease. What …

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Summer’s dark side: How not to dim your fun

The emotional first responders of aesthetic medicine

Conditions and Diseases
July 6, 2025

When people think of Botox and filler, they think of vanity. Frozen foreheads. Pouty lips. Women chasing youth. Injectors chasing cash. They don’t see the woman who finally escaped her husband after 20 years of abuse, coming in not for attention but for control. They don’t see the mother burying her child, hoping that looking “normal” on the outside might steady the chaos inside. They don’t see the cancer survivor …

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The emotional first responders of aesthetic medicine

What teenagers on TikTok are saying about skin care—and why that’s a problem

Social Media in Medicine
June 10, 2025

“We’re six minutes in now, and she’s applied almost ten products.”

That’s how Dr. Molly Hales begins the video abstract for her recent Pediatrics study on TikTok skin care trends. The clip she’s referring to features a young girl layering product after product—acids, toners, serums—each promising glowier, cleaner, brighter skin.

This child isn’t an outlier. In a recent study analyzing 100 viral TikTok skin care videos posted by users aged 7 to …

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What teenagers on TikTok are saying about skin care—and why that’s a problem

When moisturizers trigger airport bomb alarms

Conditions and Diseases
May 28, 2025

Explosive trace detection systems at airport checkpoints are designed to identify minute quantities of explosive materials through techniques such as ion mobility spectrometry. However, their high sensitivity comes at a cost: False-positive alarms can occur when common substances chemically resemble explosive agents. In dermatology, this includes topical medications and moisturizers containing glycerin or nitrates, compounds that are chemically similar to …

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When moisturizers trigger airport bomb alarms

Pain as a messenger: What your skin is telling you [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 20, 2025
YouTube video

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Osteopathic physician Amelia L. Bueche discusses her article, “From skin to soul: What pain reveals about our health.” In this episode, Amelia delves into the skin’s role as the body’s largest organ …

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Pain as a messenger: What your skin is telling you [PODCAST]

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Balancing love and sacrifice in a physician’s journey

Physician
March 8, 2025

As a biology major in undergrad, people would often ask me if I intended to pursue medicine as my future career. I never hesitated to tell them no. It wasn’t for me: The years of training, the debt, the delayed income, the prospect of matching to a location that was unfavorable for me, the lack of control over my own schedule. Not to mention the pressure of caring for patients …

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Balancing love and sacrifice in a physician’s journey

How illegal cosmetic procedures are putting patients at risk [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 6, 2025
YouTube video

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Physician and author Kate Dee discusses her article, “Medspa madness: How illegal practices are putting patients in peril” and book, Med Spa Mayhem: The Good, …

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How illegal cosmetic procedures are putting patients at risk [PODCAST]

Understanding Ramadan: a guide for dermatologists treating Muslim patients

Physician
March 5, 2025

As dermatologists, we often encounter patients with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, each presenting unique considerations for treatment planning. For Muslim patients, Ramadan—a month-long period of fasting observed by approximately 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide—can significantly influence dermatological care. This article provides an overview of Ramadan, explores the compatibility of topical medications, injections, and oral medications with fasting, and offers practical guidance for developing treatment plans that respect patients’ religious practices …

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Understanding Ramadan: a guide for dermatologists treating Muslim patients

From skin to soul: What pain reveals about our health

Physician
February 9, 2025

Skin is the largest organ of the body.

It also contains the highest concentration of nociceptors, alerting us to pain at the surface level with the intent to mitigate harm from noxious stimuli.

A veritable trip wire for threats from the external environment, it offers palpable and visible responses in the dermatological layer, providing opportunities for intervention to avoid, eliminate, or resolve problematic exposures.

The skin is also a message delivery system from …

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From skin to soul: What pain reveals about our health

How to excel in dermatology residency: a program coordinator’s guide [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 4, 2025
YouTube video

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A dermatology program coordinator, Christina Iwanik, discusses the KevinMD article, “Ways that one can succeed in dermatology residency: words of wisdom from a program coordinator.” She explores the importance of efficiently managing …

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How to excel in dermatology residency: a program coordinator’s guide [PODCAST]

Medspa madness: How illegal practices are putting patients in peril

Physician
January 28, 2025

An excerpt from Med Spa Mayhem: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly Secrets of the Aesthetics Industry.

Over the last 20 years, the medical aesthetics industry has grown from infancy to a $20 billion industry. Botox was approved for cosmetic use in 2003, giving birth to a new Wild West of medicine. It may have started in the offices of plastic surgeons and dermatologists, but now there are med …

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Medspa madness: How illegal practices are putting patients in peril

Why dermatology deserves respect: a medical student’s perspective

Medical Education
January 12, 2025

As a medical student pursuing dermatology, I was disheartened at the recent Wall Street Journal article’s misrepresentation of dermatology. Describing the field as a superficial, cosmetically focused pseudo-science is a disservice to both dermatologists and the patients they treat; representations such as this one erase the true scope of dermatologic care. Based on the patients I’ve seen so far, dermatology and its physicians deserve more respect.

Dermatologists perform cosmetic procedures …

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Why dermatology deserves respect: a medical student’s perspective

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