Dermatology

What AI can never replace in medicine

Jessica Wu, MD

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. …

Read more…

What AI can never replace in medicine

The dangerous racial bias in dermatology AI

Alex Siauw

Tech

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 …

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

Shafat Hassan, MD, PhD, MPH

Conditions

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 …

Why primary care needs better dermatology training

Alex Siauw

Conditions

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 …

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

Tami Burdick

Conditions

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 …

The emotional first responders of aesthetic medicine

Sarah White, APRN

Conditions

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 …

When moisturizers trigger airport bomb alarms

Eva M. Shelton, MD and Janmesh Patel

Conditions

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 …

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

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

March 20, 2025

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

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 …

Balancing love and sacrifice in a physician’s journey

Julie F. Solimine and Albert E. Zhou, MD, PhD

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 …

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

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

March 6, 2025

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

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, …

Understanding Ramadan: a guide for dermatologists treating Muslim patients

Aamir Hussain, MD

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 …

From skin to soul: What pain reveals about our health

Amelia L. Bueche, DO

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 …

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

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 4, 2025

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

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 …

Medspa madness: How illegal practices are putting patients in peril

Kate Dee, MD

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 …

Why dermatology deserves respect: a medical student’s perspective

Lauren McGrath

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 …

Ways that one can succeed in dermatology residency: words of wisdom from a program coordinator

Christina Iwanik and Albert Zhou, MD, PhD

Conditions

November 19, 2024

With sixteen years of experience working with dermatology residents, my role as a program coordinator has evolved immensely. Within the auspices of graduate medical education (GME), I manage the dermatology residency program, projects, and program budgets, assist in determining policies and procedures, and work closely with the program director with any and all directives given. I guess you could say that I am the person who makes sure residents “get …

The derm identity crisis at social events

Dr. Alpana Mohta

Physician

November 4, 2024

Whenever I attend a social event, at least 10 to 20 percent of the attendees (second- or third-level friend or family connections) come to me with casual consultation requests.

To me, casual consultation requests are kind of similar to advertisements on free apps, with one difference: the time after which the skip button surfaces is highly variable and can be followed by multiple ads with no rhyme or reason.

What this does …

Toward a work-life compass: Work-life balance doesn’t exist

Christine J. Ko, MD

Physician

October 30, 2024

A four-day workweek is being touted as better, especially for jobs that are cognitively oriented. The brain needs more time for rest and relaxation than a five-day workweek allows, so four days of work and three days for everything else will provide a work-life balance.

For more than two decades, particularly after I had my first child 17 years ago, I’ve been trying to achieve that elusive work-life balance. I …

Hiding in plain sight: the psychosocial burden of vitiligo and importance of clinical research

Pearl Grimes, MD

Conditions

October 19, 2024

Imagine waking up one day with a white patch somewhere on your body. It’s not painful or itchy, but over time it grows and changes, with more patches appearing almost daily. In a short space of time, these patches have fundamentally altered the appearance of your skin and your interface with the world. This is the reality for over 1.5 million Americans living with vitiligo.

Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition that …

Dermatology

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts