Introducing Karan Lal, DO, MS, FAAD: Dermatology Times' Newest Editorial Advisory Board Member

Dermatology Times is thrilled to introduce the newest member of our Editorial Advisory Board.

Karan Lal, DO, MS, FAAD, is the only dual fellowship trained cosmetic and pediatric dermatologist in the US.

Be sure to read and watch previous news and interviews where Lal shares insights into pediatric dermatology, social media presence and more.

Transcript

Lal: My name is Dr. Karan Lal, and I'm a board-certified adult pediatric and cosmetic dermatologist. I've done fellowship training in pediatric dermatology as well as in cosmetic dermatology. I treat a lot of skin of color patients. I treat a lot of LGBT patients. I also treat a lot of transplant patients, and I treat a lot of patients with complex medical diseases for both medical and cosmetic concerns.

Q: What advice do you have for medical students considering dermatology?

Lal: I think the important thing to know is dermatology is a career and a field that is ever evolving. It's not like other fields of medicine where things are relatively stable. In dermatology, there's a lot of studying, there's a lot of keeping up, and there's a lot of new therapies coming out. So it's really great to be a part of a field that's growing, and I'm watching it grow. It's really cool that we get to use a lot of things outside the box- we're often thinking outside the box. I think it's really important that if you're considering dermatology, you understand that there's a lot of cool things you can do. You can do pediatric dermatology, you can do patch testing, you can do complex medical dermatology, you can do cutaneous oncology. The opportunities are endless, and there's a lot of different opportunities. I do think it's important to consider specialty training. So if you're thinking of doing dermatology and you want to be someone that stands out, I think it's really important to find a niche of yours. For me, my niches are pediatric and cosmetic dermatology. That doesn't mean it's the only thing I do, but those are areas that I really do a lot of advanced things, and I get a lot of referrals, and I'm considered expert in those fields. So if you establish a footprint early on with a special niche, you're more likely to be regarded as an expert. You can grow that, and you can turn that into a specialty of your own.

Q: Tell us about some of the work you've collaborated on with Dermatology Times.

Lal: I've had the great opportunity working with you guys at Dermatology. Times; I think I've written two articles before and I have another one coming out. I've also reviewed some pieces, we've done case based discussions for vitiligo, for atopic dermatitis, and we've done a lot of great work at promoting education for all practitioners in the dermatology community.