By: Dr. Sharyn A. Laughlin, Dermatologist FRCP(C)

As I close this chapter on a 40-year career in dermatology/photobiology and laser/cosmetic  dermatology, I am contemplating what retirement will mean, I know a lot of friends and colleagues who are in a similar position.  You are proud of the work that you have done; how it has weaved its way through your life in tandem with family, kids, friends, love, and building something from the ground up.  As women, we sometimes shy away from the word legacy as if that is the dominion of men.  But we are all entitled to the word and the concept. As I contemplate my legacy, I can see a future that is still full of professional curiosity and passion.  In that vein, I thought I would share the story of my career- a “how it started, versus how it’s going” if you will. It involves a fair amount of serendipity. 

Anyone who knows me now might be surprised by the amount of freckles I had as a toddler and a teenager, resulting from many bad sunburns, not helped by failed tanning attempts with iodine and baby oil.  I also happened to be rosaceous and I like to think the flushing kept me honest.  I finished my undergraduate degree at Carleton University in Ottawa in 1970 with a BSc. in Biology.  I had started working in a government lab that tested water, bacteria, blood samples and more, but I quickly decided it was not for me.  I had always loved playing doctor as a child so I made my way into med school.  One of my clinic rotations involved working with the venerable late dermatologist, Dr. Robert Jackson.  I loved the challenge of treating chronic illnesses: managing conditions like teenage acne and how big a difference it could make in someone’s life by improving their skin.  I completed my residency in 1980 and married Dr. Denis Dudley who had just embarked on his own dedicated career in Maternal-Fetal-Medicine and Reproductive Endocrinology, after meeting as residents at the Civic Hospital.  He says I brushed him off when we first met a couple years prior. I remember being busy, trying to make some notes in a chart and I had no time for any kind of flirtation. Grey’s Anatomy this was not.  Having said that, he was known in the hospital at the time for throwing good parties with lots of rum (he is from Jamaica).  I eventually went to one and the rest is history. 

I was pregnant with my first daughter in 1980 while studying for my Canadian and US exams. Returning from a holiday/OB-Gyn convention in Hawaii, we stopped off in Chicago where we both sat our American Boards (successfully), during a blizzard with only summer clothes from our vacation. We had our first daughter in January 1981. Three months later, I started my own part-time practice.  It was a challenge having a newborn and dropping her off at the baby-sitter’s early mornings while juggling a new business and speciality.  We did not have maternity leave back then and I remember feeling overwhelmed but still persevering.  During my second pregnancy I took another decisive turn in my career. It was during one of our faculty meetings that our Chief of our department raised the issue of the relatively new use of lasers in medicine and dermatology. A gynaecologist was using an ablative laser to remove cervical cancers and tattoos.  Our chief felt lasers in dermatology should be the  work of dermatologists. 

With a part-time practice, I took off for Cincinnati in 1983, where another fateful event occurred. I had the privilege of training with Dr. Leon Goldman – a dermatologist and the “Father of Lasers in Medicine” having started his career in lasers with the military. He inspired and convinced me that lasers were the future. My interest was piqued and I never looked back.  I also spent time with my other early pioneers in Canada learning everything I could, seeing the unique ability of these new technologies to treat all sorts of skin disorders while leaving the surrounding skin intact. 

I purchased my first laser with the help of The Women’s Auxiliary at The Civic Hospital – a non-selective CO2 laser that was a general purpose laser and asked my colleagues in other specialties to join me in a multidisciplinary clinic. In 1987 I visited with Dr Oan Tan in Boston – a pioneer in using selective lasers to treat portwine stains and other vascular birthmarks.  I was so impressed by the potential that I decided to bring this treatment to our Ottawa community and Canada.  It was expensive – a quarter million dollars - too much for the hospital  budget.  My husband and I decided to pool our savings and buy it for our own practice and established this in 1989.  We became a referral center for all of Canada and patients came from other countries as well. In 1991 the Ontario Government made us the only licensed facility in the province to treat port wine stains as a public health service. 

Meanwhile, I had our third and last daughter in 1987. These were busy times with having such a young family and the highs and lows of starting our own business and private practice.  I’m proud to say all of our daughters are  grown, happy and successful. My laser clinic served the local Ottawa community and across Canada, and beyond our borders since 1987. My husband retired from OB-GYN in 1991 and joined me to help build a unique facility dedicated to the use of lasers in dermatology, the largest of its kind in the country. From one laser back then to a time when we had over 25 lasers and light-based systems a few years ago. During these times, we became concerned about the risks of organic sunscreens absorbed through skin and contaminating our bodies and we started look into making safe and effective sunscreens using zinc oxide, safe even for your baby’s bottom. My second daughter continues to run this venture and has made it into a market leader in sunscreen innovation.  

One of my true loves is playing with new technology.  Some say I get a little gleam in my eye.  We worked hand in hand with a lot of laser suppliers to introduce technology like new vascular lasers, new lasers to remodel skin, remove tattoos and brown lesions, unwanted hair removal, and new combinations of Intense Pulse Light blended with new fractionated lasers. We introduced every one of these systems to Canada and trained all my colleagues in those early days.  These devices are everywhere now but at the time we were breaking ground and taking business risks. We introduced protocols on how to use them not just within Canada but on visits to the USA, UK, Scandinavia, Europe, S. America, India, and as far away as Australia.  I would be hard pressed to choose my favourite.  I love the consistency of a Foto-Facial. I’ve been blown away about what full ablative resurfacing can do with something like an Erbium laser: like an eraser in laser form. Fractional lasers have evolved and patients can still get phenomenal results with less downtime.  I also think regenerative medicine is just in its infancy but will grow to be a huge part of health and beauty regimes.  We have been using treatments with Platelet Rich Plasma but soon stem cells and more will lead the way. 

I also love teaching.  I am proud of all the great physicians who trained with us and gone on to do great things in their own practices. In those early times we would run courses for 30 physicians mainly from the USA on many weekends. I started a program to train new graduates in dermatology for a further year in laser and cosmetic dermatology. I used to keep track of the physicians that trained with me in Ottawa and on my trips abroad. By 2010 the number exceeded a thousand. I was also humbled by their faith in me as a tutor and I also learned so many things in dermatology from my exposure to everyone of them from so many different countries. One of them introduced me to my favourite diet that I continue to use to this very day. Every one of them started practicing their pulses on an eggplant before they moved on to patients. It’s all part of mastering the light touch that is needed to be a true and capable practitioner.  I tell everyone that has ever studied under me – physician, nurse or student of any kind - remember, the right laser, in the right hands, for the right indication. 

I still get a thrill from all the aspects in dermatology - whether it’s pure medical dermatology, helping people with common or incredibly rare conditions.  Cosmetic dermatology is incredibly important too. I studied with husband and wife physicians (Jean & Alistair Carruthers) from Vancouver.  Neuro-modulators and fillers have gone from focusing on changing one facial feature to shaping how people perceive themselves.  We talk about looking rested now or changing how someone’s downturned lips can make them look sad.  It’s not about applying a cookie-cutter idea of beauty.  We see the beauty in every one and we are just looking to refine the natural expression of it. 

Just writing about this field, I can still feel the passion for it.  The next chapter in my career is before me.  Whether I get to continue to share my experience with the next generation of physicians or talk directly to people about skincare, I know that my future will involve in some way being an educator.  Careers shift and change but the fundamentals of who you are do not.  I’m looking forward to travelling more with my family when we can.  I have plenty of grandkids to run after and I still train a couple of times a week (albeit remotely for now).  I love being active in all forms, in mind, body and spirit. 

I’ve treated the skin of probably close to two hundred thousand people in my career.  It has been a high honour and a privilege. If you have come through my doors, I will miss treating and seeing your faces but we will find new ways to continue to engage with each other. That is a promise! Lastly, I tell all my patients that skin has a memory.  So make wise choices.

Kindest regards and best wishes for you and yours in the years to come!

 Sharyn A. Laughlin.

Editors Note: Dr. Laughlin has been so kind to share with us her story in her own words. Unbeknownst to her, we have gathered some kind words that her peers have shared about her below the post as well. Please feel free to share your thoughts about Dr. Laughlin in the comments below and we’ll make sure she sees them!

- Sara A. Dudley, CEO of The Sunscreen Company™