As one of Australia’s leading dermatologists, Dr Shyamalar Gunatheesan, the founder of ODE Dermatology in Melbourne, has seen it all. “Many people do not realise that as dermatologists, we are skin, hair and nail experts,” she tells Gritty Pretty. “As dermatologists, we are interested in it all.”

The same goes for whether you think your problem is big or small—Dr Gunatheesan says one of the biggest misconceptions about dermatology is that people feel their condition has to be severe before showing up at her office. “[The misconception is] one only can justify seeing us if you have a terrible, widespread rash. If you see us for acne, it has to be severe and nodulocystic. Or that we would judge you if it was just a few papules or if you were concerned about large pores.” 

That’s not the case, she insists. In fact, experienced dermatologists like Dr Gunatheesan can help with anything from hair growth to eczema and even healing small breakouts.“I always say, we love it all—from the warts to the wrinkles!” 

If this is news to you, then don’t worry—we asked Dr Gunatheesan to open our eyes to the world of dermatology by sharing the five questions she gets asked the most. Here, she shares them, as well as her go-to answers.

A: As a dermatologist, I would assess and treat all aspects of ageing. From volume loss, facial contouring, addressing fat distribution and muscle and skin laxity. Most importantly, I like to recalibrate the loss of skin luminosity. This has to be achieved with an arsenal of tools ranging from skincare, lasers, broad band light, micro-focused ultrasound energy and sometimes just a simple prescription. Injectables is yet another modality—done respectfully and tastefully! I am a strong believer of fasting, optimising gut health, and longevity-based diets to unleash our inbuilt anti-ageing mechanisms.

A: The answer is an overwhelming yes. [We are] best poised to diagnose and treat all hair loss conditions. This can range from aesthetic concerns of just wanting to address hair volume and density to autoimmune hair conditions. In recent times, the discovery of a small dose of a safe tablet (i.e. like a blood pressure lowering drug that has been found to increase hair growth) to increase hair growth and longevity has become a game changer.

A: Yes! But let’s first fix your active acne. Many of us mistake the subtle red papules or spots as scars when they signal ongoing inflammation. Once again, I have treatment options as mentioned above. Specifically, a combination of non-ablative and ablative lasers, broad based light, LED, surgical techniques and hyaluronic acid based injections.

A: Yes! The right protocol of broad-based light energy delivery to the skin has shown to change the expression of genes associated with ageing, longevity and increased lifespan. This has been validated in studies undertaken at Stanford University.

A: Yes, our gut microbiome or ecosystem seems to impact our skin health especially in modulating our skin barrier and acid mantle. Several dermatological conditions such as acne, psoriasis and rosacea have shown this.