1. What goes through your mind each day as you see patients?

Every day in practice, I am reminded of how difficult it is to satisfy every patient 100%.

Just as even the most attractive or popular celebrity will not appeal to everyone, patients do not all come to dermatology with the same expectations or define a satisfying result in the same way.

Earlier in my career, I wanted every patient to be completely satisfied.

Over time, however, I came to realize that this desire for perfection can sometimes become the physician’s own ambition.

It can create unnecessary stress for the doctor, and I believe patients can sense that tension as well.

So today, I approach each day with a simpler mindset:

Do the very best I can for every patient in front of me.

From the beginning of the day until the final consultation, I try to maintain the same level of focus and energy.

My goal is for as many patients as possible to leave the clinic feeling satisfied, reassured, and comfortable with the care they received.

2. Dermatology trends are changing rapidly. Which treatments are you currently most interested in, and where do you have the most experience?

One area I am particularly interested in right now is ECM, or extracellular matrix-based treatment.

This approach involves introducing human-derived allogeneic dermal tissue and extracellular matrix components directly into the skin.

I believe we are still at an early stage, but this may represent an important step toward changing the way we approach well-aging treatments in dermatology.

ECM-based treatments can also be combined with a wide range of lifting and skin-firming procedures, and I have been very encouraged by the results we have seen.

I expect we will continue to see more diverse and advanced skin booster options in the future, which is an area I follow with great interest.

In terms of my own clinical experience, however, pigmentation treatment is probably the area in which I have the greatest confidence.

I have performed thousands of pigmentation treatments over many years, and many patients specifically visit our clinic for concerns related to pigmentation.

At the same time, pigmentation is one of the more challenging areas of dermatology.

Results are not always perfectly predictable or consistent. Even after significant improvement, pigmentation can recur without ongoing management.

Treatment also requires patience, as patients often need to continue treatment over several months.

It is not an easy process for either the patient or the physician.

Perhaps for that very reason, I feel that fewer clinics today are willing to take on difficult pigmentation cases.

Many patients are referred to us because of our extensive experience and the large number of pigmentation cases we have treated over the years.

3. Are there any patients or experiences that have been particularly memorable to you as a dermatologist?

The many patients who have stayed with me over the years are all meaningful to me.

Some first came to see me when they were in elementary school and continue to visit even after becoming adults.

When I see patients like that, it means much more to me than simply knowing that one treatment went well.

It reminds me that we have built trust over many years.

I also remember many patients who struggled for a long time with difficult-to-treat pigmentation or melasma.

Pigmentation treatment can be exhausting for patients, and it also requires a great deal of thought and patience from the physician.

Some patients improve relatively quickly, while others experience recurrence and require ongoing management.

There are times when the process becomes frustrating and tiring.

That is why it is especially rewarding when we make it through that process together and a patient tells me:

“I’m glad I trusted you and kept coming back.”

I also remember patients who continue to visit even after moving far away.

Some travel from places as far as Jeju or Busan specifically for treatment of difficult pigmentation.

And there are patients who tell me,

“I want to leave my skin in your hands.”

Those words stay with me.

More than anything, they remind me of the responsibility I have to continue providing the best care I can.

4. What moments in your practice bring you the most happiness?

The most rewarding moments are when a treatment produces the kind of consistent result I intended and the patient is genuinely happy with the change.

In dermatology, both perspectives matter:

what the physician sees as clinical improvement and what the patient personally feels about the result.

Changes in clinical photographs are important.

But what makes me happiest is when a patient looks in the mirror and tells me:

“People have been telling me my skin looks better lately.”

or

“I feel more confident than I did before.”

I also find it particularly meaningful when patients report high satisfaction after treatment or say they would recommend our clinic to friends and family.

Moments like those reassure me that the direction I have chosen in my practice is the right one.

Seeing a patient’s skin improve is rewarding in itself.

But as a dermatologist, I find just as much meaning in watching their anxiety gradually fade and their trust in the treatment process grow.

5. What is one thing you can promise every patient who chooses to receive treatment from you?

There is one question I continually ask myself:

“Did I truly do everything I could for this patient, without leaving room for regret?”

If I cannot immediately answer yes, I push myself to do better.

Over the past 11 years, I have treated more than 50,000 patients.

That accumulated clinical experience does not disappear.

It becomes part of the way I evaluate each patient.

When I look at a patient’s face and skin, years of experience allow me to quickly assess the overall picture—skin condition, facial structure, priorities, and which treatment options may be most appropriate.

In a way, it happens almost like an algorithm running in my mind.

I then explain what I see to the patient as clearly and honestly as possible, without exaggeration or unnecessary promises, and develop a treatment plan accordingly.

And that responsibility does not end when the procedure is performed.

Until the treatment process is complete, I continue to think about the outcome, the patient’s satisfaction, and whether the care I provided remained true to my principles.

That is one thing I can promise every patient: I will approach their treatment with sincerity, responsibility, and the determination to do my very best until the end.

It is a promise I make with my professional integrity as a physician.