People Profile:
This dermatologist is doing it all – from running a brand new clinic to restoring hotels. Here’s what keeps her inspired and energised.
Meet this skincare superstar
Afew minutes spent with DR ANGELINE YONG and it’s clear that she’s the type of person who takes her passions very seriously. If she’s into something, she’s all in. Her complete wall of certifications isn’t the only indication of this. It’s also her long list of titles other than “doctor”: mum, wife, world traveller, hotelier, educator, humanitarian – the list goes on.
As if she wasn’t busy enough, she recently opened her private practice, Angeline Yong Dermatology. For the previous decade, she’s worked in public service at the National Skin Centre, where she was the only Singaporean doctor accredited to perform hair transplantation and Mohs micrographic surgery, a specialised surgery to remove skin cancer.
Running her own clinic has allowed her the opportunity to focus more on her subspecialties – which include cosmetic dermatology, dermatologic surgery and lasers, hair and nail disorders and hair transplantation – and offer more holistic care to her patients, she says.
“Skin is the largest organ in the body. There is so much from top to toe! From hair loss to a fungal infection on the feet to ingrown toenails, there’s a lot to cover. I see dermatology as the perfect conflux of medical and surgery. There’s a lot of breadth, so it keeps the field interesting.”
Patients for life
Being able to marry medicine and surgery in one field is what attracted her to dermatology initially. That, and the constant patient interaction, she says.
“I love being able to see a wide spectrum of both medical and surgical patients. One day, I could be doing Mohs micrographic surgery and reconstructing the surgical defect after tumour removal. The next day, I could be working with multiple lasers and energy-based devices to help restore a patient’s youth and improve various concerns such as scars and pigmentation. As a dermatologist, I also see a lot of medical dermatology patients; this ranges from eczema to psoriasis to acne. So, there’s not a single dull or repetitive day!
“Having a wide range of tools and options, and a whole spectrum of medical, surgical and cosmetic patients to treat really keeps the job exciting and fulfilling.”
Dr Yong also loves the fact that many of her patients are patients for life – she often ends up managing the skincare needs of their entire families.
“They don’t usually just come as a one-off. They may come for a skin issue initially, but then the relationship evolves and you can manage them, along with their families, for more than one concern,” she says. “For example, I could see a patient with a basal cell carcinoma that may need to be managed with Mohs micrographic surgery. Even after surgery and reconstruction, there are many ways we can continue to improve any resultant surgical scars, and we also continue regular skin checks and manage the rest of the skin which is likely sun-damaged as well.”
Passion projects
When Dr Yong’s not seeing patients, performing surgery, attending speaking engagements, furthering her academic career (she completed her Masters in Public Health at Harvard University), developing her own skincare line sold in-clinic, or trialling new products and laser devices as an Asia-Pacific key opinion leader in her field, she’s likely spending time with her kids (ages seven and 20 months), either at home or at the Botanic Gardens, where they love to feed the fish.
That, or she’s travelling around the world – a passion she shares with her husband, David. In fact, the two met in Sri Lanka on a humanitarian trip in 2009, and haven’t stopped jet-setting since. And, it doesn’t stop there. Together, they own a handful of boutique hotels that have been restored at UNESCO sites in Luang Prabang in Laos, and Penang in Malaysia.
If you’re thinking it’s a stretch for such a busy, brainy doc to develop such a zest for renovations, think again. Dr Yong likens her love of restoring historical buildings to her work as a dermatologist.
“When we have gone in to rehabilitate a building, it wasn’t to strip it out of its image and put on a new face. It’s actually more painstaking to rehabilitate because you try to keep it true to its origins,” she says. “I think the same ethos really carries through to dermatology. Many patients want a better version of themselves, not a new version. Restore it to what it used to look like as best as possible.”
She also says the bespoke experiences she offers to hotel guests is the same type of personalised service she wants for her own medical patients.
“Patients who come to see me, come to see me. They don’t want one of ten doctors doing the standard laser for everyone. I want to give an individualised, tailored, customised experience,” she says.
What’s her secret?
So, how in the world does Dr Yong have the energy for it all?
“From an early age, my friends gave me the nickname ‘Energizer Bunny’, and they would say that I ran on batteries that never run dry! But perhaps leading a full and interesting life does keep me energised in itself. I’m always interested in learning new things and developing myself in various aspects. So, I actually feel more energised when I find myself in the thick of constructive activity, and honestly feel tired out when I find myself not having challenges to work through.”
She also credits time in nature as a natural pick-me-up, as well as her travels.
“I love immersing myself in new cultures and find that having regular overseas breaks throughout the year, where I get to open my mind to new experiences, keeps me energised and recharged.”
Angeline Yong Dermatology #03-02 Gleneagles Medical Centre, 6 Napier Road 6592 1311 | ayd.com.sg