by Dr. Iain
Corness
Dr.
Kittikhun Roongruang is a dermatologist (AKA Skin Specialist) who is
working in the new ‘Beauty’ building at the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.
There is a standing joke in the western medical community that the ideal
specialty is Dermatology, because the patients never get worse, never get
better and never ring you in the middle of the night. Dr. Kittikhun
laughed at this, and justifiably pointed out that this was not really the
case! Dermatology has seen vast strides taken recently, and Dr. Kittikhun
is proud to be in the forefront of it all.
He was born in Bangkok, the elder of two children. His
father (now retired) worked for the Shell company and his mother was a
nurse. This was to have a large impact on his later life. At the time, it
only had a small impact - on his bottom - his mother did his injections
for the necessary childhood courses of immunizations!
His primary schooling was at a catholic college, where
he was introduced to the English language. Proficiency in this second
language was to stand him in good stead later.
His secondary schooling was through a government school
in Bangkok, and by the time he was 15 years old he knew his future
direction was to be in medicine, with mother obviously stimulating his
interest, and his father suggesting that being a surgeon was a good
choice.
He applied to enter university, and with his very high
marks in English, this brought him a military scholarship which paid for
his six years of tuition at Mahidol University, and a little spending
money as well. Of course, none of these scholarships are “free”, the
student has to repay the government for its ‘generosity’, which in the
case of young doctors, this is seven years of work.
After graduating as a General Practitioner, Kittikhun
chose the Navy as his military employer, and spent some time in Phuket and
a year overseas in Spain. “Join the Navy and see the world,” as the
old song goes!
However, by the time he had finished his naval tour of
duty, he also knew that he wished to specialize. While working in the
wards he had seen that skin conditions could herald other underlying
causes. He had also met a professor who impressed the young GP, and he
could see that there was much more to skin conditions than sailors with
sunburn!
To become a specialist in any field of medicine is not
a simple case of sitting some exams and walking away with more degrees. It
is back to university and the books and lectures. For Dr. Kittikhun this
meant another four and a half years of study in Chulalongkorn University
and further training in the use of medical lasers in Washington DC in the
US. To become a skin specialist had by now taken six years of general
training and another five years of specialized training. Specialization is
a decision not to be taken lightly.
Following his being given accreditation by the Board of
Dermatology, Dr. Kittikhun moved to Rayong and joined the staff of the
Queen Sirikit hospital as a dermatologist for six months. From there, it
was but a short drive to come to Pattaya and join the staff at the Bangkok
Pattaya Hospital.
His interest in the pathology of skin conditions
continues and he is involved in researching new ways of treating some of
the more chronic skin conditions, such as psoriasis and eczema. He
continues to use the laser where indicated, and believes that new
treatment for many chronic skin conditions is coming. These will probably
stem from research done in immunology, as many skin conditions have an
immune response basis.
Being a doctor who has to treat both Thai and expat
(and visitors) skins, he has spent some time looking into the differences,
and there are many more than just the colour. While the Thai skin, with
its extra melanin pigment does offer a degree of protection to the sun’s
rays, there are also genetic differences, says Dr. Kittikhun. These also
dictate different treatment regimes for the Asian and non-Asian races,
including the strength of the laser used.
One problem that does worry him is the very common OTC
(Over the Counter) prescribing, not always by trained pharmacists. Some of
the drugs used in skin conditions can have disastrous effects on the
foetus, for example, and he has also seen that some of the OTC
preparations are “copy” drugs, without the correct ingredients! Dr.
Kittikhun comes across as a very concerned medico.
He lists golf as his hobby (after all, every doctor is
supposed to play golf) and his handicap is 20, though he has only been
playing for ten months. I also noted that he had a Golf Digest behind his
desk, as well as the usual line-up of medical textbooks and monographs. At
university he used to play soccer, but now feels that he is too old, and
there is no time.
Personal time as a doctor is always a very scarce
commodity, and Dr. Kittikhun is no exception. He married an advertising
executive three years ago, who has now taken on the role of being a
medical wife, as well as mother to their 14-month-old son. This is not
easy for either party, as when ward rounds are requested, they have to be
done, irrespective of previous family appointments.
He lists “time” as one of his aims - getting
“time” to devote to his family, which currently he cannot give, as he
has to build up his dermatology practice. There is no easy answer to this
conundrum, and he is well aware of that fact. It just goes with the
medical territory (as I know only too well).
Dr. Kittikhun comes across as a genuinely ‘nice’ doctor. A man who
has found his niche in life, and his specialty within that niche. His
mother did a good job in steering him in the right direction, which he
knows.
