When I was a final-year medical student, in 1978, I told my mother that I had made the decision to become a dermatologist. She was very surprisedand asked me to confirm what I had just said. "A dermatologist? Hiroshi, why a dermatologist? Dermatologists are doctors who just treat pimples and athlete'sfoot! Is there anything more that they do?" This good old memory led me to think about what dermatology was, and what changes it was undergoing. Overthe last 25 years, dermatology has made dramatic and groundbreaking changes as treatment improved and greater understanding of basic research was gained.