Sergio Gaitan, MD - Dermatologist in Miami, Florida

Eva Sheie (00:03):
The purpose of this podcast is simple. We want you to get to know your doctor before meeting them in person because you're making a life-changing decision, and time is scarce. The more you can learn about who your doctor is before you meet them, the better that first meeting will be. There's no substitute for an in-person appointment, but we hope this comes close. I'm your host, Eva Sheie, and you're listening to Meet the Doctor. Welcome back to Meet the Doctor. My guest today is Dr. Sergio Gaitan and he's a board certified dermatologist in Miami. Welcome to the podcast.

Dr. Gaitan (00:41):
Hi. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.

Eva Sheie (00:44):
So let's start with just talking about your practice and what that looks like here in Miami and maybe a little bit about what you do every day.

Dr. Gaitan (00:53):
Sounds good. So my practice is, we're called Certified Cosmetics and Skin Care, and we're in Miami, Florida, in the West Kendall area. And what we do every day is we make people be younger, look younger and feel better. That's our goal.

Eva Sheie (01:08):
How do you make them be younger?

Dr. Gaitan (01:10):
Be younger. Well, as they say, age is how you feel, right? And so the problem is our skin doesn't agree with that and so it actually ages even though I feel like I'm 20, my skin won't look 20, but when you see me, we'll make it look 20.

Eva Sheie (01:26):
That sounds promising. How did you end up in dermatology?

Dr. Gaitan (01:31):
Well, actually I was going to be a chemical engineer. That was my undergrad degree and my wife told me to go into medicine so you guys can thank her. And I'm a very, as an engineer, a scientist, very objective. So it was either radiology or dermatology for me. And I chose dermatology because I'm a people person. I love talking to people and making them laugh. So that's kind of led into that. And then practicing dermatology, I started to see, okay, yeah, I got a little bit of a gift in making people look young and I'm a very creative person, so all my patients say I'm an artist, and so that lets me get my artistic side out with my work.

Eva Sheie (02:16):
What are you usually doing when they say you're an artist? What kind of work does, results in that compliment?

Dr. Gaitan (02:22):
Of course, of course. I think it's like the injectable Botox and fillers. It's one of those things that it's art when you really appreciate it. It's an art and it's one of those things that to deliver the perfect brow, to deliver the perfect movement. The way I do Botox, I tell everyone it's the best kept secret. Nobody knows you have it except your skin because your skin's getting younger.

Eva Sheie (02:52):
I'm starting to see how you think about it and I want to lean into that a little bit more. So when you're out on the street and you see people either who need something or who had it done poorly, how does it make you feel?

Dr. Gaitan (03:11):
I actually say they need to come see me. When I look at someone that has it done poorly, I don't really judge. I'm a positive person. You do what you got to do. You want to try Botox. The only thing, the negative that I have is now that person thinks Botox doesn't work or Botox makes you look weird. So they're missing out on the magic of Botox because they just didn't get the right experience the first time. And I tell everyone, listen, Botox is just a tool. It's like scissors for a beautician or a person that cuts hair. If you see a bad haircut, you can't blame the scissors. Now the problem is if you get a bad haircut and you think it was the scissors, then you're never going to get a haircut again. And so that's the problem with Botox. If you get Botox, you have a bad experience, you kind of swear off it. Now my patients, they love Botox. Why? Because it takes the years off. We erase wrinkles at my clinic and a lot of places we'll talk about preventative Botox. I really don't believe in that. I think when you get that first line of wrinkle, I can erase it. So there's no point in doing that. Preventative Botox, save your money and get some good quality skincare guided by a dermatologist.

Eva Sheie (04:29):
Definitely. So let's talk about lasers and skincare.

Dr. Gaitan (04:33):
Of course.

Eva Sheie (04:34):
Do you have lasers in your practice?

Dr. Gaitan (04:36):
We do. Well, I specialize in the treatment of ethnic skin. So the laser we use is actually a Q switch laser, which is safe in all skin types. So really it depends on your skin type, what laser you would use.

Eva Sheie (04:50):
What kind of things can you do with a Q switch laser?

Dr. Gaitan (04:53):
Well, the Q switch is actually, it first started for tattoo removal, but it's actually the king when it comes to removing pigment. And in ethnic skin, we age with pigment, but there's another secret about it and it's hidden deep in the studies. I won't boil with it. I read it so I'll get straight to the good stuff. It actually builds collagen.

Eva Sheie (05:14):
The Q switch laser builds collagen?

Dr. Gaitan (05:16):
That's right. And it skips the top layer, so it's safe in all skin types.

Eva Sheie (05:20):
That was my next question. So you don't really have to have downtime,

Dr. Gaitan (05:24):
That's the secret. It's a no downtime procedure and it's perfect for anyone that's busy and says, Hey, I want to build collagen. I need that boost. But I have absolutely no downtime. I'm always on the run. I'm in meetings. I'm a busy person. Absolutely no downtime, maybe a little redness, but one month later your skin's glowing.

Eva Sheie (05:47):
What made you decide to go all in on ethnic skin?

Dr. Gaitan (05:51):
Yeah, I'm Hispanic, and so I'm for the people.

Eva Sheie (05:58):
Is it like your second tagline?

Dr. Gaitan (06:00):
That's right. No, really. It's one of those things. It's just my passion because it's who I am and I really, I understand the science and I'm not going to bore you with the science, right, because the science is boring. We all know that. I read the books, so you don't have to.

Eva Sheie (06:19):
When you started getting interested in dermatology, did you have a sense even back then that you were going to head in that direction of Hispanic and other ethnic skin?

Dr. Gaitan (06:28):
I didn't, no. I went into dermatology because like I said, I'm a very objective person. And the thing about dermatology is the skin never lies. And that's what I tell my patients. And so you can diagnose someone within seconds when you're properly trained. I'll say the board certified dermatologist, I'll just say it. That's it. No more. I won't say it again. You're trained. So I tell my wife, I'll see someone, I don't even need to see the person. We're trained from a picture to know what it is. And so with a picture, we know. So when it's in real life, it's even easier because you get extra material to make your diagnosis. And I'm very objective. That's why I like it where I see it. I know what you have, the history in dermatology, it kind of matters after the fact. So I see your skin, then I ask the questions to get to my diagnosis. It's the opposite of the rest of medicine where you have to start with history and then it leads into your physical. And so that's why with dermatology it's objective. I see you, I know what you have or have an idea of what you might have. And I ask my questions to get my final diagnosis.

Eva Sheie (07:41):
That's a really interesting observation. And I think, is it the only specialty where you can see it on the outside?

Dr. Gaitan (07:50):
I went to med school, but I didn't train in all specialties, so I don't want to speak out of place, do all. Yeah, there's a limited time.

Eva Sheie (07:57):
I'm just thinking as an ordinary human, there are no others where the doctor just looks at you and says, what's wrong?

Dr. Gaitan (08:04):
Yeah, radiology can give you a differential. It's one of these

Eva Sheie (08:10):
I see, now I see what the common thing is between dermatology and radiology. I got you.

Dr. Gaitan (08:13):
And those were my two choices.

Eva Sheie (08:16):
There was something to read.

Dr. Gaitan (08:18):
Something to read, correct.

Eva Sheie (08:21):
I like it. Dermatology is also I think a little bit underappreciated. And I don't mean, my stories are just examples of experiences that I think lots of people have, but I suffered with rosacea for most of my life and I tried to solve it on my own for most of my life. And I finally went to a dermatologist and she had it fixed in weeks.

Dr. Gaitan (08:47):
There it is. 

Eva Sheie (08:48):
And I was very, very angry at myself for not just going to a dermatologist first. And I wonder if you see that happen a lot.

Dr. Gaitan (08:54):
A yeah, that should be a P S A. If you have a skin problem, go see a dermatologist, we'll fix it. It's as simple as that. There's so many products out there. How do you know where to start? Well, because I read the book, so you don't have to.

Eva Sheie (09:12):
That's your third tagline.

Dr. Gaitan (09:13):
Sorry.

Eva Sheie (09:14):
That's okay. I get the sense that you probably say the same things a lot.

Dr. Gaitan (09:19):
That one came up. I just made that up today. Yeah, you inspired me. Thank you. 

Eva Sheie (09:24):
Okay. Well next time I have a dermatology question. I'm going to call you so I don't have to read the book.

Dr. Gaitan (09:29):
Sounds good. I've already read it for you.

Eva Sheie (09:31):
I'm sure you have. What kinds of people are coming to see you every day? Are you becoming known for anything specific?

Dr. Gaitan (09:38):
My Botox. Yeah, you'd be surprised. It makes you glow. People love to glow. And what I'm seeing is, and I'm seeing in my practice is I do a lot of Botox in the upper face and we see changes on the lower face two, but it's not the Botox product. It's all about light reflection. And so when the light hits the top of a smooth face uninterrupted, it makes your lower face glows. And so it's kind of a magic treatment. It's real nice.

Eva Sheie (10:10):
Do you have photos of this anywhere?

Dr. Gaitan (10:11):
Yeah, it's all on my website. Certified cosmetics miami.com. 

(10:16)
I'll check it out. Yeah. Now tell me about your training. Where did you go and

Dr. Gaitan (10:22):
Sure. So out of undergrad, I was chemical engineering. Then my wife said, you got to go help people. Oh, that

Eva Sheie (10:28):
Really happened. Yep. Your story, you were actually an engineer already.

Dr. Gaitan (10:31):
I, I never actually practiced, but my degree is in chemical engineering.

Eva Sheie (10:36):
So you're looking for jobs in Louisiana and Houston, and then all of a sudden you're like, no, nevermind.

Dr. Gaitan (10:41):
That's what she saw. I guess. Guess she always wanted to come back to Miami, but she said, you're so smart, you got to help people. And so that's what I'm doing now.

Eva Sheie (10:52):
Do you do everything she says?

Dr. Gaitan (10:54):
Yeah, happy wife, happy life.

Eva Sheie (10:57):
Also happy staff, happy patients.

Dr. Gaitan (10:58):
That's right. And so in undergrad she told me to go to medical school. So I went to Houston Baylor College of Medicine, and that's where I trained. And I got spoiled there because we had world leaders. We had top of the class medicine everywhere we go. Then I went to my intern year, I did that in San Diego, and that's where I really learned like, whoa, this is medicine outside of a top academic center. This is different.

Eva Sheie (11:23):
Where was that?

Dr. Gaitan (11:24):
This was in Scripps Mercy, San Diego. It's a great hospital. You take great, great people, but it's not like, okay, the world expert in infectious diseases, right next door. They're like, we're as close as it gets to the experts and stuff like that. So

Eva Sheie (11:39):
There were no experts next door?

Dr. Gaitan (11:40):
They're there, but it's not the people writing the papers.

Eva Sheie (11:45):
Yeah, that's a totally different landscape.

Dr. Gaitan (11:47):
So that took a little bit of adjusting to, but it actually inspired me to when they're not around, then you got to be them. So that's where I kind of really got into diving deep into the literature on skin and things like that. And so that's what I think gives me the results I get is because we're heavily science-based and the papers are boring, let's be realistic.

Eva Sheie (12:11):
But you read them so we don't have to.

Dr. Gaitan (12:12):
Exactly.

Eva Sheie (12:14):
So what is it like being an intern in a hospital like that? What kinds of cases are you seeing or what kinds of people are you helping?

Dr. Gaitan (12:20):
It's a lot of work, but very rewarding. Yeah. I say my engineer was tough, but it really gives you a fresh perspective of life. We were a county hospital, so we saw a lot of patients. It was general medicine, sick in the er. We rotated around really not much dermatology. Dermatology is everywhere. So we would be the expert dermatologist, the person interested in dermatology. And it was regular medicine, I C U ventilators. Flu season.

Eva Sheie (12:56):
Long hours?

Dr. Gaitan (12:58):
Very long. Yeah, exactly. But it was very educational, very rewarding. You have to do it. I know it's tough, but it teaches you to really care for someone.

Eva Sheie (13:08):
So then where did you go after that?

Dr. Gaitan (13:11):
After that, I did my dermatology residency at U N C in Chapel Hill. It was an amazing program. We have peds derm there. We had excellent surgical skills there. So there it got amazing training. I tell my wife, I was able to work with one of an amazing Mohs surgeon, Dr. Merritt, and we had just great mentors there. You know, at the end of the day, school is school. But you got to push yourself. It's all on you. And that's what separates the grades.

Eva Sheie (13:43):
Did you have mentors along the way, anywhere that informed the way you approach your patients now?

Dr. Gaitan (13:51):
I haven't had a focal mentor. I'm just self-motivated, so I just push myself. But I definitely have had colleagues that have helped me and inspired me and things like that.

Eva Sheie (14:05):
Do you still do things like Mohs surgery?

Dr. Gaitan (14:08):
I don't do Mohs surgery. I mainly focus on aesthetics, but I do do cosmetic mole removal, cosmetic cyst removal, and with the, I won't say scarless because everything has its scar, but to the point where you really need to get up close to look.

Eva Sheie (14:25):
And sometimes these things don't seem cosmetic. They seem medical, but really they're all cosmetic.

Dr. Gaitan (14:33):
That's exactly what I tell my wife. All of dermatology is cosmetic. It's objective. You see it. I mean, you may have a medical cyst on your forehead, but it's on your forehead. If I don't cut it out and make it not look like my scar was there, you're going to have a scar on your forehead now, and that's cosmetic.

Eva Sheie (14:55):
And anyone with certainly who's in that situation is not going to want to look worse after it was removed.

Dr. Gaitan (15:01):
Correct. Yeah. And I use special surgical techniques. I won't bore you with it. What matters is that it looks good.

Eva Sheie (15:10):
So tell me a little bit about your team and who works with you every day.

Dr. Gaitan (15:14):
Yeah. Right now it's my wife, so it's just me and my wife. She's the office manager, RN. She kind of does everything. And then I just do the magic. 

Eva Sheie (15:23):
So just the two of you?

Dr. Gaitan (15:24):
Yep, just the two of us right now. We just opened in May. My own practice. Yeah.

Eva Sheie (15:28):
Congratulations. 

Dr. Gaitan (15:29):
Thank you. Thank you.

Eva Sheie (15:29):
So when I call the office, do you sometimes answer the phone?

Dr. Gaitan (15:32):
Sometimes you get to talk to me.

Eva Sheie (15:34):
Do you pretend you're someone else?

Dr. Gaitan (15:36):
No. People actually get surprised. They're like, I can't believe I'm talking to the doctor. I'm like, I'm here for you guys or girls.

Eva Sheie (15:44):
That's awesome. And what kind of space are you in? Is it large, small? What does it look like?

Dr. Gaitan (15:49):
We're a medium-sized space. We got three rooms, three treatment rooms, and a back office. It's a medium-sized office, very spacious. It's what we really like about it kind of gets that you come in there, you not feel cramped in one of these small rooms or salons. Yeah. Yeah. So we give you a nice treatment office and our goal is to make you beautiful, but you got to feel good while we're doing it. Right?

Eva Sheie (16:18):
If someone is curious about, I know you mentioned your website earlier, I'll ask you to repeat it again. Sure. Is there anywhere else? Are you on Instagram where we can see things?

Dr. Gaitan (16:26):
Yeah, so I'm on Instagram and that's @ gaitan md. And we also have, our company is at Certified Cosmetics Miami. So on my website, you're just going to find before and afters on my Instagram, sorry, before and afters of my work. And then all of our education and stuff is going on the company, Instagram, skincare, lasers, acne, that will all be on the company website, but I'm a before and after guy.

Eva Sheie (16:55):
Is there a skincare line that you prefer? Are there things that you like?

Dr. Gaitan (16:59):
Yeah, I mean, I would say there's a lot of good ones, but everything in life, not everyone makes the best of everything. So it depends what you need, which one I would recommend.

Eva Sheie (17:12):
And I think it's safe to assume that you can make those great recommendations if we're in front of you and what's going on.

Dr. Gaitan (17:18):
That's the best way to make it happen. Yeah, there's a lot of global recommendations. Wear mineral sunscreen. 

Eva Sheie (17:27):
Use Tretinoin.

Dr. Gaitan (17:28):
Yeah, use tretinoin if you can tolerate and you're not trying to get pregnant.

Eva Sheie (17:32):
Yeah, that's not global.

Dr. Gaitan (17:34):
Yeah, exactly. So it's hard to make global skin recommendations. So I always get confused how these trends become popular. Like, okay. Someone recommends something. I'm like, well, that's great. It works on their skin, but how do I know it's going to work on mine?

Eva Sheie (17:48):
Because they were on Reddit and they read. Someone said it worked, so they decided it worked. You should see the crap on there. 

Dr. Gaitan (17:53):
And imagine on Reddit, you can't even see the person. 

Eva Sheie (17:57):
No. You don't even know if they're what their skin tone is or anything. 

Dr. Gaitan (18:00):
What their skin hydration is. What their skin texture is, what their skin tone. All these things you got to take into account when you make your recommendations.

Eva Sheie (18:11):
I'm always researching. I think there's a whole podcast. We could just take Reddit posts and say why they're wrong.

Dr. Gaitan (18:16):
Oh yeah. I don't have time for that.

Eva Sheie (18:19):
No, no one has time for that.

Dr. Gaitan (18:22):
Well, here's my advice. Like I said, go see a board certified dermatologist. I said I wouldn't say it, but

Eva Sheie (18:28):
No, but I do want to ask you, in dermatology, will you tell us a little more about what it means to be board certified? And really in plastic surgery, it's not the same thing. So that's what I'm interested in.

Dr. Gaitan (18:38):
I actually had one of my wife's friends ask me that and I said to be board certified in dermatology. Right. The skin. It's like law school. It's three years. What makes a lawyer A lawyer? He went to law school. What makes a dermatologist a dermatologist? He did a dermatology residency. It's our three years in training, so we do three years of skin before we even go out on our own. And like I said, if you thought the articles were bad, the skin textbooks, those are even more boring. But I read 'em for you.

Eva Sheie (19:11):
I'm pretty sure that we used to look at the pictures when I was in high school at my friend's house whose dad was a doctor and scream and run away.

Dr. Gaitan (19:19):
Oh yeah. Yeah. There's some scary, it's not for everyone. No.

Eva Sheie (19:23):
We'll let you read those so we don't have to.

Dr. Gaitan (19:25):
That's right.

Eva Sheie (19:27):
Thank you so much for sharing yourself with us today. It was really a treat.

Dr. Gaitan (19:31):
Of course, of course. I'm always here for you guys or girls. I'm here for everyone.

Speaker 3 (19:37):
Awesome.

Eva Sheie (19:42):
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