Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton Is Equalizing Dermatology for Melanated Skin, One TikTok at a Time

As a viewer, it’s really helpful and important to have you in this space because there are few Black doctors, particularly dermatologists, who can educate Black people on their skin and which products might work better for them. Do you find that people come in looking for that? Do they feel more comfortable if they are of a similar skin tone as you or a woman of color?

Black dermatologists are only 3% of all dermatologists, and they’re scattered around the country. You might have more range in the New York area, but if you go to Arkansas or Chicago, you won’t have access to people who look like you if you have skin of color. So they are definitely seeking me out.

There are a lot of things that I’ve had to figure out because the way that we are taught to diagnose and treat hair or scalp conditions in residency is not the way that I practice. I apply products based on how I would use them—giving the kind of direction I would want to have given to me. I find in regards to hair, that’s the area where we are least prepared in our residency training programs. And so having to live with hair that’s currently mine and figuring it out for myself, I translate some of that over to patients and just share that with them.

You mentioned that if you weren’t a doctor, you would pursue architecture. How do you maintain your creativity in your medical practice?

Whenever I’m doing cosmetic dermatology, I’ve been called out on it a few times. I’ll be in the middle of doing fillers on someone, and they would say, “Oh my God, you should see your face right now. You went into your studio mode. You were in your sculpting studio and you were gone. You weren’t even with us. You were so in tune.” So I know that when I’m doing fillers, I’m an artist. I am a sculptor. I know the outcome that I want. If I’m sculpting your lip or your earlobe, whatever it is, there’s the artist side of me that gets to look at it.

You are a member of Soho Works [a network of office spaces for individuals and teams across industries], and I know that you frequent their locations in New York, primarily at 10 Jay Street. What do you enjoy the most about your time in those spaces and how do you find them the most beneficial?

I remain struck by the beauty and expansiveness of the space, the interior design, the furniture choices, and the wide open window that looks out onto the East River. 10 Jay Street is very removed and difficult to get to, which is actually what appeals to me because it’s not as crowded.

I did an event there with Melanin Moi and my skincare line, Rose M.D. We did a collaborative discussion where there were about 40 guests in the audience and they were asking questions about skin, Black skin, because pretty much everyone in the audience was melanated. It was so wonderful, and we took over that loft space as well. I want to do something else like that again. Whenever I connect with an audience, I’m thrilled because I can see the lights go on.