Leena Ackermann is a skin disease specialist with specific expertise in contact dermatitis, but she deals with all types of skin diseases. She spends her days as a mastocytosis specialist at the Helsinki University Hospital’s Skin and Allergy Hospital and chief physician of the Allergy Research Center. In addition to treating allergies, she performs cosmetic procedures. Leena, who showed an early interest in science and biology, became a dermatologist because the field is so visual.
“I’ve always been a very visual person and diagnosing skin diseases always begins with a visual check. You develop a keen eye for detecting the key issues, and this is really a dermatologist’s number one tool. The visual aspects combined with the field’s versatility and communicating with the patient make my work highly interesting and challenging. I always want my patients to understand their situation so that they are motivated and stick to the chosen treatment.”
Leena understands that the patient’s motivation is the key to good treatment results, because continuous local treatment is particularly important when handling long-term illnesses. In addition to her patient work, Leena has established a multidisciplinary mastocytosis group that helps patients suffering from this rare condition.
In Leena’s view, the rapid development of the field is the best aspect of skin diseases, and she wants to be an active part of this development. New treatments and research data are continuously emerging, which is also challenging doctors to keep up with the latest developments and improve.
