Dr. Shakthijuwala S
MD DVL
Consultant Dermatologist at DermaVue Coimbatore, 460, Ponnaiyan St, Cross Cut Rd, Ram Nagar, Gandhipuram, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009
Dr. Shakthijuwala S is a dermatologist at DermaVue Coimbatore, Gandhipuram. She did her MBBS at Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College, Pondicherry, and her MD in Dermatology at Sree Mookambika Institute. Her clinical and research work covers warts, psoriasis, androgenetic alopecia and sexually transmitted infections. She consults in English and Tamil. TNMC registration 144237.
In her own words
I was schooled in Coimbatore, then went to Pondicherry for MBBS at Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College and to Sree Mookambika for my MD in Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy. I have been in practice for three years since finishing my training. I consult in English and Tamil.
My thesis was on warts, specifically on intralesional immunotherapy using the measles, mumps and rubella antigen compared with intralesional acyclovir. Warts are a good teacher. They recur, they spread when you are not looking, and patients arrive having already tried three things at home. Working on them closely taught me to explain what a treatment can and cannot be expected to do before starting it, not afterwards.
The rest of my research has followed one idea. Skin disease is often not confined to the skin. I have published on the association between psoriasis and metabolic syndrome, and on the association between male pattern hair loss and coronary artery disease. Five of my papers are indexed on EMBASE and four have received awards.
I also see sexually transmitted infections and leprosy, which are parts of dermatology that people put off far too long.
Special interests and research
- Warts, including recurrent and multiple warts
- Psoriasis, and psoriasis with metabolic disease
- Androgenetic alopecia, male and female pattern hair loss
- Dermatitis neglecta
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Leprosy
- Chromoblastomycosis and other deep fungal infection
Training and registration
MBBS
Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College and Hospital, Puducherry. Awarded by Pondicherry University.
MD in Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology
Sree Mookambika Institute of Medical Sciences, Tamil Nadu. Awarded by The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University.
Tamil Nadu Medical Council
Registration number 144237, verifiable on the council register.
Published work
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Efficacy of Intralesional MMR in Extensive and Recalcitrant Warts: An Open Uncontrolled Study
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Prevalence and Correlation of Metabolic Syndrome in Psoriasis Vulgaris: A Cross-Sectional Study
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Association Between Androgenetic Alopecia and Coronary Artery Disease in Men: A Prospective Case Study
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Clinical vs Microbiological Diagnosis of Vulvovaginitis: A Comparative Study
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Clinico-epidemiological Study of Dermatitis Neglecta in a Tertiary Care Centre in Southern India
Dull Skin? This Facial Gives Instant Glow
Questions patients ask
What was your MD thesis on?
I compared intralesional immunotherapy using the measles, mumps and rubella antigen with intralesional acyclovir in the treatment of warts. It means I have looked closely at how warts behave, how they respond to injection based treatment and how often they come back.
My warts keep coming back after they were removed. Why?
Warts are caused by a virus that lives in the skin, so removing the visible lesion does not always clear the virus around it. Recurrence is common and it is not a sign that anything was done wrongly. I usually discuss whether an immunotherapy approach is more appropriate than repeated physical removal.
I came about psoriasis. Why are you checking my weight and blood pressure?
Because psoriasis is associated with metabolic syndrome, which is the clustering of raised blood sugar, blood pressure, weight around the abdomen and abnormal lipids. I have published on this association. Picking it up in a dermatology clinic is often the first time a patient hears about it.
Is hair loss connected to heart disease?
One of my published papers looked at the association between androgenetic alopecia and coronary artery disease. An association is not the same as a cause, and most people with pattern hair loss have nothing wrong with their heart. It does mean that early, severe pattern hair loss in a young man is worth taking a broader history over.
I think I may have a sexually transmitted infection. What happens at the visit?
You are seen in a consulting room with the door closed, and the consultation is confidential like any other. I take a history, examine, and advise which tests are appropriate. Many of these conditions present on the skin first, which is why dermatologists are trained to manage them.
Which languages do you consult in, and are you from Coimbatore?
English and Tamil, and yes. I went to school here, trained in Pondicherry and then at Sree Mookambika for my MD, and came back to practise in the city I grew up in. Some of what I see, sexually transmitted infection in particular, is difficult to raise at all. It is harder again in a second language.
Consulting at DermaVue Coimbatore
DermaVue Coimbatore · 460, Ponnaiyan St, Cross Cut Rd, Ram Nagar, Gandhipuram, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 · +91 8086860018