Dr. Omar A. Ibrahimi is the founding and medical director of the Connecticut Skin Institute. He is a board-certified Dermatologist who has completed advanced fellowship training in Skin Cancer, Laser and Cosmetic Surgery. Dr. Ibrahimi has trained at the most prestigious medical institutions in the country. Prior to founding the Connecticut Skin Insititute, Dr. Ibrahimi was also an Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Dermatologic Surgery and Mohs Surgery at the University of Connecticut, and served as the Director of Laser and Cosmetic Surgery. Dr. Ibrahimi prides himself on treating his patients, not just their skin cancer or cosmetic concern. His goal is to provide you with the best possible medical care in a friendly environment.
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Haute Beauty expert Dr. Omar A. Ibrahimi prides himself on treating his patients, not just their skin cancer or cosmetic concern. To learn more about how board-certified Dermatologist Dr. Ibrahimi successfully meets his goal of providing his patients with the best possible medical care in a friendly environment, Haute Beauty sat down with him to discuss the foundation of Connecticut Skin Institute. Here's what Dr. Ibrahimi had to say:
My greatest achievement:
I’ve been extremely fortunate and humbled to have had the opportunity to learn and train with so many amazing mentors throughout my life. Personally, I am most proud of graduating from an NIH funded MD-PhD dual degree program. For my Ph.D. thesis, I helped characterize how specific mutations in Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptors resulted in changes in the protein’s shape. These mutations cause a variety of causing pediatric craniofacial disorders. Characterizing these changes in shape are the first step in designing drugs that can counteract the effect the mutation had on skeletal growth. While it doesn’t have anything to do with dermatology, the discipline and habits I developed in discovering something that was previously unknown, have stayed with me and pushed me to always take an analytic approach with my patients.
What is the biggest misconception about your field?
Many people, including physicians, look at dermatology as a fringe specialty. The truth of the matter is our skin is such a vital part of our physical and mental well-being. There was a study that showed that having bad psoriasis and eczema often leads to a worse quality of life than having congestive heart failure or diabetes. WHY?!? Because when you have a bad skin disease, it may be immediately obvious to those around you, whereas if you have heart disease or diabetes you can take those medications in the privacy of your home and it may not be as obvious to the outside world. Personally, I find that helping our patients look and feel their best even with things like acne scars or birthmarks, often has outsized benefits not just to their appearance but to their confidence and mental well-being.
What are your most requested procedures?
Non-invasive body contouring is a very common procedure in our office. I was fortunate to train with the inventors of Coolsculpting at Harvard Medical School and we take a very hands-on approach to treating patients as opposed to a medical spa or practice that is just focused on generating revenue. Another popular procedure is laser resurfacing which is the most requested laser procedure in our office and does wonders to treat brown spots, hyperpigmentation, acne scars, surgical scars, and overall rejuvenation of the skin.
What are you best known for?
At Connecticut Skin Institue, we focus on the total health and beauty of one's skin. They go hand in hand. We always tell patients there is no point in investing in laser treatments if you aren't wearing sunscreen and making sure you are being followed medically by a dermatologist as well. Skin cancer is a huge epidemic in our country and not being under the care of a dermatologist but getting cosmetic treatments is something many patients mistakenly do.
What is your most memorable patient reaction?
One of my most memorable patient interactions was with a young African American male nurse who had a birthmark called Nevus of Ota. This is a complicated birthmark to treat and even harder to do in the skin of color patients. With a series of treatments, we were able to virtually clear his birthmark and we saw his confidence and well-being shoot up as he was being treated. He recently called us to let us know he got married and then also when he had his first child. It put the biggest smile on both my and my team's faces knowing that we made a difference in his life.
What sets the Connecticut Skin Institute apart?
- Your care is always under the direct supervision of Board-Certified Dermatologists.
- Harvard-trained dermatologist with fellowship training in Mohs surgery and lasers/aesthetics.
- Castle Connolly Top Doctors and amongst highest rated dermatologists in CT.
- Patients are not overbooked so expect minimal to no wait times.
- In-network with most major insurance.
- Over 100 published research papers, book chapters and studies.
- On the Board of Directors for the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery and American Society for Laser Medicine. Member of American College of Mohs Surgery and American Academy of Dermatology.
What I love most about my profession:
Treatments have become more prevalent in the male gender. Often, the male population is hesitant about getting treatments because they believe it's not natural looking. Well, I can confidently say that Brotox is a thing. More men are coming in for aesthetic treatments now than we did 10 years ago.
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