Paradise Valley, AZ-based dermatologist Lindsay Ackerman, MD, identifies as a detective.
“The skin, if read correctly, can tell an incredible story of what is going on inside the body,” she tells TDD at the launch of her new limited web series, Derm Detective: Demystifying Dermatology. “These clues allow us to play a leading role in the discovery of internal pathology.”
Dr. Ackerman has seen a lot in her years of practice, including a 20-year-old in the ICU with purpura that was streptococcal sepsis, blistering autoimmune diseases, a rash that was a symptom of pancreatic cancer, and fungal pneumonia, to name just a few of the diagnoses she has uncovered.
The new series, launching on lorealdermatologicalbeauty.us, debuted with a trailer at the 2025 American Academy of Dermatology’s annual; meeting in Orlando, FL. The first episode drops in mid-March, and the series comprises six episodes. Each episode is based on a new disease, with a focus on exploring rare skin conditions and extreme cases of common skin diseases.
Derm Detective aims to engage dermatology providers in a peer-to-peer style. While detectives and dermatologists often have access to state-of-the-art tools, sometimes solving a medical mystery is just a matter of listening to the patient, she says
“We examine, listen, and ask several probing questions. It’s amazing what you can find out just by listening to the patient’s story.”
