Meet Archana
"I trained in two health systems, on two continents, before I understood what I actually wanted to specialise in."
Read Archana’s Story, in Her Own WordsFour Chapters
Origins in Mumbai
My understanding of skin did not begin in a London teaching hospital. It began in Mumbai, where I trained on patients whose skin most UK textbooks barely mentioned. Skin of colour was not a specialism I added later, it was there from the very first patient I ever examined.
That foundation is still the thing patients notice first when they finally get referred to me. I am not guessing at their skin, I trained in it.
Training in London
Imperial College London gave my training its letters, dermatology and dermatosurgery across Chelsea & Westminster and Ealing hospitals, with a medical rotation in South Wales along the way. It was rigorous in a completely different way to Mumbai, and I needed both.
Building the Wimbledon Hair Clinic
Based on my experience with patients, and listening to their journeys, I created the Wimbledon Hair Clinic to assess all the possible needs of patients with hair loss. I built the clinic I wished had existed when I was training, because so many of my patients had been told to just live with it. The research that followed, published in Nature in 2019, came directly out of the patients I saw.
Writing a Book
Over two decades of consultations leaves you with more stories than you can tell in a clinic appointment. The patients, the misdiagnoses, the questions I have been asked most, all of it is going into a book. I am not ready to share the title yet, but the people who ask first will hear it first.
Two Decades, at a Glance
Mumbai, India
Dermatology, dermatosurgery and skin of colour.
Indian Association of Dermatologists
For research on dermatoscopy and ethnic skin.
South Wales
Medical rotation before specialising further.
Imperial College London
Dermatology and dermatosurgery, Chelsea & Westminster and Ealing hospitals.
Bologna & Barcelona
5 scholarships from the European Academy of Dermatology and European Hair Research Society.
Consultant Dermatologist
Appointed at Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust.
Raynes Park Health Centre
Developed the community dermatology clinic, rated outstanding in a patient survey.
Published in Nature
Research on Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia.
Clinical Excellence Awards
Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, including recognition for work during the pandemic.
International Lecturer in Hair Loss
Invited to lecture on hair loss at international meetings, including New York and Dubai.
Education Lead, British Hair and Nail Society, UK
Leading the Society’s education programme.
Menopause Podcasts
On skin and hair changes during menopause.
Wimbledon Hair Clinic
Her dedicated hair clinic in Wimbledon, with a trichologist and nutritionist alongside her.
Qualifications & Memberships
| Qualifications | MBBS, DVD, FCPS, DNB (Dermatology), FRCP (Dermatology) UK |
|---|---|
| Initial Training | Mumbai, India |
| UK Training | Imperial College London, Chelsea & Westminster and Ealing hospitals |
| NHS Post | Consultant Dermatologist, Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, since March 2014 |
| Experience | Over two decades across two continents |
| Professional Memberships |
|
Notable Achievements
Pioneered one of the first dedicated NHS hair loss clinics in South West London, at Kingston Hospital.
Research on Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia published in Nature, March 2019.
Gold medal, Indian Association of Dermatologists, for research on dermatoscopy and ethnic skin.
5 scholarships from the European Academy of Dermatology and European Hair Research Society, including advanced hair loss training in Bologna and presenting research in Barcelona.
Double Clinical Excellence Awards from Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, 2019 and 2020, the latter for work during the pandemic.
Developed the community dermatology clinic at Raynes Park Health Centre, rated Outstanding in a patient survey, 2015.
Quoted in the Evening Standard, Vogue, and Daily Mail on skin and hair topics.
Invited lecturer at national and international meetings, and chairs national meetings on biologic therapies.
See What She Focuses On
Hair disorders, ethnic skin, perimenopausal changes, and general dermatology.
Explore Areas of FocusShe's Writing About All of This
Over two decades of consultations, distilled into her first book.
Learn About The BookReady to book, or want to know more first?
Whichever it is, her office and the rest of this site are ready when you are.