UK dermatological surgery: how a specialty came of age

Thirty years ago, in the UK, dermatological surgery was spoken of in hushed tones among small gatherings of enthusiastic dermatologists. Many who had attended the meetings of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) were aware of the increasing role that surgery was playing in the USA, and some had taken part in US surgical workshops. In 1983, a group of British dermatologists – including Stan Comaish, Mike Dahl, Rodney Dawber, Peter Kersey, Cliff Lawrence and Peter Holt – formed the British Dermatological Surgery Group (BDSG) – later to become the British Society for Dermatological Surgery (BSDS).