Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton Is Equalizing Dermatology for Melanated Skin, One TikTok at a Time

Design by Channing Smith

When I first saw Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton appear on my TikTok timeline, I immediately stopped scrolling. There, finally, was an expert addressing my concerns as she talked about all the things she would never do to her skin and the products she wouldn't use as a Black dermatologist.

Born in Jamaica, Dr. Ingleton is a board-certified dermatologist who owns her practice, Ingleton Dermatology P.C., in New York City. But that wasn't always her goal. “I'd never met a dermatologist in my life, so that wasn't part of the dream,” she tells me. “The dream was to become a doctor because, in Jamaica, it's a big deal to become a doctor, lawyer, business owner, that kind of thing.”

But after deciding to pivot from dance to pursue medicine seriously, Dr. Ingleton found success in her dermatology practice as well as her skincare line, Rose M.D., which infuses Jamaican influences with products that focus on hydration, anti-aging, and blemishes.

And using TikTok, Dr. Ingleton has been able to share her expertise with a larger audience, with close to 135,000 followers and over 1 million likes on her videos. Her two series, “Fact vs. Myth” and “Dark Spot Mistakes,” have struck a chord with her audience regarding issues particular to the Black community: hyperpigmentation and chemical procedures on darker skin.

Her comments are filled with women thanking her for this knowledge and asking follow-up questions that are specific to them, which Dr. Ingleton often engages with. One comment says, for example, "I love your skin, I would definitely let you be my doctor." Another asks, “How can I fix HYPOpigmentation? caused from laser hair removal?” (To this, Dr. Ingleton recommends an excimer laser to help relieve symptoms.)

For the latest installment of Glamour’s Doing the Work, Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton talks about the importance of being a Black dermatologist, her favorite way to wind down after a long day, and her favorite place to work.

You're a very successful doctor today. When you were younger, what was your childhood dream job?

Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton: I started studying dance when I was seven years old—ballet and modern—but I was also good in science and math. I thought I could do both, a professional dancer and a doctor. Until college, I was actually on a dual road of seriously pursuing dance and medicine.

But at some point, my mother talked sense into me and said, “Listen, if you choose to dance, by the time you hit 30 years old, you're going to be looking for your next career. If you choose medicine, this is something that you can have for the long haul.” Reluctantly, I went down that path and now I just dabble in dance, but I wholeheartedly practice medicine.

Other than making sure you take off your makeup, how else do you like to unwind after a long day?

I like a glass of wine. Oh my goodness. Something about just having a glass. Of course, my doctor tells me not to drink a glass every day. That's too much. So I don't drink every day, but there's something about having a beautiful, well-made glass.

I first saw your content on TikTok. How did you get into posting on the platform?

I'm very comfortable on camera because I'm just being myself; to me, it feels as though I'm just in the room talking to one person. I never think about the fact that there are millions of people watching, but I'm just very comfortable and apparently, I'm very clear in the way I deliver information. It is something that I have worked at since becoming a physician—to deliver information so that people never leave my office saying they don't know what the hell I just said.

As a viewer, it's really helpful and important to have you in this space because there are few Black doctors, particularly dermatologists, who can educate Black people on their skin and which products might work better for them. Do you find that people come in looking for that? Do they feel more comfortable if they are of a similar skin tone as you or a woman of color?

Black dermatologists are only 3% of all dermatologists, and they're scattered around the country. You might have more range in the New York area, but if you go to Arkansas or Chicago, you won't have access to people who look like you if you have skin of color. So they are definitely seeking me out.

There are a lot of things that I've had to figure out because the way that we are taught to diagnose and treat hair or scalp conditions in residency is not the way that I practice. I apply products based on how I would use them—giving the kind of direction I would want to have given to me. I find in regards to hair, that's the area where we are least prepared in our residency training programs. And so having to live with hair that's currently mine and figuring it out for myself, I translate some of that over to patients and just share that with them.

You mentioned that if you weren't a doctor, you would pursue sculpting. How do you maintain your creativity in your medical practice?

Whenever I'm doing cosmetic dermatology, I've been called out on it a few times. I'll be in the middle of doing fillers on someone, and they would say, “Oh my God, you should see your face right now. You went into your studio mode. You were in your sculpting studio and you were gone. You weren't even with us. You were so in tune.” So I know that when I'm doing fillers, I'm an artist. I am a sculptor. I know the outcome that I want. If I'm sculpting your lip or your earlobe, whatever it is, there's the artist side of me that gets to look at it.

You are a member of Soho Works [a network of office spaces for individuals and teams across industries], and I know that you frequent their locations in New York, primarily at 10 Jay Street. What do you enjoy the most about your time in those spaces and how do you find them the most beneficial?

I remain struck by the beauty and expansiveness of the space, the interior design, the furniture choices, and the wide open window that looks out onto the East River. 10 Jay Street is very removed and difficult to get to, which is actually what appeals to me because it's not as crowded.

I did an event there with Melanin Moi and my skincare line, Rose M.D. We did a collaborative discussion where there were about 40 guests in the audience and they were asking questions about skin, Black skin, because pretty much everyone in the audience was melanated. It was so wonderful, and we took over that loft space as well. I want to do something else like that again. Whenever I connect with an audience, I'm thrilled because I can see the lights go on.

Originally Appeared on Glamour