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. 2025 Sep 8;31(4).
doi: 10.25251/30qqf945.

Longevity in dermatologists-why do so many dermatologists live so long?

Philip R Cohen  1   2   3 , Jeffrey C Miller, Barbara A Burrall
Affiliations

Longevity in dermatologists-why do so many dermatologists live so long?

Philip R Cohen et al. Dermatol Online J. .

Abstract

Longevity refers to living a longer and healthier life than the average. Many dermatologists are characterized by not only longevity, but also superaging. The American Academy of Dermatology published the obituaries of 57 colleagues; 89% (51 of the 57 dermatologists) of the dermatologists were older than 80 years of age when they died. It is remarkable that so many dermatologists live so long. We propose that the longevity observed in dermatologists may not only be merely the result of chance. We hypothesize that dermatologist longevity is the result of the genetic predisposition, lifestyle (such as healthy diets, exercise, and rest), and specific career characteristics.

Keywords: aging; dermatologist; dermatology; exercise; genetics; lifestyle; longevity; superagers; telomerase; telomeres.

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