Elisabeth K. Shim, MD

Dr. Shim was named as a Los Angeles Magazine SuperDoctor® for six consecutive years 2008-2013 and a Pasadena Magazine Top Doctor in 2009, 2012, and 2013.

Dr. Elisabeth Shim is a board-certified dermatologist who practices in the Los Angeles area in Santa Monica and Pasadena. She grew up in suburban Chicago and attended Northwestern University and Oxford University as an undergraduate. Dr. Shim graduated from Northwestern University’s prestigious Honors Program in Medical Education, a special program which guarantees select talented high school students admission to medical school. She graduated with Alpha Omega Alpha honors from Northwestern University Medical School in 1994.

Following medical school, Dr. Shim traveled around the country to obtain excellent training. Her internship was completed at the University of Washington-Seattle, where she received a solid base in internal medicine. She then completed her dermatology residency at the world-renowned program at New York University, where she served as chief resident. Dr. Shim completed a fellowship in Mohs surgery and cosmetic dermatologic surgery at the Skin and Cosmetic Center at Scripps Clinic, La Jolla under Dr. Hubert T. Greenway. There, she spent extra time refining skills in skin cancer and reconstructive surgery, pathology, lasers (with Dr. E. Victor Ross and Dr. Greenway), liposuction, Botox and sclerotherapy.

Her practice has a special emphasis on skin cancer surgery, skin cancer screening and cosmetic dermatology. She has performed over 5000 Mohs and reconstructive surgeries and has performed thousands of laser procedures. Noted for her research in many disciplines of dermatologic surgery, Dr. Shim’s study on microdermabrasion was the first US-based peer reviewed paper published on the subject, and her paper on carbon dioxide laser resurfacing documented its effect on building collagen and reversing skin aging. In addition, she has written key review papers on sun and melanoma (for which she received an award from the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery), metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, and oxygen and wound healing. She has lectured both nationally and internationally on a variety of subjects, including those above, as well as on skin cancer reconstruction. She has edited a review of sunscreens for The Medical Letter and is a reviewer for the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Dr. Shim is an Assistant Clinical Professor in Dermatology at the Keck USC School of Medicine. Every year, she teaches skin cancer reconstruction to doctors from all over the world at a course held at UC San Diego. Dr. Shim is the Associate Director of Dr. Richard Bennett's Mohs surgery fellowship. She also lectures to the USC dermatology residents on reconstruction and lasers.

She has been interviewed for a variety of print and television media, including The Los Angeles Times, The Weather Channel, KCAL-9, KCBS and KSDO. Allure magazine featured Dr. Shim in an article entitled "Skin Genius" in 2005.

In 2005, she developed a skin care company called Verdure Botanoceuticals, merging dermatologic expertise with botanical ingredients. Its sunscreen was noted by Allure and Lucky magazines. The products have been featured in a number of publications and internet blogs.

Dr. Shim resides on the Westside in Los Angeles with her family including her twin daughters, a Belgian Malinois dog, and a rescued tabby cat. Her favorite hobbies include cooking and travel.