I am Stefani Kappel MD

I am a board certified, and double fellowship trained Dermatologist and Mohs Micrographic Surgeon. I have over 15 years of experience in practicing Dermatology and studying the skin. As a young kid I always knew I wanted to be a doctor. It was my first year in medical school that I knew I wanted to become a dermatologist. Looking at skin under the microscope and seeing how it correlates with what the skin looks like visibly has always fascinated me. It has also been interesting to see how internal diseases of the body, lab abnormalities and systemic diseases manifested with changes in the skin. I have dedicated my life to studying the skin. I will never stop studying it and keeping up with the latest discoveries.

I earned my Medical Degree with the highest honors from UC Irvine College of Medicine. I then completed my residency in Dermatology at UCLA. As a top ACGME Dermatology Residency Program, I was grateful to be one of only three medical student applicants accepted and to have received such excellent training. After completing my residency, I joined the full-time faculty and Clinical Staff at UCLA as a Clinical Instructor and Professor of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery. I taught the dermatology residents and medical students. Next, I then went on to complete a fellowship in Procedural Dermatology. This ACGME fellowship combined Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cosmetic Dermatology at UC Davis and The Laser and Skin Surgery Center of Northern California. I was one out of hundreds of dermatologists selected for this advanced fellowship training under world renowned Laser Expert: Dr. Suzanne Kilmer. I am grateful for my exceptional training experiences and the education that has allowed me to be the dermatologist that I am today.

Innovative Science. Advanced Technology Real Life Results! After completing my fellowship, I took my first job as the Director of Mohs Micrographic and Dermatologic Surgery at the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of Northern California. This allowed me the opportunity to perform thousands of Mohs cases where I studied skin under the microscope and treated various types of skin cancers. Additionally, I had access to the latest technology and participated in clinical research trials. I continue my involvement in the medical community as a key opinion leader and remain active on medical advisory boards.

Why AiRE

ARE is an acronym for an important signal transduction pathway in the skin. It stands for the Antioxidant Response Element (ARE). The “i” in science represents “the induction of". Hence AIRE represents the activation of this powerful anti-aging pathway. Inducing this key anti-aging pathway results in the transcription and translation of protective genes that play a major role in the anti-aging process. Activation of the AIRE pathway protects skin cells from oxidative stress which remains one of the best etiologies to explain the mechanism of aging lf you study the process of aging like we do for disease, we begin to understand pathways and how to inhibit these steps. In doing so, we create healthier cells which in turn slow down aging. In a sense, we are practicing preventative medicine versus reactive medicine. As physicians, just like we recommend you to eat clean and exercise to keep our bodies healthy, we need to protect and nourish our skin the same way to prevent disease. Healthy skin is beautiful skin.