When Dr. Maria G. Buethe was a young medical student training at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, she encountered a baby with epidermolysis bullosa — a devastating genetic condition that causes widespread skin blistering.
The emotional toll was profound: Overwhelmed by the intensive wound care, the infant’s parents abandoned her in the hospital.
That experience, and others involving children with rare and serious skin disorders, left an indelible mark on Dr. Buethe.
“It made me realize that dermatology is far more than just cosmetic,” she says. “Skin conditions can significantly impact quality of life — especially when affecting the face. They can alter a person’s identity and self-esteem.”
Now a double board-certified dermatologist and pediatric dermatologist, Dr. Buethe serves as chief of the newly established division of dermatology at CHOC. Dermatological services for patients began in late 2024. She is also the director of pediatric dermatology at the University of California, Irvine.
One-stop service
Dr. Buethe’s vision is to develop a comprehensive, one-stop center of excellence for children and adolescents with complex skin, hair and nail disorders — conditions that often require multidisciplinary expertise and cannot be easily managed in community settings.
“We aim to build a full pediatric dermatology division, focused on medically and surgically complex cases,” she explains.
In building the division, Dr. Buethe has prioritized close collaboration with CHOC specialists in hematology, genetics, plastic surgery and interventional radiology — ensuring patients receive coordinated, multidisciplinary care in fewer visits.
Some of the conditions managed by Dr. Buethe and her team include vascular anomalies such as infantile hemangiomas, vascular tumors and malformations
Dr. Buethe holds a PhD focused on pediatric vascular anomalies and actively leads multiple clinical trials in this field in collaboration with UC Irvine.
Big win for primary care
The new dermatology division is a significant win for primary care physicians, notes Dr. Laura E. Petrovich, a board-certified pediatrician who has cared for children and adolescents in Orange County for the past decade.
“The biggest win for me as a primary care physician is in the past, CHOC didn’t have a dermatology program and we would refer our patients to outside providers, but we would often have difficulty receiving follow-up information on our patients,” Dr. Petrovich says.
Details of services
After-hours dermatological service for patients on weekdays began in January, says Dr. Buethe, a recognized leader in pediatric dermatology and co-chair of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology’s Vascular Birthmarks section.
The new dermatology division eventually will include a team of board-certified pediatric dermatologists and advanced pediatric dermatology practice providers who will collaborate closely with patients and families to develop personalized treatment plans that fit a child’s specific needs and innovative treatments, thanks to access to multiple clinical trials.
CHOC offers multiple types of convenient services for patients. In addition to in-person visits, patients can have telehealth visits with medical professionals when appropriate, allowing more flexibility and access to care.
The new division’s Procedural Dermatology Clinic specializes in performing dermatologic procedures, including skin biopsies, excisions, laser treatment and Botox injections, in outpatient settings without the need for general anesthesia.
The division will focus on the diagnosis and treatment of complex skin conditions, including but not limited to the following:
- Birthmarks
- Acne
- Severe eczema, not responding to topical medications
- Psoriasis and other psoriasiform disorders
- Skin growth, bumps and lumps
- Hair and nail disorders
- Vitiligo and other disorders of pigmentation (albinism, café au lait spots, etc.)
- Connective tissue disease (dermatomyositis, morphea, scleroderma, lupus, etc.)
- Epidermolysis bullosa and other blistering diseases
- Genetic skin diseases, including neurocutaneous diseases (tuberous sclerosis, neurofibromatosis)
- Warts, molluscum
“I’m super excited to provide exceptional care for patients in Orange County and beyond,” Dr. Buethe says.
To schedule an appointment or make a referral, please call 888-770-2462, fax: 855-246-2329. For more information about CHOC dermatology, including a list of locations, visit choc.org/dermatology.
