Professor Ma Donglai: Specialist in Rare and Difficult Skin Disease
Professor Ma Donglai is a chief physician, professor, and doctoral supervisor in the Department of Dermatology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH). He is known for diagnosing difficult, uncommon, and severe skin disorders and for correlating clinical findings with dermatopathology.
His principal areas include hereditary skin disease, pigmentary disorders, infectious skin disease, rare clinical presentations, and skin-biopsy interpretation.
For an overview of the hospital, see our Peking Union Medical College Hospital international patient guide. Patients researching autoimmune blistering or inflammatory skin disease can also read our profile of Professor Jin Hongzhong.
Clinical Specialties
Professor Ma’s principal clinical areas include:
- rare and difficult-to-diagnose skin disorders;
- severe dermatologic disease;
- hereditary and genetic skin conditions;
- pigmentary disorders;
- infectious skin disease;
- skin tumors and tumor-like lesions requiring diagnostic clarification;
- dermatopathology and clinicopathologic correlation; and
- second opinions after inconclusive biopsy or unsuccessful treatment.
Why Rare Skin Diseases Are Difficult to Diagnose
Many dermatologic conditions share similar appearances. A red, scaly, blistering, ulcerated, pigmented, or nodular lesion may have inflammatory, autoimmune, infectious, genetic, drug-related, or neoplastic causes.
Rare disorders may be missed when the disease is incomplete, altered by treatment, or sampled from the wrong area. Accurate diagnosis often depends on combining the patient’s history, lesion distribution, high-quality photographs, laboratory tests, microbiology, biopsy findings, and response to previous therapy.
Professor Ma’s approach is particularly relevant for patients whose clinical appearance and pathology report do not agree or whose diagnosis has changed several times.
Dermatopathology
Dermatopathology is the microscopic examination of skin tissue. It can help distinguish inflammatory disease, infection, autoimmune blistering disease, genetic disorders, benign growths, and skin cancer.
A biopsy result should not be interpreted in isolation. The pathologist needs to know the lesion’s age, location, appearance, treatment history, and suspected diagnosis. In some cases, a second biopsy, special stain, tissue culture, molecular test, or direct immunofluorescence study may be needed.
International patients seeking pathology review should bring the original glass slides and paraffin blocks whenever possible, not only the written report.
Hereditary Skin Disease
Genetic skin diseases can affect skin structure, pigmentation, hair, nails, sweat glands, blood vessels, or other organs. Symptoms may begin in infancy or childhood, but milder forms can remain undiagnosed until adulthood.
Evaluation may include a detailed family history, examination of relatives, pathology, and genetic testing. A genetic result must be interpreted carefully because not every variant causes disease, and some conditions require additional clinical evidence.
A confirmed diagnosis can clarify prognosis, guide monitoring, prevent unnecessary treatment, and help family members understand potential inheritance.
Pigmentary Disorders
Pigmentary disease can cause areas of increased or reduced skin color. Causes include genetic conditions, inflammation, autoimmune disease, medication, infection, hormonal factors, and abnormal pigment cells.
Assessment may involve dermoscopy, ultraviolet examination, photography, blood tests, or biopsy. Treatment depends on the diagnosis and may include topical medicine, systemic therapy, light treatment, laser procedures, camouflage, or observation.
Because laser or light treatment can worsen some conditions or cause lasting pigment change, an accurate diagnosis should come before a cosmetic procedure.
Infectious Skin Disease
Bacterial, fungal, viral, parasitic, and atypical infections can mimic inflammatory or autoimmune skin disease. Immunosuppressive treatment may temporarily change the appearance while allowing an infection to worsen.
Testing may include microscopy, culture, special stains, molecular testing, or biopsy. Patients should provide travel history, animal exposure, immune status, medication use, and previous antimicrobial treatment.
Academic Contributions
Professor Ma has published numerous clinical observations and diagnostic reports in peer-reviewed journals. Representative publications include reports of actinic granuloma, segmental neurofibromatosis, and acral persistent papular mucinosis.
Well-documented case reports can help clinicians recognize unusual presentations, but a published image or description cannot confirm a diagnosis in another patient. Direct examination and appropriate testing remain essential.
Who May Consider a Consultation?
A consultation with Professor Ma or the PUMCH dermatology team may be worth considering when a patient:
- has a rare or unexplained skin disorder;
- has received several different diagnoses;
- has a biopsy result that does not match the clinical picture;
- has persistent disease despite standard treatment;
- has a suspected hereditary skin condition;
- has unusual pigmentation, nodules, ulcers, blisters, or widespread rash;
- has possible infection before starting immunosuppressive treatment; or
- needs expert review of pathology slides and clinical photographs.
Medical Records to Prepare
International patients should prepare:
- a concise medical summary and chronological symptom history;
- clear photographs showing the condition before and after treatment;
- dermatology notes and hospital records;
- original pathology reports, glass slides, and paraffin blocks;
- direct immunofluorescence, special stain, culture, and molecular test results;
- genetic testing reports and family history when relevant;
- blood tests and imaging related to suspected systemic disease;
- a complete list of current and previous medicines, including creams, injections, and traditional remedies;
- details of travel, occupational, animal, and environmental exposures; and
- a clear list of questions for the specialist.
Patients should avoid editing photographs with filters because accurate color and surface detail can help the diagnostic review.
Planning an International Consultation
Appointments with senior specialists may be limited. Before traveling, patients should confirm whether photographs, records, and pathology materials can be reviewed and whether an in-person examination or repeat biopsy is required.
Remote medical-record review is subject to physician authorization. Many rare skin diseases cannot be diagnosed reliably from photographs alone, so a final diagnosis may require direct examination and additional testing.
How CMCS Can Assist
CMCS – China Medical Concierge Shanghai is an independent medical concierge and health management company, not a hospital. We assist international patients with organizing and translating medical records, pathology materials, and clinical photographs; identifying an appropriate specialist; requesting appointment availability; arranging interpretation; and planning medical travel in China.
Access to Professor Ma, remote review, pathology review, genetic testing, or any particular treatment is subject to the doctor’s and hospital’s approval. CMCS does not guarantee appointments, diagnosis, treatment eligibility, or clinical outcomes.
For assistance, contact CMCS:
- Email: contract@medicalsh.com
- WhatsApp: Contact us on WhatsApp
- Website: www.medicalsh.com
Important Note
Doctor titles, clinical roles, test availability, treatment options, and appointment arrangements may change. Patients should confirm current information before travel. This profile is based on publicly available hospital and academic sources and is provided for general information only. It is not individual medical advice and does not replace assessment by a qualified dermatologist.
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