Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2013

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Most children don’t
figure out that they want to
become doctors while stuck in a
hospital bed, craning their neck
to catch a fuzzy episode of “The
Smurfs” on a television bolted
to the ceiling. Oddly enough, however, Dr. Jon Jacobs
discovered as a 7-year-old outpatient that he’d found his
calling in medicine.
“I was getting my tonsils out and realized I wanted to be
a doctor,” he said.
Fast forward to his high school education in Mount
Pleasant, where Jacobs put down
some teenage roots after many years
of being moved around by his father, who was in the Air
Force and called the Lowcountry “the best place in the
world they’d lived.”
Jacobs graduated from the old Moultrie High School
on Coleman Boulevard, then completed his undergraduate
work in pre-med at Davidson College in North Carolina.
He returned to the Lowcountry for medical school at the
Medical University of South Carolina and decided he would
become a surgeon.
“As a surgeon, I could take care of more patient
issues without having to refer them for possible
operations,” he explained.
Jacobs completed five years of general and vascular
residency and began learning techniques that revolutionized
the world of medicine. He studied in Paris with a French
doctor, Francois Dubois, who instructed Jacobs how to
perform laparoscopic surgery – a technique that Jacobs
brought home to the Southeast.
“I developed a laparoscopic approach to fixing a hiatal
hernia (an esophagus/stomach hernia that causes acid
reflux). I returned to Paris and showed the technique to Dr.
Dubois,” he said.
Because of his background, it was natural for Jacobs
to take a “surgical approach” to dermatology. And the art
of dermatology appealed to Jacobs as well; he took several
courses with Dr. Kathleen Riley at MUSC.
“Many dermatological problems happen to require
surgery,” he mused. “I especially appreciate the cosmetic
outcome of these
procedures.”
As of late, Jacobs
has kept up with the
technological advances
regarding dermatology
without sacrificing
his attention to his
patients. His practice
offers most of the
lasers that you’d see in
many dermatological
offices today – plus
a few surprises. One,
known as radio
frequency treatment, is
gaining popularity and
notoriety for blasting fat and wrinkles.
“Radio frequency, which is similar to the technology used
in microwave ovens, sends a signal through the skin and
painlessly melts the fat,” Jacobs explained. “As for wrinkles,
the heat shrinks collagen and causes skin to tighten.”
But the office of Jon R. Jacobs Dermatology is more than
just probing and zapping with laser equipment. Jacobs takes
pride in listening to his patients’ stories.
“When I have a new patient, I ask them to tell me their
story,” he said. “Perhaps their mother just died, perhaps
they’ve gone through a divorce – but I check out their
spiritual and mental health first. It shows that I care and
establishes trust.”
Though his office is located in North Charleston and his
residence is inWest Ashley, Jacobs spends ample time East of
the Cooper, enjoying his secondary home on the Isle of Palms.
“I read a lot, write poetry and work on making wooden
pens and other articles,” he said. “My artistic knack
feeds into my profession; I can tell what would make my
patients look best. Everyone wants to be the best version of
themselves.”
Visit the Dr. Jon R. Jacobs Surgical & Cosmetic Dermatology
website at , or give them a call at
(843) 797-6564.
56 | |
by DenIse K. JaMes
Feeling Good
Not Just SkinDeep
Cosmetic & Surgical Dermatology
Photo by Marie Rodriguez.
Dr. Jon R. Jacobs has brought a “surgical ap-
proach” to dermatology.