Pioneering dermatologist Dr. Alastair Carruthers, co-discoverer of the cosmetic applications of botulinum toxin A, has died.
A tribute released by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) notes that Dr. Carruthers died in Vancouver on Aug. 19, 2024.
With his wife, ophthalmologist Dr. Jean Carruthers, Dr. Alastair Carruthers led the discovery of the cosmetic use of botulinum toxin A.
In 1987, the couple shared medical office space. Dr. Jean Carruthers had used a dilute solution of botulinum toxin to manage a patient with uncontrollable blinking. After the treatment, the couple observed the wrinkle-relaxing effects of the toxin. They followed this observation with additional research that led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval in 2002 of botulinum toxin A for the management of glabellar lines.
A graduate of the University of Oxford’s Brasenose College in 1968, Dr. Carruthers underwent training in Internal Medicine in Vancouver and Liverpool before specializing in dermatology at St. Thomas’s Hospital and St. John’s Hospital for Diseases of the Skin in London. In 1977, he joined the Faculty of Dermatology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. His career was marked by groundbreaking work, including bringing Mohs surgery to Canada in 1983, which he learned during his fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. His efforts were instrumental in establishing the Canadian Society for Dermatologic Surgery.
Dr. Carruthers became the first Canadian President of ASDS from 2006 to 2007. He established the First Annual ASDS Gala, the ASDS Stegman Circle fundraising initiative and the Society’s advocacy arm, ASDSA, during his presidential tenure.
He published more than 100 articles and authored several textbooks throughout his career. These contributions were recognized with numerous honours, including the ASDS Samuel J. Stegman, MD, Award for Outstanding Service in 2010, the Philip Frost and Eugene van Scott Leadership Award in 2012, the ASDS Leadership in Innovation Lectureship in 2014 and the ASDS President’s Award in 2015.
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