Naiem T. Issa, MD, PhD, FAAD

Board-Certified Dermatologist

4.8 /5

16 reviews

Naiem T. Issa, MD, PhD, FAAD

Dr. Naiem Issa is a board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon who trained at the University of Miami. Through his training and his 12-year education at Georgetown University, Dr. Issa has seen and treated both common, complex, and rare skin conditions and novel treatment options for them. As a physician, Dr. Issa believes in the idea of caring for the whole person. His practice of medicine revolves around his patients, not just their illnesses. He strives to know his patients in the most comprehensive manner so they are comfortable and confident in their journey through care.

As a dermatologist and prolific researcher in drug development, Dr. Issa gets to be a detective, surgeon, and researcher day in and day out. He has made numerous advancements such as using discovering the use of the anti-hookworm medication mebendazole as an anti-cancer agent and being the first to try the JAK-inhibitor ruxolitinib in a rare deadly case of cutaneous lymphoma. Additionally, he is an expert in hair medicine, having trained under the renowned Dr. Antonella Tosti (Miami) and Dr. Sergio Vano-Galvan (Spain) as a member of the American Hair Research Society mentorship program. He strives to bring the newest technologies to his patients to optimize hair treatments.

Dr. Issa specializes in:

Skin Cancer Detection and Treatment
Diagnosis and treatment of acne, psoriasis, eczema, rashes, and more
Care for cutaneous lymphoma and auto-immune disorders
Management of hair and nail disorders
Cosmetic treatments including Botox, fillers, Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy (PRP), microneedling, hair enhancement, chemical peels, and laser treatments

Dr. Issa is a native of Springfield, Virginia, and spent most of his life in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. He is excited to continue to further his roots in the Vienna community.

Dr. Issa is fluent in English, Arabic, and Spanish.

Vienna

8301 Old Courthouse Road

Vienna, Virginia 22182

Tel:(703) 442-0301

BOOK APPOINTMENT

While my patients’ skin conditions may be similar, their journey through healing is unique to each one and requires a unique relationship. I take pride in establishing these relationships and providing my patients with what I like to call their ‘journey through care’. To me, patients are not simply seeking care for their condition, but looking for a partner to expertly guide them.

- Naiem T. Issa, MD, PhD

Google • Forefront Dermatology

Dear Dr. Issa and Team, Thank you for your exceptional care and support during my visits. Your professionalism and kindness made all the difference, and I truly appreciate the time you took to address my concerns. It’s clear that you all genuinely care about your patients. Warmest regards, Sebastien Faye

Google • Forefront Dermatology

He is a chill and efficient doctor. The first few moments in his presence you know he is focused. This focus is on task at hand and you as a person.

Google • Forefront Dermatology

Amazing!! Appt was under 15 mins and Dr. Issa gave me quick solutions for my acne with explanations for why they're were going to work. He was super nice and I'm excited for the follow up. He helped me with all 4 problems I had in the shortest doctors appt I've ever had. He knows what he's doing!!

Google • Forefront Dermatology

He was very competent and also friendly and personable. He helped me with a cyst issue on my thumb.

Google • Forefront Dermatology

I was very glad to have an annual exam and have pre-cancerous lesions painlessly removed. Dr Issa has a very pleasant relaxed attitude toward his patients.

Google • Forefront Dermatology

This was my first visit with Dr Issa for my dermatological needs. It was a last minute need due to some upcoming travel. The staff are all very personable and professional. Dr Issa was wonderful and made me feel at ease during the biopsy. I will gladly revisit Dr Issa and his team!

Google • Forefront Dermatology

Best doctor I have ever known The best service ever

Google • Forefront Dermatology

Very good experience with Dr. Issa. Highly recommended

Google • Forefront Dermatology

Dr. Issa is very professional and takes his time in explaining the course of action to be taken.

Google • Forefront Dermatology

Dr. Issa is a wonderful doctor. He is very thorough in explaining treatment options. He is such an asset to your practice. Thanks, Dr. Issa. -Melanie Hoffman

Education

Undergraduate Degree:

Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Medical School:

Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Internship:

Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Post‐Doctoral Research Associate:

University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL

Dermatology Residency:

University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital Miami, FL

Certificates

American Board of Dermatology

Professional Memberships

American Physician Scientist Association (APSA)
American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
International Society of Dermatology (ISD)
Wound Healing Society (WHS)
American Hair Research Society (AHRS)

Achievements

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Research Scholar
Best Thesis Presentation in the Department of Biology, Georgetown University
Clifford C. Kaslow Research Achievement Award for Basic Science Research, Georgetown University Department of Medicine
American Association for the Advancement of Science Program for Excellence in Science
Best Poster Award, 1st International Congress on Systems and Complexity in Health, Washington DC
TD Bank Basic Science Research Award, Georgetown University Department of Medicine
International Society of Dermatology (ISD) Global Education Award
Rising Derm Stars® Competition for Residents, Las Vegas, NV

Publications

Issa N.T., Kaiser M., Martinez‐Velasco A., Tosti A. Alopecia After Cosmetic Injection Procedures: A Review. Dermatol Surg. 2022 Jun 1. doi: 0.1097/DSS.0000000000003498. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35642921.
Issa, N.T., Wathieu, H., Glasgow, E., Peran, I., Parasido, E., Li, T., Simbulan‐Rosenthal, C.M., Rosenthal, D., Medvedev, A.V., Makarov, S.S., Albanese, C., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2022). A novel chemo‐phenotypic method identifies mixtures of salpn, vitamin D3, and pesticides involved in the development of colorectal and pancreatic cancer. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf.
Quinonez, R.L., Issa, N.T., Miteva, M. (2021). A case of ill‐defined erythematous plaques scattered on the scalp. Skin Appendage Disord. doi: 10.1159/000517803.
Chen, V., Issa, N.T., Bellodi Schmidt, F. (2021). Mosaic TP63 variant and associated ectodermal dysplasia features ‐ a case report. JAAD Case Rep. doi:10.1016/j.jdcr.2021.09.016.
Essegian, D.J., Issa, N.T., Nichols, A., Milicowski, C. (2021). Rare Presentation of the Generalized Papular Variant of Elastolytic Giant Cell Granuloma (EGCG) Associated with Follicular Lymphoma. JAAD Case Rep. doi:10.1016/j.jdcr.2021.08.020.
Issa, N.T., Tosti, A. (2021). Trichoscopy for the Hair Transplant Surgeon – Assessing for Mimickers of Androgenetic Alopecia and Pre‐Operative Evaluation of Donor Site Area. Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery.
Egger, E., Issa, N., Kirsner, R.S., Romanelli, P., Issa, N.T. (2020). A rare association of bullous pemphigoid with mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome. JAAD Case Rep.
doi:10.1016/j.jdcr.2020.04.024
Issa, N.T., Stathias V., Schürer, S., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2020). Machine and deep learning approaches for cancer drug repurposing. Semin Cancer Biol, pii: S1044‐579X(19)30409‐2. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.12.011.
Bray, E.R., Kirsner, R.S., Issa, N.T. (2019). Coffee and skin – considerations beyond the caffeine perspective. J Am Acad Dermatol, 2(2):e63. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.10.022.
Issa, N.T., Badiavas, E.V., Schürer, S. (2019). Research Techniques Made Simple: Molecular docking in dermatology – a foray into in silico drug discovery. J Invest Dermatol, 139(12):2400‐ 2408.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2019.06.129.
Maimouni, S., Issa, N.T., Cheng, S., Cheema, A., Deepak, K., Byers, S. (2018). Tumor suppressor RARRES1‐ a novel regulator of fatty acid metabolism in epithelial cells. PLoS One, 13(12):e0208756. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208756.
Wathieu, H., Issa, N.T., Fernandez, A.I., Mohandoss, M., Tiek, D.M., Franke, J.L., Byers, S.W., Riggins, R.B., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2017). Differential prioritization of therapies to subtypes of triple negative breast cancer using a systems medicine method. Oncotarget, 8(54), 92926‐42. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.21669
Yan, D., Issa, N.T., Afifi, L., Jeon, C., Chang, H.A., Liao, W. (2017). The role of the skin and gut microbiome in psoriatic disease. Curr Dermatol Rep, 6(2), 94‐103. doi:10.1007/s13671‐017‐0178‐ 5
Issa, N.T., Wathieu, H., Ojo, A., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2017). Drug metabolism in preclinical drug development: a survey of the discovery process, toxicology, and computational tools. Curr Drug Metab, 18(6), 556‐565. doi:10.2174/1389200218666170316093301.
Wathieu, H., Issa, N.T., Mohandoss, M., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2016). MSD‐MAP: A Network‐ Based Systems Biology Platform for Predicting Disease‐Metabolite Links. Comb Chem High Throughput Screen. doi: 10.2174/1386207319666161214111254.
Issa, N.T., Kruger, J., Wathieu, H., Raja, R., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2016). DrugGenEx‐ Net: A Novel Computational Platform for Systems Pharmacology and Gene Expression‐Based Drug Repurposing. BMC Bioinformatics, 17(1),202. doi: 10.1186/s12859‐016‐1065‐y.
Wathieu, H., Issa, N.T., Byers S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2016). Harnessing Polypharmacology with Computer‐Aided Drug Design and Systems Biology. Curr Pharm Des, 22(1):3097‐108.
Issa, N.T., Peters, O.J., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2015). RepurposeVS: A Drug Repurposing‐ Focused Computational Method for Accurate Drug‐Target Signature Predictions. Comb Chem High Throughput Screen, 18(1). doi: 10.2174/1386207318666150803130138.
Issa, N.T., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2014). Big Data: the next frontier for innovation in therapeutics and healthcare. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol, 7(3):293‐8.
Issa, N.T., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2013). Drug Repurposing: Translational Pharmacology, Chemistry, Computers and the Clinic. Cur Topics in Med Chem, 13:2328‐36.
Issa, N.T., Kruger, J., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2013). At the Interface of Cancer Metabolomics and Therapeutics: A Drug Repurposing Opportunity. Metabolomics, S1: e002.
doi:10.4172/2153‐0769.S1‐e002
Issa, N.T., Kruger, J., Byers, S.W., Dakshanamurthy, S. (2013). Drug repurposing a reality: from
computers to the clinic. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol, 6(2):95‐7. doi: 10.1586/ecp.12.79.
Dakshanamurthy, S., Issa, N.T., Assefina, S., Seshasayee, A., Peters, O.J., Madhavan, S., Uren, A.,
Brown, M.L., Byers, S.W. (2012). Predicting new indications for approved drugs using

*Age Restriction

For patients scheduling who are under 18 years of age (19 in Alabama) please make sure you have permission from your parent or legal guardian to schedule this appointment. Your parent or legal guardian must accompany you on your initial visit and on certain subsequent visits to provide appropriate informed consent.