​When Prof Faffa Jordaan tired of after-midnight home visits for non-emergency matters after three years as a GP, he decided to specialise in dermatology. "And I haven't regretted it since," he says.

His peers recently rewarded this decision by presenting him with the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Dermatology Society of South Africa (DSSA). It was the first time this award was presented and it acknowledges sustained, devoted and selfless contributions in research, training, administrative input, outreach programmes and service delivery to the dermatological community of South Africa. Prof Gail Todd from the University of Cape Town (UCT) was also a recipient.

In the span of his 30-year dermatological career, Jordaan was named Principle Specialist, Associate Professor and Head of the Division of Dermatology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU). He also has a respected publishing resumé comprising 50 peer reviewed articles, among many other research contributions.

Jordaan demonstrated a special interest in paediatric dermatology, melanomas and cutaneous TB, but it's his work in dermapathology that he's most proud of.

The professional highlights of this career include presenting two groundbreaking dermapathology seminars, at UCT in 1988 and SU in 1990 respectively. They were attended by delegates from both the dermatological as well as the pathological communities and included expert pathology speakers and lectures by Proff JT Headington and DA Whiting from the USA, leaders in the field of dermatology.

The seminars, offering delegates lectures, case reports, slides and comprehensive handouts, were unique in their scope and was never reproduced again in South Africa. "If I could leave behind a legacy, I would be honoured if it could be in the field of dermapathology," says Jordaan.

Though he officially retired in 2012, he's still involved in all the missions of the Division of Dermatology at SU. He's also an honorary consultant in the Division of Anatomical Pathology and consults for private practices on dermapathological matters. He still regularly conducts seminars in dermapathology at academic departments in South Africa and is regarded as an esteemed speaker at international congresses in this field.

"This award means a lot to me, both on a personal and professional level. Hopefully I can inspire someone to follow an academic career in dermatology," he says humbled.

"It was a privilege to have had this career. I can honestly say that I looked forward to going to work each day."