He also had toyed with the idea of a career in business. In fact, he scored higher on the entrance exam for business school than he did on the entrance exam for medical school.
"At the time, my father tried to discourage me from going to medical school, because he thought that medicine was changing for the worse," Dr. Roenigk said.
"He thought that in the old days, when money was not an issue and doctors had complete autonomy, that was kind of the heyday of medicine, and he saw all the regulatory changes coming down the pike."
In perhaps another act of rebellion, the young Randall chose medical school over business school, and ultimately dermatology. "I realized that I shouldn't just try to go into something different just to be independent," he said. "I realized that dermatology was a pretty good specialty to go into."
After completing his dermatology residency and fellowship in dermatologic surgery and oncology, Dr. Roenigk took about 10 years to emerge from the prominent shadow of his father and establish his own name in the field.
"I've had lots of opportunities to get to know dermatologists and understand the specialty because of my experience through him, but also, because he's so successful at what he does, sometimes I've had to carry his reputation with me," said Dr. Roenigk, who has spent his entire career at the Mayo Clinic.
"My impact on dermatology has been more in the area of accreditation and certification of our surgical training as well as the practice of skin cancer surgery and reconstruction."
The Roenigks have never practiced together, but last year, the third edition of their textbook, "Roenigk's Dermatologic Surgery: Current Techniques in Procedural Dermatology," was published by Taylor & Francis.
They've also organized numerous dermatologic conferences together over the years (the elder Dr. Roenigk is the founding director of Skin Disease Education Foundation), but they don't share the same practice style.
"My father has an uncanny ability at being an astute diagnostician, and he is able to adapt to new techniques better than anybody I know," said Dr. Roenigk, who also is a member of the American Board of Dermatology's Board of Directors and chairs the residency review committee for dermatology.
"He started out in a day when dermatology was predominantly medical, and he described many of the most severe medical conditions in dermatology. He went from medical procedureswhich he still doesto cosmetic procedures. He did hair transplants. He started doing liposuction. He's done dermabrasion and laser.
"He's someone who's been able to adapt his practice style to the needs of the patient and change with the specialty. I would say that I have adapted, but that he is able to adapt more quickly and in a substantial way," Dr. Roenigk said.
His father, he noted, "likes people to think that I'm his younger brother, because he doesn't like to think that he's aging," and added, "He plans to work for another decade at least."
Dr. Randall K. Roenigk (right) credits his father, Dr. Henry H. Roenigk Jr., with being unusually adaptable to patient needs and to changes in dermatologic practice. Courtesy Dr. Randall K. Roenigk
Dr. Gary Barsky (left), Dr. Bonnie Barsky, and Dr. Sidney Barsky have telephone consultations almost daily about matters related to their shared profession. Courtesy Dr. Gary Barsky