Dermatology

Board-certified care for your skin health

Your skin is your body’s largest organ. At St. Luke's Dermatology Associates, we believe in working with you to maintain and improve your skin health. Our board-certified dermatologists can make recommendations specific to your skin type and condition. Using years of clinical experience and the most current medical treatments, we can provide services such as:

• Care for adult as well as pediatric dermatology concerns
• Diagnosis and treatment of all types of skin and nail conditions
• Psoriasis and eczema care
• Skin allergy patch testing and treatment
• Skin cancer screening and treatment
• Removal of cancerous and benign lesions
• MOHS micrographic surgery
• Recommendations for cosmetic skin care products
• Phototherapy
• Photodynamic therapy

Our Team of Board Certified Dermatologists
A dermatologist is a medical doctor who specializes in skin, the diseases of the skin and the relationship of skin lesions to overall disease. At St. Luke’s Dermatology Associates, you will be seen by one of our board-certified dermatologists. Our dermatologists have completed many years of training to become experts in their field. This includes:

• A four-year undergraduate degree
• Four years of medical school
• One year of internship
• A minimum of three years in an accredited dermatology residency program

In addition to completing the required educational medical training, our doctors are board certified dermatologists. Board certification means a doctor has taken and passed a rigorous examination that covers all areas of dermatology including general practice for adults and children, surgery and pathology. The American Board of Dermatology is the certifying body for dermatologists in the United States.

Performing Proper Skin Checks
How do you know when your skin is in trouble? There are plenty telltale signs like rashes, eczema and sunburns, but there are also many skin conditions that are not quite as noticeable right away. Many of these areas can be skin cancer, or pre-cancerous lesions. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and it is estimated that one in five individuals will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.

To help catch anything dangerous to your health as soon as possible, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends that you perform a self-exam of your skin once a month. This way you can grow familiar with how your skin normally looks and feels. If something unusual should ever appear, you will be able to spot it right away and seek appropriate treatment from St. Luke’s board-certified dermatologists.

Follow these steps when performing a skin self-exam:

• Stand in front of a full length mirror
• Examine your face, nose, lips mouth and ears front to back
• Lightly pull apart hair to examine your scalp
• Examine your palms and the backs of your hands, including fingers and under your fingernails, continuing down your arms
• Examine your neck, chest and torso
• For women, be sure to examine the underside of your breasts
• Turn around and examine your back as best you can, using an additional mirror if necessary
• Examine your genitals, legs, thighs, feet, toes and under your toenails

During this exam, you should be looking for any moles or blemishes on your skin. Many of these will likely have been there for years and are not a cause for concern. You want to know where these markings are so that you can more easily identify new markings that could be dangerous.

A referral is required for this service. If you need one, talk to your primary care provider.

To establish care with a St. Luke’s primary care provider, call 218.249.4000 or find a clinic near you.