In 2004, when dermatologist Dr. Karen Nern, MD, was asked to perform a skin cancer screening in Vail, never did she know what it would lead to.
“Everybody I saw said, ‘You should open a practice. We really need you up here; we really do not have very many dermatologists in the mountains,’” Dr. Nern told the Post Independent upon opening her new clinic in downtown Glenwood Springs.
“The initial plan was that we were going to do it two days a month so that we could buy a condo and have a good excuse to come skiing in the mountains,” she said.
Originally from Denver, Nern now has dermatology practices in Aspen and Basalt under the name Aspen Dermatology, Frisco (Breckenridge Dermatology) and Edwards (Vail Dermatology) as well as, most recently, at 919 Grand Ave., now known as Glenwood Dermatology.
The space right next door to the Glenwood Vaudeville Revue theater most recently housed the Chops Steakhouse restaurant.
“We decided to connect all of the dots and Glenwood was the logical next step,” Nern explained. “In Glenwood we are going to offer everything. We are a full service dermatology practice.”
According to Nern, Glenwood Dermatology will offer medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatology in addition to retail.
Falling under the umbrella of medical dermatology, Nern explained this area includes treatment for acne, warts, psoriasis, eczema, shingles and rashes, as well as offering skin cancer screenings and biopsies.
“We do skin cancer removals and excisions for abnormal moles and melanoma,” Nern said of the outpatient surgical procedures Glenwood Dermatology performs.
While all of the practices, from Frisco to Aspen, do surgery, the Glenwood office, like the Basalt and Edwards offices, will also perform Mohs surgery.
“Mohs surgery is a very specialized technique for skin cancer on the head and neck mostly,” Nern explained. “One out of five people gets skin cancer in their lifetime, and one out of three people gets pre-cancerous spots.”
In addition to the medical and surgical sides of the practice, Glenwood Springs Dermatology also offers cosmetic dermatology, which includes Botox, fillers and platelet-rich plasma as well as laser hair removal, CoolSculpting and more.
“[Glenwood Dermatology] carries some physician only skin-care brands — sunscreens, anti-ageing products,” Nern said of Glenwood Dermatology’s retail selection. “We also have some prescription products in our office, because sometimes people have to pay $300 or $400 for a prescription, and we have a way of doing it in house where it is significantly less expensive.”
Glenwood Dermatology purchased the space outright, and instead of clearing up a few blemishes on the interior decided upon a full reconstruction to create the new clinic and office space.
“We like to buy our offices because when we commit to a community, we really commit,” Nern said. “[Glenwood Dermatology] is brand new. We literally ripped it down to the studs and redid it from scratch. We have very much state-of-the-art facilities.”
According to Nern, the company now has six doctors, two physician assistants, one nurse practitioner as well as aestheticians.
Dr. Julia Kreger, MD, will serve as the primary medical doctor for Glenwood Dermatology while Kirsten Kuhn, PA-C, will work as the practice’s main physician’s assistant.
“We are very excited to be in Glenwood Springs and are looking forward to being part of the community for a very long time,” Nern said.
Currently open five days a week, Glenwood Dermatology will have its official grand opening celebration Nov. 8.
mabennett@postindependent.com
