AVOID AVOID AVOID! I share similar experiences with the reviewers here. What they say is true. I've been ruminating on this experience for too long and it's stollen a lot of mental energy from me. I'm reminded of it when I see the scar she burned into me with a sinister grin on her face, holding heat to me until I yelped and she could laugh at my reaction. My personal takeaway is that Dr. Shelby is not only the worst health care provider I've ever encountered, but also one of the worst humans I've ever had to interact with. I'm genuinely trying to warn you. *Also left on google reviews read more

I love Dr. Shelby she makes you feel comfortable and has great staff. you might not be able to get them on the phone when you call but they will always call back in the 24 hours of the call you made!! and my plaque psoriasis has been cleared from them!! Shelbys Assistant is the best!! read more

One star may be too high. I arrived early for my appointment and had to wait 40 min after my appointment time. This seems typical, as they have a notice in the lobby that you may be seen up to an hour later than your scheduled appt time. I thought this was odd. When I was taken back, I was not talked to or examined. In fact, before the assistant let me sit down she had me lift my dress and point to my concern areas what she took pictures on her tablet, then left the room. That felt intrusive and quite cold. When Dr. Shelby came in, she had me do the same thing, lift my dress and point. This was the extent of my examination. No verbal inquiry was done, no history taken, no blood pressure or weight taken, and I was never touched. I felt like an animal being pushed through some bizarre maze. I felt like a contagion, although what I was seeking treatment for is not contagious. I was never asked if I had any other dermatological concerns over the one thing they chose to focus on, and I had preplanned questions, but she was so brusque, to the point of rude, and in the end was not given a chance to ask the things I wanted to. It was all very chaotic the whole time I was in the back,she did not spend time with me, or ask me any questions about myself or the reason for my visit. Instead, she was directing her staff and how they should fill out paperwork they were sending me off with. She asked me my average BP rather than taking it. She wanted me to buy a special soap and when I asked for her to prescribe it, she stated it is only like $7 at the store. She may know her stuff, but this was the strangest Dr. Appt. I have ever had. I did not feel heard or seen, and honestly, I just felt like I was a diagnosis to her. I resigned myself that I would find someone who could at least be bothered to properly examine me and treat me like a person with real health conerns. read more

I inquired about DD with a friend who had been seen by this dermatologist b/c I was having trouble finding a provider in ABQ who didn't have a 6-month wait. Friend said that Dermatologist Shelby was incredibly rude and shaming and had actually made her cry during her skin cancer treatment! Despite this, I was desperate for a skin check and scheduled anyway. I ended up having to wait a really long time but was eventually seen. NP Shelby was a little brusque but we both had a history in Tampa and connected over that so she wasn't openly rude to me, although she did push some products on me that, in hindsight, I absolutely did not need. I have also had issues with their billing dept., but in fairness, I would categorize my medical treatment as OK (not stellar, but decent). This was not the case for my daughter, however, who scheduled with NP Shelby after I had been seen. Her experience was very similar to others written about here on Yelp - she showed up for initial appt at the time provided her in a text reminder (20 mins early) and was told she was late by the receptionist. When my daughter tried to explain she had come at exactly the time texted to her, she was rebuffed and rudely informed that her appt time would be pushed back b/c she was "late." They took a $40 co-pay from her nonetheless and directed her to wait. After an hour+, and watching folks who came in after her being taken back ahead of her, she went back to reception to inquire about when she might be seen and was treated rudely again and told basically she'd be seen when she'd be seen. Since they wouldn't give her a clear idea of when she'd be seen, she opted to leave. She was the told that if she did, they would be keeping $25 of her $40 co-payment as a "no-show" fee (even though she had shown up on time and it was on them that she hadn't been seen!). She left anyway. The payment had been made with our Apple Pay credit card and I fought the charge and eventually had the full $40 amount refunded. F them if they think they're getting a dime from us for that appt after treating my daughter like sh*t. So... While my own experience wasn't awful, (tho I also wouldn't call it very good), based on my friend's and my daughter's experience, it does seem like an office full of unhappy, mean-spirited folks who get off on exercising the tiny bit of power they have in ways that are unnecessarily unkind and punitive. Long story short, I would avoid using them if you have any other options. read more

Run! Find any other doctor you can. They never answer the phone and have a very unconcerning attitude when it comes to your health. Staff and the doctor are rude. If I could have given a rating less than zero, I would have. If you take your heath seriously, you'll go somewhere else. read more

This is important before picking this doctor. They do not respect your time. Dr. Shelby is a very difficult doctor to work with. She will not discuss treatment options with you, and will not listen to concerns. She prescribed me multiple medications I specifically asked to not have, and provided samples of products she even admits are not the best course of action. You will not get a word in edgewise and will not have treatments explained to you. You have to wait hours after your scheduled appointment time if they have over booked. Their reasoning at first was "COVID" now their reason is the "Flu" for these wait times. They have an unspoken 15 minute early policy, and if you arrive on your scheduled appointment time you are are considered late. You will have to reschedule for being "late" and either will have to wait for a walk in time or pay a $25 rescheduling fee. I implore you to not go to her. There are much better options in town. read more

Well ,if there was a 0 star I would give -1.I had a terrible experience with Dr Debra Shelby (Distintctly Derm in Albuquerque). She failed to complete the necessary paperwork for my insurance, causing denial my medications. Despite multiples calls and follow-ups , the office staff was also rude and has serious problem with handling insurance,. Called 7 times in one month, I went to office to explain the situation, for the second time they submitted incorrect information, leading to a claim denial.When I brought it up , they acted like it wasn't their problem.After 2 months my condition is terrible. I will not coming back . Find another dermatologist! read more

The absolute worst. After I paid my copay and made a negative review on another platform, they sent me a bill for $14. I tried to call to pay 3 times, and they put me on hold forever after I give them my name. On top of that, my original experience with this provider (which prompted the initial negative review) involved the "doctor" trying to prescribe me a medication that would cause severe problems. I, as the patient, had to point out the issues (even though they had me fill out my medical history twice, and I was referred by my primary care doctor with a complete medical history provided). Ridiculous. read more

Don't listen to these crazy negative people!!! Don't miss out on the best doctor around because people only want to tell their side of the story. I am really upset by these negative remarks. This office has always been kind and I love Dr. Shelby! Its the BEST office in the state!!! She is direct and to the point. She knows her stuff and was the only doctor who actually helped me. I have been going to her for over 3 years and I have seen her be upset with patients but only when they are abusive to her or staff. I am in the office at least twice a week for my condition so I know! She loves her patients and is the only doctor that has actually hugged me and told me how special I am. She even prayed with me when I asked her to be sure she is very religious and active in her church and community. Don't go into that office thinking you are going to be rude and obnoxious and think she will be ok with it. I have seen people going in there and are horrible for no reason. People who write these reviews expect the office not to respond, but that is not going to happen. How do you expect to act rudely and abusive and not be told to leave? I have seen patients throw pens at the staff because they don't want to fill out papers!!! I also know she gets rid of horrible employees who don't care about the patients and many like the ones who have posted were fired because they were bad employees. I know because as a patient I had to deal with them. Thank you Dr. Shelby!! I love you and thank you for being my doctor and for helping me read more

You couldn't pay me to go back. They were training a poor girl and barked at her the whole time. Dr walks in and looks at the bump on my scalp and froze it before I could ask anything. Never said why or the cost. Said I have rosacea and go never eat dairy or sugar again...I should use her favorite face wash and laundry soap. Her assistant walks me out and demands payment right after I had to give consent for the nitrogen I already got. No billing me no nothing. Offered to schedule me and I said nope. She told me 'you're welcome' and walked off. Wow that was the worst first Dr visit ever. read more

Love and recommend they were good to me I liked that she is a bit "to the point" but she got rid of my age spots in one shot and was quick about it...and I'm ok with that. read more

Well, if there was a 0 star rating I would give it. Scheduled 2 appointments in April for July and September because that was the only times available. No warning, just a recorded message that my july appt was cancelled and to call and reschedule. Called, left a clear message and waited a week for a call back. By then I had scheduled with a different derm place. This am, husband is in the way to appt and was notified by email that his appt was cancelled. DONE with never having set foot in this place. I understand emergencies, but they said they would call for a reschedule next Tuesday. Sorry, waiting 5 months for an appointment and then cancelled? That's not good. read more

Terrible bedside manner. Called 2 times to get some lab results. No return call. One Rx needed dr authorization, no response. Paid over $250 in dr visits. Horrible experience. We will not be coming back- do yourself a favor, find another dermatologist! read more

I wanted to go to a couple of appointments here before writing a review, and now I have done that so here is a honest review about Distinctly Derm: I have had a great experience with the staff so far. Everyone has been extremely kind. My first appointment went a little long, but that is to be expected when you are a new patient anywhere. The office has a "Med Spa" feel to it, but that is definitely not a bad thing, they just provide services other than scraping moles off of your body! Dr. Shelby is incredibly knowledgeable about dermatology care. She is direct with you and her staff , and that may rub people the wrong way, but I think she just knows her sh** and gets it done and I can respect that. She was super kind when I was having a break out and told her I had engagement photos in a week. She understood it was something important to me and is helping me take care of it. I will continue going to Distinctly Derm! :) read more

When I arrived, there was no record of my appointment. I waited close to an hour to see Dr. Shelby, who was not exactly friendly. I was due for a full-body skin inspection for possible melanomas, but she did not use a dermatoscope and the inspection was quite summarily done. She found a solar lentigo and prepared to shave my skin off without consulting with me. Dr. Shelby should have taken the time to explain what she discovered and why cutting off a large chunk of my skin was necessary - she did not. Something was amiss on the human to the human side of things. Patients are people, not farm animals. I then learned that I was responsible to call and find out about the biopsy results, which is a departure from my former dermatologists. Distinctly Derm does not bother reaching out to patients after such procedures. Over a course of 3 weeks, I called 4 times and left messages that no one bothered answering. After the 4th call, someone emailed me the biopsy results. Since I could not understand the medical lingo and since Distinctly Derm was so unfriendly/unhelpful, I was left to use Google Search what the diagnosis meant. I have had much more helpful staff and friendlier dermatologists before. I will not return to Distinctly Derm. read more

Had an appointment scheduled very far out. They called and said there was an opening tomorrow at 10:10. Did we want it. Yes, we did. Sent a text with address and instructions to come 30 minutes early to fill out new patient paperwork. We arrive early. Fill out paperwork. And sit, and sit, and sit. 10:40 we hear receptionist tell someone who questioned their wait time that when they got their reminder call the day before patient was told they could wait up to an hour after their appointment time before they would be seen. I go to the receptionist at 10:50 and tell her we have been here over an hour. She says I was told on the reminder call about the 1 hour wait. We didn't receive a reminder call because we were scheduled the day before after being told they had an opening. I tell her it is disrespectful to all the patients to make them wait over an hour to be seen. And why did we need to come in a half hour early if we we're going to wait an hour. Was told, "that's our policy." I repeated that it was disrespectful of the patient's time. I was told I was yelling and being disruptive and had to leave. So stating one is unhappy with a 1+ hour wait disrupts them! Doctor sticks her head out and says this is normal for a doctor's office. Not in my world! And I've been a patient a REALLY LONG TIME. Collected all our paperwork and left. Have no idea if they are good or not, and don't intend to wait around. We left - never to return. read more

If I could give a 0 star rating I would. I've worked as a medical assistant for over 7yrs and have never had a doctor treat me, her staff and her patient the way she treats people. Debra Shelby is a miserable human and her actions scream it. I don't care how much money or how many degrees a person has you should treat people with respect. She can't keep workers because the rudest person you'll encounter. She had a patient walk out on her today which was because she so rude to the staff she heard her yell at everyone for 30 minuets and Debra said the patient was rude. She has to hire people under a Balanced Rejuvenation(her closed spa) because her review are so horrible. Please go else where. I STRONGLY SUGGEST RIO GRANDE DERMATOLOGY you can see Marie, Leigh, Niki or Dr. Jacobs that's a great place read more

I left their clinic in tears. I was SHAMED by the doctor over the fact that I had scratched at my face and made my acne worse. I listened to her treat her employees like absolute shit, showing them no respect. This was the only reason I was able to not take her behavior personally. I felt sorry for everyone working for her, but they also took out their frustrations on patients. And this hour wait with an appointment time is absurd. I have never in my 57 years of life come across that one. Ridiculous. I probably will not even go back to my follow-up appointment, as I never want to go back there again. read more

Visited today and Dr Shelby and staff was professional and friendly.This was my first visit and I would recommend her facility to anyone. Don't know about the negatives but I do know what I experienced was all 5 star. So good job Dr Shelby and staff, you deserve the praise. In today's world you always hear the bad and rarely the good. I would recommend this service to anyone seeking professional and friendly treatment. As far as the complaints of 1 hour delays we were seen within 15 minutes of arrival. They do have posted a 1 hour possible delay in the appointment, however that is probably there from previous experiences but I would say that is the exception and not the rule. read more

No stars for this office, but to leave a review you must give one. This office does not deserve even a star. I took my child who is deaf to this office the doctor was extremely rude. Told the interpreter she had to leave appointment was over, that she wouldn't be paid for the time spent interpreting for my child, the appointment was not over.Thank goodness the interpreter refused to leave, at that point my son, the interpreter, and my self were rushed out of the room. Yes, I am the parent, yes I can sign and communicate with my child, but when I take my child to a doctors office I am the to be a parent not an interpreter! I understood my child would need cosmetic surgery for scarring, but as a doctor be kinder! Then I'm sent to another area of the office to speak about the procedure in talks, this medical assistant spoke so fast the interpreter was trying to keep up. I find it ridiculous that the staff on this practice are quit rude. Will not be returning but this office should be educated on the ADA laws!No child should leave a doctors office asking why the doctor was rude and seems like she doesn't like deaf people. My teenager was emotional I spent a few minutes explaining to him it's going to be ok calm down we don't have to return to this office.Please read all review before going to this office! read more

NEVER AGAIN!!!! They expect people to wait for over an hour. Rude staff! When will this business realize that they exist for the customers, not the other way around. I own two businesses and if I treated my customers like this, I would not have a business. read more

Horrible business practices and treatments. Nurse practitioner Debra Shelby handles all of the appointments from checkups to treatments and also surgeries, so she frequently seems stressed out and hurried. She is rude to patients and to her own staff. Perhaps that is why she has had so many staff members leave in the past couple of months, as everyone there is new and she is constantly training and berating new staff members. I would strongly caution you against visiting her, but if you choose to see her, during your first appointment, expect that they will take photos of you from head to toe, including close ups of your face and your private parts, which they put in a file along with your ID/Driver's License and other identifying information (much more than what other places typically ask for). Looking back, it felt really weird for them to do that -- almost like she wanted to have something embarrassing/identifying on her clients (and she may be setting her self up for a huge legal claim if any of those documents and photos are misused in any way). Other drawbacks: her office is right next to an MVD Express (parking is hard to come by), they have overcharged me (and refunds can take months), because her staff is new, they don't know the answers to simple inquiries. There are much better dermatologists in New Mexico who have years of education and experience on Debra Shelby. Do yourself a favor and pass on her and you will save yourself a lot of stress and grief. read more

DO NOT COME HERE!!!! I went in for an eczema prescription. It took them a month to send in a preauthorization for my medication that I needed immediately, despite numerous calls that went unanswered. I had to make an appointment with another doctor to get my medication. They've refused to refund me my money for the visit. They have abhorrent service and should be put out of business. Do not go here. If you run into issues, make certain to make claims with your insurance company and the state medical board. read more

This was the worst experience of my life. The office was so unprofessional and when I asked Dr. Shelby to come into the exam room to do my visit instead of standing in the hallway outside my room with the door open because I felt like I had no privacy she refused and then state she didn't have to see me and that she was in HIPPA compliance. She then accused me of being combative and refused to treat me. So if asking her to respect my privacy is being combative and the fact that she was refusing to wear a mask but requiring everyone else to wear one, was shocking. I left the appointment in total shock and this was after taking time off of work and then waiting over an hour to be seen and being told that they don't take patients back by their appointment time. I am a healthcare professional and have been practicing for over 27 years and I can't imagine ever treating a patient this way. read more

My first appointment with Dr. Selby went fine - called into the exam room about 15 minutes after my scheduled appointment time, which is normal and to be expected. The doctor and staff in the exam room were professional and helpful. My follow-up appointment 2 weeks later was a disaster!! I arrived on time, only to wait over an hour to be called into the exam room. I left as there were other people who also had appointments with Dr. Selby ahead of me. I asked the receptionist about the wait and she was extremely rude and couldn't understand why I was leaving. She wanted to charge me the cancellation fee and I told her that the office had "cancelled me" and that I wasn't about to pay this fee. I also asked for a refund of my co-pay which I had paid when I arrived at the office. The receptionist didn't know how to process the refund and had to ask the office manager for help. The manager was just as rude!!. No apology for the long wait! Nothing. No estimate of how much longer it would be if I were to continue waiting. Reading other reviews seems to indicate that this office is extremely disorganized and uncaring about their clients. I had taken off from work to be at my appointment, driven over 20 miles to get there (one way) - but the office staff didn't care about the inconvenience to me. I won't go back and discourage anyone from using this office. Horrible staff and very rude people in the reception area - rude and untrained and very, very difficult to work with. And the office required clients to wear masks, one of the few places still with that policy - interestingly, no one in the front office was wearing one, showing again no concern for their clients. DON'T USE THIS OFFICE. YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!! i gave them one star, and wish I could give them a negative 10. read more

First, the earliest appointment I could schedule was over 2 months out. When they called to confirm my appointment the day before, they told me to arrive to my appointment 20 minutes early to fill out paperwork. I informed them that this appointment was during my work hours and inquired as to whether they could send me the paperwork electronically to fill out ahead of time, and they said no. I arrived at my appointment, waited in line for over 5 minutes to even check in, then sat in the waiting area for an hour and a half past my appointment time before being taken back. As several other patients with appointment times after me were taken back, I questioned the receptionist as to when I was going to be seen. They told me that since I did not arrive at least 20 minutes before my appointment, they pushed my appointment time and I would be seen when they got to me. Then the receptionists were sitting at the desk complaining about patients in ear shot of all of us in the waiting area. Incredibly unprofessional. The doctor was fine. She seemed to be knowledgeable and had a lot of plans and tests that she wanted to run. There was a lot of information being thrown at me about medication prescriptions (being sent to a bunch of different fulfillment places), vitamins, washes, etc. that it got to be confusing, so luckily I had paperwork to look at when I got home. They also did a biopsy and an RNA test, but then there was talk of blood work and hormone tests too... though I never got clarification about when that would happen because I was told I had to fast. I was scheduled for an appointment 5 weeks later to go over the biopsy results, but also because the appointment I was scheduled for this time wasn't a full appointment like I had requested originally. I'll be interested to see how expensive this is going to be when all said and done, but it's clear my insurance is going to be billed for a lot of tests... I'll follow up with this doctor at least one more time to get my results and give her a chance to show that her treatment plan will work, but my experience at this office was not a great upon first impression. Update: I was told I would have my biopsy results in 2 weeks or less. It's been over a month and still nothing. Every time I call they tell me they can't find any results. read more

Door was locked had to wait to get in to my appointment. Greeted by rude staff questioning where my mask was. I apologized and asked for one and she rudely told me it was my responsibility to have a mask. I asked to speak with the office manager who was not wearing a mask at all (which I could care less). States it was the policy of the clinic and said "maybe I can find you one" and I stated no thanks I will go ahead and schedule with another clinic and she was happy to say "ok". I can understand the the poor ratings and hope the MD is aware of her rude staff. Safe to say I will not be back and will not make any referrals to this clinic as well. Thanks Dr Shelby for the amazing helpful staff, and the wait time to schedule was 4 months for a skin check yet they schedule much quicker if it's cosmetic. Figures. read more

Extremely rude staff. Waited an hour after appointment. Felt uncomfortable by nurses (?). Like a bunch of mean girls judging you. One had hickeys all over her neck. Gross. Never going back read more

If a patient expects the doctor to be calm, collected and reasonable, this office is NOT FOR YOU!!! While the support staff seem to be fine, the overall experience is a real downer. Communication is seriously flawed, and patients are packed in like sardines. After a 30-minute wait, a young man asked the desk about his timeline to be seen. They replied with the 'our policy is to expect a 60 minute wait' to which he replied that he had driven across town, taken time from work and now had no idea of when he would be seen. Unfortunately, they did not reassure him. So, he calmly said he would be seeking another dermatologist. Five minutes after his departure, staff came to the waiting room, and called his name, to be seen! When I suggested to the dermatologist that better communication might have saved him his wasted time, and her the loss of a patient, she accused the young man of "throwing a tantrum" and told me to "mind my own business." I am not sorry if I care about another's wasted time and the disrespect shown to him. That young man deserves better. And, I am sorry that patient feedback is not valued. There are some clinics that wholistically care about the patient- they know that job and family and travel time and wait time are a juggling act for each individual. It is bad enough that Distinctly Derm does not seem to care, but to characterize this young man's calm departure as "throwing a tantrum" well, I don't want someone like that as my practitioner. read more

Highly unorganized, not accommodating, and makes me wait longer than expected and called patients back before me who arrived after me. Was not seen, and will not return. Not recommend. read more

I quit going to see Dr Shelby after giving her three opportunities to build a mutually respectful relationship. This person seems to believe that her opinion is the only valid one regarding every aspect of personal hygiene and self care. She always ended our office visits so abruptly that she left me feeling dismissed. As though I was a problem interrupting her work rather than a patient seeking her skill and support. I would leave wondering how she could stay in business with this attitude. She seemed to think I was stupid for voicing any contrasting opinion with "tsks" and huffing and correcting me like I was a naughty child. She seemed to disregard that I had any knowledge of my own body. It quickly became apparent that it was her way or the highway. On one of our visits she left the exam door wide open when she was called away to take a phone call. The phone was across the hall and the call was loud and argumentative and very awkward to witness. She made no apologies when she came back in the exam room. She simply seemed even more prickly than usual. So--If standing naked in front of someone who is scanning you with her "eagle eye, that has", as she proudly claimed, "a 100% success rate at identifying cancers". If that makes you feel that she has your best interest at heart, then this is the doctor for you. Final thought....for someone as accomplished as she claims to be, it would benefit her practice greatly if she could cultivate a little humility and humanity to go along with all the important letters after her name. read more