I have visited this UPMC Dermatology business four times--in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025. I have…read moreinteracted with only physician assistants, a nurse practitioner, medical assistants, and receptionists--NOT dermatologists. Appointments at this office can fill up quickly, so I recommend making an appointment several months in advance, as soon as the providers' schedules are determined.
2021: My appointment began on time. A very polite medical assistant asked questions about my health and took my blood pressure. I changed into a gown. Soon the physician assistant Megan Carrigan arrived. She, too, was very polite and very professional. She did a *thorough* skin exam of my entire body. (My past dermatologists at other offices improperly asked me to point out suspicious skin growths myself.) Megan closely examined my entire body from scalp to toes and even examined my private parts with my permission. Megan said that I have no skin cancer. She gave me an educational pamphlet, and she described the different types of cancerous and benign skin growths. She recommended that I return to the office every year for a skin exam. After my appointment, her notes were available for me to read on UPMC's website.
2023: In the waiting room, I used a kiosk to check in. Two nearby employees did not say hello. My appointment began on time. A medical assistant brought me into a private room, asked me questions and measured my blood pressure, and made friendly conversation. I changed into my gown. Soon the nurse practitioner Sara Prager entered the room. She performed a skin exam of my arms, legs, abdomen, chest, back, face, and my hairline, but she did NOT examine the scalp on top of my head. She used a handheld device called a dermatoscope to closely examine certain skin growths. I asked her about three small growths on my face, and she replied that two are seborrheic keratoses, a buildup of the protein keratin, and one is an acrochordon or skin tag, and they could be frozen off in the same appointment. Minutes later, she brought a cup of frozen liquid nitrogen, q-tips, and a cryotherapy tool. She spent minutes applying the frozen nitrogen to my skin. Unfortunately, the skin never fell off in the following days/weeks.
2024: The nurse practitioner Sara Prager again did a skin exam of my body. This time, she did examine my scalp.
2025: The receptionists served me promptly and politely. The medical assistant as very nice and did a good job with asking me questions. The physician assistant Hunter Baxter was very courteous, and he spent at least several minutes doing a *thorough* exam of the skin on my body, including my scalp and while using a dermatoscope. If he works here next year, then I will make an appointment with him again.
