By Robert Medley
Managing Editor
It takes a bit of an artist to be a dermatologist. Dr. Ngoc Nguyen is artist who can get under skin. She is not a tattooist, but she builds relationships with the patients she cares for when skin problems surface.
And her new patients can find her on Yukon’s east side at the John Kilpatrick Turnpike and State Highway 66 in the Total Healthcare Partners building.
Nguyen said artistic skill is needed in her profession. She always loved painting, and she has made dermatology her career, and art.
“I’m a dermatologist. So, I treat anything from your skin to hair and nails, anything on the surface of the body,” Nguyen said.
Her patients are of all ages.
“There are no age limits on the patients I treat,” Nguyen.
She graduated from the University of Oklahoma in June. She obtained her board certification and moved into the Total Healthcare Partners building at 4400 Grant Boulevard in September.
Nguyen is a Mustang native who graduated from Mustang Public Schools, and her parents live in Mustang today, she said.
There is a need for dermatologists in Oklahoma, Nguyen said, and she is taking new patients.
To describe those skin problems that may need her expertise, she said it could be rashes, as commonly seen with children, and eczema. For adults, the most frequent patients are those who need skin checked, moles examined or other places that could be malignant.
“For the most part, any patient who has had any sun damage is recommended for yearly skin exams. “That’s when we’re screening for skin cancers, you know, especially for someone who may have multiple moles on their back that they may not be able to look at regularly,” Nguyen said.
There are patients she sees with cases of psoriasis, skin inflammation or irritation, and warts.
“Anything that can happen to your skin,” she said.
Also, she treats hair loss, nail abnormalities and even toenail fungus.
Nguyen explained how she expects to build relationships with patients.
“You get to see them from the time they are up until they are adults. What I learned from my previous mentors was that your patients grow with you, so that really drew me toward this,” Nguyen said.
Then there is the artistic side of dermatology, she explained.
“In dermatology there is a lot of art in medicine. Not only the visual aspect of making diagnoses, but there is also surgery, which takes skills with your hands,” Nguyen said. “Also, there are cosmetics. I think you do have to have some sort of artistic abilities there. I enjoy painting and drawing and things like that, so I was able to apply that into what I do every day too.”
Nguyen is also new mom. She has a son at home named Connor, who is 9-months old and she has a beagle. Her husband Tri Nguyen is a dentist in Noble.
“Being a mother has been the most challenging thing in life, above medical school, and above residency. But it is the most rewarding too,” Nguyen said.
During the pandemic, many people stopped going to dermatologists, she said. There have been times during the COVID-19 pandemic that many people decided not to get out to a doctor’s office. There were recommendations to hold off on treating skin cancer and melanoma, she said.
But now is the time for people to catch up on yearly visits or have other conditions treated, she said.
“It’s been great. It’s been amazing, how I’ve just been here a month and a half, but I feel like I have been here forever, and being able to see patients. It’s just so nice. It is very different to come from a training position to being out here. Everyone is so welcoming,” Nguyen said. “It’s been a really good place. I’m really happy to be here.”
To schedule an appointment with Nguyen call her at 405-467-5340 or visit her website http://www.oklahomaskin.com.
