When it was time to be closer to home, the Gartons started looking for a place to establish their own dermatology clinic on Mercer Island.
Doctors Kyle and Rachel Garton, both dermatologists, will be the primary physicians at the new Dermatology Clinic. The new clinic, located at 7707 S.E. 27th Street, Suite 104, next to Walgreens, was inspired by the pair’s desire to be closer to home. Since they already live on Mercer Island, it seemed like a natural fit.
“Like everyone, we moved here about three or four years ago for the schools. It’s a pretty common reason for people to move to Mercer Island,” said Dr. Kyle Garton. “We’d been in Seattle since graduating from medical school, which was over 10 years ago. Rachel, my wife, the other dermatologist who will be here, worked at Group Health for about 10 years. A big reason for wanting to be here, we’re big believers in living and working in the same place, especially with three kids. We’ve really grown to love Mercer Island and said let’s start a practice here.”
Rachel Garton will be the main doctor at the clinic as her husband will continue his work with medical students at the University of Washington and part time at another clinic in Bellevue.
Garton said he believes the practice is a good fit on the Island because they plan to focus on medical dermatology, helping patients with any problems related to their skin.
“Our real focus is medical and surgical dermatology,” he said. “It should be a really good complement to the other folks who are on the Island. We don’t do a lot of cosmetic procedures. If you look at your skin and there is a problem with it, we treat that. One of our strengths that we can hopefully offer to the community is we can take care of very complex to very simple conditions.”
Garton said more complicated procedures will be referred out, which gives them the ability to help patients pick and choose the right fit for them.
“We can be very picky and say, you should see this person and you should have this reconstruction done by this plastic surgeon because they are the best. I can be very selective,” said Garton.
A big part of any dermatology practice, Garton said, is helping to educate people about their skin and when it’s time to see a doctor.
“One of the biggest things we do is skin cancer screening and protection. The people who typically are going to need a dermatologist are people who have had a history of skin cancer, has a family history of melanoma or has simply noticed a change in their skin,” said the doctor. “Those are the folks who should really seek the care of a dermatologist. Also, patients with rashes, acne or psoriasis. The good thing about the skin is you know if it’s broken. Pretty much, if it’s an abnormality, it’s a pretty good bet that a dermatologist should take a look at that. Or at least guide you and tell you what it is.”
He added that catching melanoma early, especially in young patients, is something they are passionate about because early detection can make a huge difference.
“The passion of many dermatologists is really trying to find and catch melanoma in young folks because when it gets advanced, it’s really tragic. There’s not as much you can do,” he said.
Garton said at their practice, the goal is for the doctors to spend as much time as possible with each patient, handing over scribing duties to the medical assistants so that the doctors can truly focus.
“Our motto here is exceptional care, every patient, every time. We’re really trying to have patient-centered care,” he said.
After the clinic gets up and running, the Gartons expect to eventually add another dermatologist and medical assistants as needed.
The clinic held its grand opening on Monday, Aug. 5, and is currently accepting new patients. The Dermatology Clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact the clinic by calling (206) 232-2267.
