ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – There are only about 30 board-certified dermatologists in the entire state of New Mexico. The University of New Mexico Hospital is working to educate the population and train more individuals to become dermatologists.
John Durkin M.D at UNMH says one in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime. In a state full of sunshine skin cancer like melanoma and non-melanoma can affect all New Mexicans regardless of their skin color or ethnicity. Sometimes it can take months or years to get an appointment but UNMH is coming up with resources and dermatologists to address the issue.
Durkin recommends if individuals are seeing sun/skin spots that they should visit a primary care doctor first. UNMH does host free skin cancer screenings throughout the year, visit here for the next screening event. For more information or to make an appointment, visit https://hsc.unm.edu/medicine/departments/dermatology/.
