My personal philosophy around patient care is to treat everyone with respect and humanity; give them my full attention while I am with them to address their health concerns. – Dr. Ryan Wells
Ryan Wells, M.D., Ph.D., Pharm.D. recently joined our team at Dermatology Clinic of Idaho, and we’re thrilled he decided to come back to his home state. Dr. Wells was born and raised in Mountain Home, Idaho. He attended Brigham Young University, where he earned his undergraduate degree. He continued at Idaho State University, earning a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, and then a double degree (M.D./Ph.D.) from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. His Ph.D. work was in microbiology, focused on global health.
Travels Led Him to Dermatology
For three years, Dr. Wells had the opportunity to do research and work in Botswana and South Africa investigating the HIV and Tuberculosis syndemic. During this time, he recognized the importance of Dermatology on global health. He returned to the U.S. to study at the University of Minnesota, where he completed his clinical training in Internal Medicine and Dermatology and graduated from the Global Health Pathway.
He has always been fascinated by medicine and enjoys working with people. “Dermatology is so interesting because you can make many diagnoses by looking at the skin. It is like a mystery to be solved.” His areas of interest include complex Medical Dermatology such as Rheumatologic Dermatology, Dermatologic Oncology, and Infectious Disease Dermatology.
Dr. Wells’ Top Three Skin Cancer Awareness Tips
Tip One: Always wear sunscreen.
Tip Two: Look out for the “ugly duckling” mole. In dermatology, this is a mole that doesn’t look like the rest of the moles on a person’s body and can often be a sign of melanoma.
Tip Three: Anything that isn’t healing over time needs to be checked out by your Dermatologist as soon as possible.
Dr. Wells’ Top Cosmetic Dermatology Recommendation
For Dr. Wells, his top recommendation is botulinum toxin, the most common brand is BOTOX® Cosmetic. An injectable neurotoxin that blocks nerves from activating muscles thus preventing them from contracting and forming wrinkles. The injections help smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. Neurotoxins are very safe and have been used for years as anti-aging treatments to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Bruising and tenderness at the site are normal and do not usually last long. It is often called a lunch hour procedure because there is minimal downtime, and you can typically return to work after your treatment. For its full effect to be apparent it usually takes about two weeks, so if you are preparing for a big event, make sure you plan a couple of weeks in advance.
To book your next appointment with Dr. Wells, please call us at 208.376.4265 or book an appointment online for all your dermatologic needs.