Getting a prompt dermatologist appointment can be challenging, but a new dermatology practice in O’Hara is taking steps to make appointments a thing of the past — at least on Tuesdays.

Skin Solutions Dermatology and Cosmetics offers a same-day, walk-in clinic from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday.

Implementing a new walk-in clinic option, dubbed Skin SOS, was a priority for Skin Solutions founder Dr. Christie Regula, a double-board certified (dermatology and micrographic dermatologic surgery) physician and Mohs surgeon.

“I always wanted to have my own business and my own practice,” Regula said. “I wanted to increase access to care in the area. When someone has an urgent lesion or rash, no one wants to wait. So often we hear that people can’t get in with a dermatologist for two or three months. I don’t want patients to have to wait.”

All major insurances, including Medicare, are accepted.

The clinic has been a success thus far and Regula said she sees patients traveling from an hour away for the convenience of a walk-in clinic option.

“Dermatologists are busy — we all know that — but I really wanted to have a built-in way that even as we get busier, patients still have access, so that is unique,” Regula said.

Regula moved to Fox Chapel with her husband, Alex Hill, and opened the practice in February.

Services offered are Mohs surgery, cosmetics, including injectables, lasers, microneedling, chemical peels, facials, platelet-rich plasma (to stimulate new collagen production); and all aspects of general dermatology including treatments for thinning hair.

Mohs surgery is an outpatient surgical technique that precisely remove skins cancers that include melanoma while sparing as much normal skin around the site as possible.

The procedure is named after Dr. Frederic Mohs, who pioneered the technique that is particularly effective at removing cancers in sensitive areas such as the face, scalp, hands and feet.

One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime and skin cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the U.S., according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association.

Regula has performed more than 10,000 Mohs surgeries.

“I treat skin cancers through Mohs surgery and reconstruction after the skin cancer is removed,” Regula said. “Primarily I see basal and squamous cell skin cancers — basal is the most common and really prevalent.”

Regula recalled her high school days when she used a tanning bed several times weekly.

“Medical school was my wake up call. I started shadowing dermatology during my first year of medical school and once you see a couple of bad skin cancers, you really really realized the dangers of the sun,” she said. “Unfortunately melanoma skin cancers, the more deadly of the skin cancers, is also increasing — especially among young women — because of tanning bed use.”

Regula earned her undergraduate degree from Duke University, where she was a cheerleader, and was chief resident during her dermatology residency at Penn State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. She previously practiced medicine for 11 years in the South Hills.

She is an avid sports fan who grew up on a beef cattle farm in Uniontown.

The 42-year-old stressed the practice is full-service and accepts all ages.

At Skin Solutions, offering cosmetic services provides a one-stop-shopping for all dermatological needs.

“We provide it in a beautiful space that’s staffed by a board-certified dermatologist in a very safe way,” Regula said.

People lose collagen as they get older, usually in their 40s, from sun exposure and from genetics.

“We have everything from minimal invasive (lasers) and people can get a little hesitant because they want to look natural and like their best selves,” Regula said. “That’s not the idea. It should just be very fresh.”

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