Choosing a dermatologist in Nashville means weighing board certification, fellowship pedigree, and the depth of medical (not just cosmetic) services on offer. Skin cancer remains the most common malignancy in the United States, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that adults discuss skin checks with a clinician when risk factors such as fair skin, family history, or heavy ultraviolet exposure apply. For chronic conditions like atopic dermatitis, plaque psoriasis, and moderate-to-severe acne, current care often involves targeted biologic therapy (TNF-alpha, IL-17, and IL-23 inhibitors) alongside topical regimens and patch testing for allergic contact dermatitis.
The three practices below all employ dermatologists who are Diplomates of the American Board of Dermatology (ABD) and Fellows of the American Academy of Dermatology (FAAD). Each handles skin cancer surgery, including Mohs micrographic surgery for high-risk basal and squamous cell carcinomas on the head and neck. CPT codes 11102 through 11107 cover the punch, shave, and tangential biopsies these clinics perform daily, and each office bills the standard ICD-10 dermatology code set.
Quick Comparison #
| Firm | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Nashville Skin | Founded 2005, multi-provider operation anchored by Michael W. Pelster, MD, FAAD, dual-board-certified in dermatology and micrographic dermatologic surgery, ACMS Fellow. | On-site Mohs laboratory, total-body skin exams, dermoscopy, biopsy through Mohs, neuromodulators, fillers, fractional laser, microneedling. |
| Curcio Dermatology | Natalie M. Curcio, MD, MPH, ABD Diplomate, FAAD, ASDS Fellow, ASLMS Fellow, ACMS Associate with dual Mohs and cosmetic-laser fellowships. | Skin cancer screening and Mohs, reconstruction, medical dermatology for acne, rosacea, eczema, melanoma surveillance, injectables, laser. |
| Retief Skin Center | Carla Retief, MD, FAAD, ABD Diplomate, fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon from Medical University of South Carolina. | Mohs micrographic surgery with reported high complex-case share, medical dermatology, excisional biopsy, flap and graft reconstruction. |
1. Nashville Skin #
Founded in 2005, Nashville Skin runs a multi-provider medical and surgical dermatology operation from a main office at 2301 21st Avenue South, with five satellite offices reaching Bellevue, Cool Springs, Clarksville, City View, and Southern Hills. The flagship practice keeps an on-site Mohs laboratory accredited for the histologic processing that micrographic surgery demands, so a patient who arrives with a biopsy-confirmed skin cancer can typically have tissue mapped, excised, and reconstructed in a single visit.
Michael W. Pelster, MD, FAAD anchors the Mohs program. He earned his medical degree at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, completed an internal medicine internship and three-year dermatology residency at Northwestern University, and finished a Mohs micrographic surgery and dermatologic oncology fellowship at Saint Louis University under Ian Maher, MD. Pelster is board-certified in both dermatology and micrographic dermatologic surgery, holds Fellow status in the American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS), and has performed more than 7,000 skin surgeries, including roughly 4,000 Mohs procedures. He joined the firm in September 2021 after three years in private practice near Houston, where Texas Super Doctors named him a 2021 Rising Star.
Service Mix and Patient Profile #
Medical dermatology covers the conditions that drive most adult and pediatric visits: acne vulgaris, atopic dermatitis, plaque and guttate psoriasis, rosacea, vitiligo, melasma, and seborrheic dermatitis. Surgical services run from total-body skin examinations and dermoscopy through biopsy, electrodessication and curettage, standard excision, and Mohs. Cosmetic options including neuromodulators, soft-tissue fillers, fractional laser resurfacing, and microneedling round out the menu for patients combining medical and aesthetic visits.
The team’s eighteen providers carry over 150 years of combined experience between them, which lets the practice keep new-patient access on a working timeline for medical-dermatology consults. Phone scheduling reaches the main location at (615) 327-9797.
2. Curcio Dermatology #
Tucked into Green Hills at 2125 Bandywood Drive, Curcio Dermatology is a single-physician practice built around Natalie M. Curcio, MD, MPH, who founded the office and remains its sole performing physician. Patients who book here see Dr. Curcio for every procedure, an arrangement increasingly rare in larger multi-provider clinics.
Curcio’s academic record is rooted in Vanderbilt. She graduated Summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature, then earned a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and completed her dermatology residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Two fellowships followed: Procedural Dermatology and Mohs Micrographic Surgery in Birmingham, Alabama with Gary Monheit, MD, and Dermatologic Cosmetic and Laser Surgery at UCSF in San Francisco with Richard Glogau, MD and Roy Grekin, MD.
She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology, a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology (FAAD), a Fellow of the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS), a Fellow of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, and an Associate of the American College of Mohs Surgery. She lectures nationally and internationally on cosmetic dermatology and Mohs reconstruction and has published peer-reviewed journal articles in the field. She is multilingual in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian, which the clinic frequently cites as an asset for Nashville’s growing non-English-speaking patient base.
Procedural Focus #
The clinic concentrates on skin cancer screening and treatment, Mohs micrographic surgery and reconstruction, general medical dermatology (acne, rosacea, melanoma surveillance, warts, eczema), and physician-performed cosmetic work including injectables, laser resurfacing, and microneedling. Because the office runs lean, surgical days are blocked separately from medical-visit days, which keeps Mohs cases moving without competing for the same exam rooms.
Reach the office at (615) 679-9011.
3. Retief Skin Center #
Retief Skin Center operates at 4301 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 200, in the Green Hills corridor. The clinic is led by Carla Retief, MD, FAAD, a Diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology and a fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon. Retief completed her Mohs fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina, one of the country’s longer-running ACMS-accredited programs, and the practice reports that she logged over 2,000 Mohs procedures during fellowship alone, with more than 40 percent classified as complex skin cancer cases involving high-risk anatomy or recurrent tumors.
That depth matters for Mohs candidates. The procedure removes thin tissue layers sequentially, processing each in an on-site laboratory before the surgeon clears the margin, which gives cure rates above 99 percent for primary basal cell carcinomas in many published series. Volume during fellowship correlates with comfort handling the harder cases: cartilage-involved nasal defects, periocular tumors that border on oculoplastic territory, and recurrent lesions in heavily scarred fields.
Beyond Mohs #
While Mohs is the headline service, the practice covers general medical dermatology (acne, rosacea, hair loss, suspicious mole evaluation), surgical procedures including excisional biopsy and small flap or graft reconstruction, and a cosmetic menu spanning injectables, chemical peels, lasers, and microneedling. The office accepts referrals from primary care and from the city’s other dermatology clinics for surgical cases requiring micrographic technique.
Schedule by calling (615) 383-6092.
https://www.retiefskincenter.com/
Reference Notes #
ABD certification requires graduation from an ACGME-accredited dermatology residency and passing the board examination administered by the American Board of Dermatology; FAAD status requires AAD membership in good standing alongside that board certification. ACMS Fellow status is awarded only after completing an accredited one- to two-year Mohs fellowship and is the credential most often cited when patients evaluate skin cancer surgeons. USPSTF guidance on routine skin cancer screening in asymptomatic adults remains an I-statement (insufficient evidence for or against), so risk-based referrals from primary care drive most new-patient screening volume at the practices above. Total-body photography and serial dermoscopy programs (sometimes branded as MoleSafe in U.S. markets) are used for higher-risk patients with many atypical nevi or a personal or family history of melanoma. Biologic therapy for moderate-to-severe psoriasis now spans TNF-alpha inhibitors (adalimumab, etanercept), IL-17 inhibitors (secukinumab, ixekizumab, brodalumab), and IL-23 inhibitors (guselkumab, risankizumab, tildrakizumab); each requires baseline screening and ongoing monitoring per AAD-NPF joint guidelines. Pediatric dermatology covers atopic dermatitis, infantile hemangiomas, molluscum, warts, acne, and genodermatoses, and several of the providers above see patients across the age range. Skin biopsy CPT codes 11102 through 11107 cover tangential, punch, and incisional techniques and form the procedural backbone of medical-dermatology billing.
Selection Methodology #
Dermatology in Tennessee sits under the Department of Health medical license and the American Board of Dermatology Diplomate credential, and the filter for the practices above started with whether the lead physician carries active ABD board certification reachable through the ABMS Certification Matters lookup. Each office shows a board-certified dermatologist as the clinical lead, ties the practice to a Davidson or Williamson County address with multi-year tenure at the named location, publishes scope detail across medical dermatology (skin cancer screening, Mohs micrographic surgery, biologic management of psoriasis and eczema), surgical dermatology, and cosmetic procedures with appropriate physician supervision rather than mid-level-only delivery, and lists fellowship training where applicable. National rollups marketing under shared branding without a Nashville-tenured physician, and operations without verifiable street addresses, were excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Q: How do I verify a Nashville dermatology practitioner holds the right credentials?
A: Use the American Board of Medical Specialties Certification Matters lookup at certificationmatters.org, the Tennessee Department of Health practitioner profile at health.tn.gov, and the practice’s own credentialing page.
Q: What sets these three apart from the broader Nashville dermatology field?
A: Board certification through the American Board of Dermatology is the entry filter, and every physician at the three practices above holds it. The harder filter is fellowship lineage and case mix: Mohs surgery fellowship status for skin-cancer-heavy practices, pediatric dermatology subspecialty rotation for the family caseload, and acceptance of complex inflammatory conditions (hidradenitis, severe psoriasis, autoimmune connective tissue disease) rather than referring those upstream.
Q: Are any of the three practices paid placements?
A: No. The three profiles above are editorial selections drawn from publicly verifiable sources. No practice sponsored placement.
Q: How should I prepare for a first appointment?
A: Confirm in-network status with your insurer, bring photo ID and a list of current medications, and request the practice’s published new-patient intake forms in advance to streamline the first visit.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.