Vujevich Dermatology voted best six years running

For nearly 45 years, Vujevich Dermatology Associates has served the South Hills of Pittsburgh. With three locations and 10 providers, VDA offers services in medical, surgical, pediatric and aesthetic dermatology.

This is the sixth year Vujevich Dermatology has been honored as a Best of the Best by the Washington Observer-Reporter. The office has taken the best dermatologist since the contest’s inception in 2017.

Dr. Marion Vujevich began his practice in the mid-1970s. The senior Dr. Vujevich was born in Clairton, served in Vietnam and then worked his way through school to start a practice that remains family owned and operated by his son, Dr. Justin Vujevich, since 2007.

Though no longer practicing, Dr. Marion Vujevich still visits the offices and says hello to patients “because if you’ve been a patient here in the last 45 years, you’ve probably seen him at some point. And the patients ask about him all the time,” said Dr. Justin Vujevich. His sister, Deirdre Gardner, is also a dermatology nurse practitioner within the practice.

The Mt. Lebanon, Pleasant Hills and Washington offices offer a wide range of dermatological services: general dermatology for skin conditions like acne, psoriasis and eczema, skin cancer detection for atypical moles and skin cancers, and aesthetic dermatology using lasers, fillers, botox, chemical peels, microneedling and cool sculpting to improve patients’ skin appearance. Dr. Justin Vujevich, Dr. Christie Regula, and Dr. Ryan Andrulonis perform Mohs surgery, a specialized method of skin cancer removal, as well as excisions to remove melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

The practice has made giving back to the community a priority. Drs. Marion and Justin Vujevich co-founded Angel’s Fund, a foundation that provides assistance for out-of-pocket costs for pediatric patients and their families with limited financial means.

In the battle against skin cancer, the practice founded Sun Smart Pittsburgh in 2016, a non-profit providing free sunscreen to patrons of area parks. The idea came about while at a Pirates game, according to Justin Vujevich. “I was looking around and thinking, ‘everyone is getting sunburned here.’” Now in more than 30 community parks and most city of Pittsburgh parks, VDA provides dispensers with sunscreen for visitors to use if they have forgotten their own.

Some tips for protection from the sun from VDA: Women should use a moisturizer with sunscreen of SPF 30 daily after face washing and before applying makeup. After shaving, men should apply sunscreen daily. Limit time in the sun to when rays are less harmful (morning and evening), wear clothing with a UPF factor (ultraviolet protection factor) at the pool and the beach and wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

Vujevich admits that being a family-owned practice is uncommon in today’s world of corporate medicine. “Most (practices) are affiliated with an academic institution or owned by a private equity firm. We are an independent practice powered by continuous input from physicians, nurse practitioners, clinical managers and ancillary staff. We meet regularly, respond to patient suggestions, and discuss with providers how to improve patient care,” he said.

With three offices and two to three providers at each office, “we try to see patients in a timely fashion so their skin conditions can be treated,” he said. Patient care remains the priority for 2023.” We will continue to bring high-quality dermatologists to the practice to meet the growing demand of patients,” Vujevich said.