Dr. John Person has been practicing dermatology for 30 years and joined Reliant Medical Group in 1980. He decided to become a dermatologist because he enjoys making a diagnosis just by looking at something. “There’s a visual simplicity to practicing dermatology that I find very refreshing,” he explains. “I really enjoy the feeling of cutting through everything and making a complicated diagnosis with just my eyes.”

According to Dr. Person, there are 5,000 different skin diseases with psoriasis probably being the most common. “I see more than my share of psoriasis. At one time back in the 1970’s I was the only doctor in Central New England performing PUVA treatments (a therapy that uses psoralen and UVA light for psoriasis). It was experimental at the time but I had FDA approval to do it. I have a lot of psoriasis patients and fortunately we have a lot of effective treatments for this disease.”

Dr. Person enjoys using the latest treatments in his practice. “Some of the newer biologic drugs are very effective for psoriasis. These drugs are given by injection and deliver antibodies to the body’s immune system. However, they are very expensive, costing many thousands of dollars per year and may not be appropriate for every patient.”

Dr. Person is concerned about the rising rates of skin cancer in the patients he sees. “The skin cancer epidemic is very frustrating. Melanoma has become eight times more common since the introductions of sunscreens. I didn’t see one case of melanoma in my first three years of practicing. People really need to be extra careful about the amount of sun exposure they receive.”

During his spare time, Dr. Person enjoys being with his wife and daughter. He also likes hiking, and has been a “peak bagger” for many years. He was the 16th person to climb every mountain in New England over 3,000 feet (more than 450 mountains). He has also climbed every mountain over 4,000 feet in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Dr. Person also enjoys running and long-distance hiking and has completed the Long Trail in Vermont.