Local dermatologist Jonathan Crane said despite the exit of DermOne Dermatology from markets in several states, including North Carolina and the Wilmington area, their patient care will continue, and he and fellow dermatologist Chris Cook will open Crane Dermatology Associates at 1099 Medical Center Drive on Monday.

In addition, physicians Kamran Goudarzi and Michael Cahn of Scarless Vein Care will continue to see patients at former DermOne offices at Mayfaire and in Shallotte, according to a post on the Scarless Vein Care Facebook page Thursday.

"While DermOne of North Carolina, P.A. and its providers will no longer be providing dermatology services, vein services will continue to be fully operational in the Wilmington/Mayfaire location at 6752 Rock Spring Road with Dr. Kamran Goudarzi, and in the Shallotte, NC location at 4503 Main Street with Dr. Michael Cahn," the post said.

For Crane Dermatology Associates, the Medical Center Drive office is the same location where Crane was seeing patients when the practice was called Atlantic Dermatology, which was founded by Crane. Atlantic Dermatology was acquired by DermOne in 2012.

DermOne of North Carolina recently sent notices to patients that DermOne would cease as a brand as of Friday in Wilmington, Burgaw, Southport, Clinton and Jacksonville. Similar notices were also sent, as well as posted to the company's website, to patients in Texas and Virginia, while DermOne's New Jersey offices were acquired by a different dermatology group.

"DermOne decided to exit the health care market nationwide even though in Wilmington they were very happy and proud of the offices and patient care," Crane said in an email Wednesday night. 

Crane said he could not shed any light on the reason behind DermOne's exit in the Wilmington area and the state, or the other states, saying that although he was at one time part of the DermOne leadership team, it’s been a year and a half since he's had any management or partnership involvement in DermOne.

"I have been strictly an employee," Crane said in an email. "So I do not know what motivated their decision." 
 
He said he wants patients to know that physician assistants Carla Rohena and Patricia Hood "will still be with us along with most of our staff," and they'll be working at 1099 Medical Center Drive in Wilmington from Mondays to Fridays with Crane and Cook.

"We will be working full time and we will be helping  patients with all of their skin problems," he said in the email. "We all are looking forward to taking care of our patients without a gap in treatment."

In addition to the Medical Center Drive location, Crane's team will also be seeing patients at the former DermOne locations in Burgaw and Clinton.

"We have their medical records totally secure," Crane said. "There is no reason for them to be worried. We are not retiring. We all are a part of this community. As the phone lines have been backed up after the news of DermOne, any of my patients with a problem should just come by the office and we are glad to help.

"Other than a group name change our dermatology patients should not notice anything except our striving for excellence."