Dr. Rachel Delost is the newest member of the Apex Dermatology medical team to offer a caring and well-rounded approach to skin care
By Laura Briedis
Most kids heading off to college are not sure what they want to study, but Dr. Rachel Delost already knew what she wanted to be when she was in the sixth grade.
“When I was 11 years old, I knew that I wanted to be a dermatologist,” she says. “I had acne, warts and other skin issues, and my dermatologist not only helped my skin but helped me improve my self-confidence. I looked up to her as a role model and said one day that will be me.”
The newest doctor to join Apex Dermatology in the Mentor office, Dr. Delost has a caring demeanor, along with an analytical side, which also emerges when she is playing chess or golfing with her husband.
Raised in Hudson, she grew up tumbling in gymnastics and cheerleading at Hudson High School, as well as at Case Western Reserve University, where she graduated cum laude with a double major in biology and Spanish, and a chemistry minor. She attended medical school at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she served as president of her class, and completed her residency at University Hospitals in Cleveland, where she was appointed cosmetic chief resident.
“I have always been passionate about research and have delved into varied topics from global health dermatology to clean beauty to cutaneous lymphoma,” says Dr. Delost, who is also fluent in Spanish.
Dr. Delost is passionate about both medical dermatology—treating acne, eczema, rosacea and other skin disorders—as well as aesthetics. “Your skin is the window into your body, and, if you take care of it, your skin will help you protect everything on the inside,” she says.
She is well-versed in Botox and fillers, laser resurfacing, microneedling and platelet-rich plasma treatments. “Whether you just want to look less tired or diminish wrinkles, I always have a toolkit in mind to make tweaks.”
When doing annual skin cancer screenings, she says her trained eyes are her biggest tool. “While other doctors have stethoscopes and otoscopes, I use my eyes to spot any concerns,” she says. “And I teach patients how to do a self-exam.”
Dr. Delost educates her patients to watch for the “ABCDEs of melanoma” to detect potentially dangerous spots. Look for asymmetry, irregular borders with jagged or notched edges, spots with multiple colors, diameter that exceeds the size of a pencil eraser and any areas that are evolving—either getting larger, bleeding, crusting, itching.
As a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, she takes a holistic approach to care and treats the whole person. “I believe the body has an innate ability to heal itself and that we are here to just provide the tools and resources,” says Dr. Delost.
“I joined Apex Dermatology as we share similar philosophies,” she says, noting that her husband, Dr. Gregory Delost, is also an Apex dermatologist, in the Mayfield office. “Everyone here is treated with respect.
Apex Dermatology has 12 locations to serve Northeast Ohio, including the Mentor office located at 8140 Norton Parkway, Suite 220. To schedule an appointment in your area, call 833-279-SKIN (7546) or visit ApexSkin.com.