Above: Southern Minnesota Skin Solutions opens at the Fairmont on Monday. From left: Natalie Simeon, Mackenzie Terfehr (owner) and Rachel Sock.
FAIRMONT—The new store, Southern Minnesota Skin Solutions, opens Monday at the Fairmont. The company, owned and operated by Mackenzie Terfehr, is located at 1235 Highway 15 S.
Terfehr grew up in Wellcome and now lives south of the Fairmont with her family.
When asked if she’s always wanted to do this, Terfer said, “I would never dream of opening my own business.”
However, she said that due to changes in her family life, she would like to have better working hours and more flexibility in her life. Recently, Terfehr has been traveling as she works as a dermatologist in central Iowa.
Terfehr is actually a specialist in dermatology and has been working in this field for over 13 years.
As for why she likes what she does, Terfehr said, “You see ordinary things on a regular basis, but there’s also something new and different coming through the door every day.”
She said that working with the skin involves many things, including systemic disease and localized disease.
“It’s crazy how skin integrates into our bodies in so many ways,” Terfer said.
He said that dermatology is developing so quickly and there are so many different treatment methods. There are also new treatments that are constantly being tested.
Terfer said she had only thought about opening her own business for six months.
“I’ve always been a big supporter of Fairmont’s development. Our children are also very deeply rooted here. We want to see it thrive and grow,” Terfehr said.
He said it would be better to use local community services, especially dermatology, which is highly specialized.
“It’s a must. There aren’t many options for availability,” she said.
Terfehr said she was happy with the space she found because she learned about the building through casual conversations. He said it fell everywhere.
“We redid everything and started anew. We have 100 percent renovated the entire space to update it and make it more accessible,” said Terfehr.
Southern Minnesota Skin Solutions will primarily offer medical dermatology, as opposed to the spa-like services that recently opened at the Fairmont. Though it will offer some cosmetic services, Terfer said the vast majority is medical dermatology.
“I want to see other companies that care more about the cosmetic aspect,” Terfer said.
Some of the targeted service areas include acne, eczema, hair loss, warts, psoriasis, rashes and skin cancer.
The services would be truly unique in the area as the last place to offer dermatology was Mayo Clinic Health System-Fairmont even though they suspended that service during COVID.
“Compared to what was previously available, it’s certainly unique in the area,” Terhefer said.
Terhefr said she is also a big supporter of rural health care and acknowledged that there are big disparities in rural health care.
“Adding small-town, highly specialized dermatology services requires a lot of in-house experience and will be a great asset to the community,” Terfer said.
While Terfehr is the sole provider, she has two collaborators, Natalie Simeon and Rachel Sock, although she hopes to grow over time.
Southern Minnesota Skin Solutions is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Visit Southermnskin.com for more information.
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