All professionals at Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery Center maintain the highest levels of accreditation and pursue ongoing education to stay abreast of the latest trends in the medical field. Read on to learn more about our staff's experience and training.
Steven L. Harlan, M.D.
Practically all dermatologists are talented people gifted with special skills. Some rise through sheer breadth of experience and innovative successful practice to the level of a master dermatologist, and are emulated by other dermatologists. After over thirty years of practice, Steven Harlan, M.D., has become widely known in the central United States as Dr. H and is still producing innovations to advance his field.
Growing up in Des Moines, he first began thinking about the mechanics of a dermatology practice at age 14. His mentor, dermatologist Robert R. Schulze, M.D., was showing Steven how his private practice functioned, and how much fun dermatology was. Dr. Schulze was a family friend, Mayo Clinic trained dermatologist, and widely known in Des Moines as a superb clinical dermatologist. Dr.Schulze was exceptionally brilliant at creating a compounded dermatology lotion that would help his patients with a difficult problem. Dr. Schulze had trained at Mayo under giants in dermatology like Louis Brunsting, Hamilton Montgomery, Bob Kierland, and two young staff at Mayo named Harold Perry and Richard Winklemann. Dr. Schulze’s father was a pharmacist who made up many compounds with the old fashioned mortar and pestel. With the knowledge of compounding from the traditions of the dermatology department at Mayo Clinic, and his father’s influence, young Dr. Schulze became a master compounder of dermatology preparations. This also would later influence Steven.
At Drake University in pre-med, Steven distinguished himself with some unique academic performances in Microbiology. In Medical school he was the first to achieve a perfect score on the comprehensive laboratory final for Microbiology and was the 1977 recipient of the Walter Bierring Award for Microbiology as number one in his class at University of Iowa College of Medicine.
From 1980-1983, Dr Harlan was at Mayo Clinic Department of Dermatology, training under giants in dermatology like Roy S. (Nick) Rogers, Arnold Schroeter, and the now very seasoned teachers Harold Perry and Richard Winklemann. Mayo Clinic Department of Dermatology continued to have a strong culture for compounding and formulating lotions and preparations specifically tailored to the patient. At Mayo Clinic, Dr H distinguished himself as exceptionally capable in clinical dermatology and dermatopathology, and took this to his practice new practice in Des Moines.
In the early 1980s, Dr. H studied Mohs surgery in both Wisconsin and Louisiana with preceptors. Yearly he performed over 500 Mohs surgeries for complicated skin cancers, and qualified to sit for the Mohs surgery board exams in 1992.
Board certified since 1992, Dr. H participates in yearly proficiency testing and peer review with the American Society for Mohs Surgery.
In the late 1980s, Dr. H saw the coming explosion of demand for cosmetic services from dermatologists. He trained Mark Tunnell, a family practice Physician Assistant, to help free him from some of the routine follow-up needs for psoriasis, acne, and wart patients. Mark was the first dermatologist PA in the United States. Dr.H spent the late 1980s visiting and studying with giants in cosmetic surgery like John Yarborough, Sam Stegman, Bill Coleman, Gary Fenno, and Pierre Fornier, and attending some of the first meetings bringing dermatologists into cosmetic surgery. After performing over 500 liposuction and blepharoplasty cases, Dr. H qualified to sit for the 1998 Board exams in Dallas for fellowship status in the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.
In 1995 Dr H became the first surgeon from any specialty in the State of Iowa, performing CO2 laser facial resurfacing, and CO2 laser transconjunctival blepharoplasty. By 1998 he was combining and teaching Autologous Fat Transplantation with these procedures to obtain amazing results with facelift alternative rejuvenation. Dr H built the website in 1998 called faceliftalternative.com. He created and promoted the term ‘The Science of Results’.
In the 2000s, Dr. H began developing skin products that would complement results of his surgical rejuvenations, and then developing products that would directly augment and contribute to facial rejuvenation.
One of the most important innovations of his practice began in the very beginning in 1983, drawing upon his Mayo clinic compounding experience. Dr H observed that many of his acne and rosacea patients had barrier problems and sensitive skin problems. He also observed that many cases of overlap seborrheic dermatitis and mild atopic dermatitis went untreated by other physicians. These patients tended to have sensitive “combination skin.” They frequently develop redness and scaling on the chin and lateral to the nose and mouth. In order to help these patients Dr. H developed the Skin Stabilizer lotion, the Seborrheic Dermatitis Formula, and the Atopic & Seborrheic Dermatitis Formula. Not only did they fill a needed therapy niche, the products helped patients tolerate the strong prescription products they needed for their dermatology problems. Over twenty-five years of clinical practice, over ten thousand people with sensitive and “combination” skin were helped with the Skin Stabilizer concept. It was proven to be very effective and completely safe and free from side effects. These results were published in the highly regarded peer reviewed medical journal, Journal of Drugs In Dermatology, June 2008.
Dr. H then proceeded to find a sunscreen and skin rejuvenation product system that was superior and would complete the Dr H Products. A sunscreen was developed that was light, dry, and extremely smooth, gentle around the eyes, and with good blocking of damaging long wave UVA ultraviolet. Dr. Harlan believes early sunscreens that blocked only UVB, allowed people with fair skin to receive huge amounts of UVA, damaging their melanocytes and contributing to the epidemic of malignant melanomas.
In 2005, Steven Harlan trademarked the name and concept of Hybrid Transitional Pharmaceuticals®, HTPs. This is becoming a new class of important products for people with dermatology problems and a separate or co-problem of sensitive skin.
By 2006, Dr. Harlan began producing trademarked Stabilizer Lotion® for fellow dermatologists to treat these problems. A network of like minded dermatologists was developed to offer these products to their patients, including a past president of the AAD American Academy of Dermatology. Many other dermatologists to this day do not understand these concepts (see our website DrHskin.com) of using extremely low potency hydrocortisone in a base lotion that incorporates the pure element sulfur as part of the skin barrier repairing system.
In 2007 DrH also noted that there was an absence of products being promoted as truly dermatologist developed and he filed for the supplemental trademark Dermatologist Developed™.
In 2010 DrH launched a revolutionary and first of its kind website www.DrHskin.com. This website serves to help patients worldwide who are suffering with chronic recurring overlap syndromes of seborrheic dermatitis and atopic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis and mild psoriasis, and psoriasis in the groin and abdomen creases (flaring since the advent of biologic therapies for psoriasis). The algorithms in this website are the state of the art for understanding and managing these stubborn frustrating skin problems.
The website also provides important information for dermatologists, pediatricians and family physicians regarding these poorly understood and inconsistently treated overlap conditions. It also contains the best monograph in existence, for explaining the widely misunderstood subject of perioral dermatitis.
Natalie Steinhoff, D.O.
Board Certified in Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery
Dr. Natalie Steinhoff is a board-certified dermatologist with training in medical, cosmetic, and surgical dermatology. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Physiology with distinction along with a Certificate of Neuroscience at University of Colorado at Boulder. After graduating, she worked as a Research Associate at UTMB in Galveston, Texas. Dr. Steinhoff then earned her medical degree and was a member of Sigma Sigma Phi honors society at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Dr. Steinhoff went on to complete her one-year internship and three-year dermatology residency at Largo Medical Center in Largo, Florida. During her residency, Dr. Steinhoff published articles in medical journals, including Journal of the American OsteopathicCollege of Dermatology, won an award of excellence in the AOCD Resident Research Paper Competition, and presented at the American Academy of Dermatology annual meetings. During her final year of residency, Dr. Steinhoff served as Co-Chief Resident.
In addition to practicing general dermatology and performing Mohs surgery for skin cancers, Dr.Steinhoff has expertise in non-surgical aesthetics including the administration of neuromodulators and fillers. In her spare time, Dr. Steinhoff enjoys spending time with her friends and family.
Advanced Practice Providers
The Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery Center (DDSC) staff includes a Doctor, Nurse Practitioner, and two Physician Assistants.
Elaine Selden, ARNP-C
Advanced Nurse Practitioner, former critical care nurse manager, ACLS certified, licensed by the State Board of Nursing and the Iowa Legislature to diagnose and treat. Provides care within scope of training and protocols.
Elaine supervises the R.N.s and CMAs at DDSC. She obtained her RN nursing degree in 1978 and rose to nurse manager of a critical care unit at Iowa Methodist Medical Center. In 1992, she was approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing and established her sclerotherapy practice at Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery Center with Dr. Harlan. Through Drake University in 2000, she completed her Master’s degree training and was certified as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and then went on to specialize as a Dermatology Nurse Practitioner. She has over eighteen years training in Dermatology with Dr. Harlan as well as extensive training in dermatology from courses and seminars around the USA.
Elaine Selden, ARNP, is trained to provide, under the protocols of the Dermatology Center, the management of acne, psoriasis, eczema, difficult warts, fungal infections of the skin, acute dermatitis, and first and second degree burns. For patients with itching and/or rash, she has extensive specialty training to diagnose and rule out fungal infections, scabies infections, and viral infections with microscope scrapings. She is highly capable and trained to rule out and recognize drug rashes, contact dermatitis, and sun allergies.
Amanda Vanwyk, PA-C
Amanda is a state licensed Physician Assistant accredited by the National Commision on Certification of Physician's Assistants (NCCPA). She earned a Masters of Science in Physician Assistant studies from Des Moines University, after recieving her Bachelor degree in Biology from Dordt College in Souix Center, IA. She is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the Iowa Physician Assistant Society, and the Society of Dermatology Physician's Assistants. Amanda joined DDSC in September 2019.
In her freetime, she loves spending time outdoors with her husband and three children. She also enjoys doing home improvement projects.