Drs. Kim and Anna Edhegard feel right at home in Morganton

Doctors Kim and Anna Edhegard saw patients in Maryland, Alaska, and Washington, D.C., but the husband and wife, both board-certified dermatologists, didn’t find “home” until they came to Morganton. 

Now, the owners of Foothills Family Dermatology are rooted in their adopted community, and are fully invested in making the people of Morganton feel right at home when they visit the office. 

The Edhegards opened the doors of their office, located at 109 East Fleming Drive near downtown Morganton, in July 2021.

They offer a full range of medical dermatological services, as well as some cosmetic procedures such as botox fillers, microneedling, and basic laser PRP, which is an anti-aging and hair loss treatment. 

Their main focus, however, is treating skin issues for the people of this area. 

While some patients come into the office with a particular area of concern, such as a rash, mole, rosacea or inflammation, others visit for whole-body skin care. 

Those who have spent a lifetime having “fun in the sun,” or making frequent use of tanning beds, often find themselves dealing with skin damage. The Edhegards see lots of skin cancers in their office. 

“I find about 20 a week,” said Kim, “and she’s (Anna) pretty close to that, if not more. So, we’re dealing with 35-50 skin cancers a week just here, just the two of us. So it’s very common.

“But most of them can be treated by simple means, either a small excision, or another procedure where you just scrape off what’s left, if it’s a real tiny, non-invasive type tumor.”

More advanced cancers or melanomas may require the Edhegards to team up with surgeons at a hospital.

“But the other 99% of the tumors, we do here (in the office),” Kim added.

“I had a skin cancer when I was 26,” Kim said, “so it can happen to anybody.”

Anna and Kim are the only two full-time, board-certified dermatologists working exclusively in Burke County.

Other dermatologists in the area work out of larger doctor groups, only staff their offices part time, and run practices which are owned and managed larger entities. 

“We’re not owned by a hospital or a corporation,” Anna added. 

“We’re not owned by a group of investors,” Kim said. “If you come here, you will see the same board-certified dermatologist every time. 

“There’s no revolving door. We are here for the long haul,” he added.

The Edhegards have immersed themselves and their family in Burke County. Kim, who is still active in the National Guard, volunteers at the Good Samaritan Clinic, where he also serves on the board of directors.

Their children, Rhett, 7, and Rosie ,5, attend Morganton Day School, and the family has purchased and refurbished the Dr. Ike Taylor house, where relatives of nationally known recording artist James Taylor once lived.

Kim, an Alabama native, attended college in his home state, then came to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for his residency. There, he met Anna, a Charlotte native, and the two fell in love and married.

“She was in medical school,” Kim said. “I was doing my residency and she rotated through. 

“I was in Afghanistan (with the Army) and she was sending me these care packages,” he added. “And I was catching a little vibe there.”

The couple married and began their professional careers together. 

Kim served in the Army for 14 years, and the couple moved and practiced wherever the army dictated. But when he left active duty, Kim and his wife seized the opportunity to carve their own niche in the foothills of Western North Carolina. 

“Finally, we got to be the ones to choose where we lived,” said Anna. “We had wanted to move back to North Carolina for a while, but not Charlotte.

“We really loved the mountains, so we took a map of population and a map of dermatologists and laid one on top of the other and we said, ‘Let’s visit Morganton,’” she said. 

The couple traveled to Burke County just as the COVID-19 epidemic was beginning in May 2020. “And we just fell in love with it,” Anna added.

“I grew up in a town like this,” said Kim, “and I enjoy the opportunity to get to know my patients and see them locally.

"Being part of the community is really wonderful for us.

“Additionally, it’s a great place to live geographically,” he added. “It’s calm and peaceful. It’s everything we could ask for.”

Foothills Family Dermatology has a full-time staff of eight, with two part-time employees. They can be reached at 828-414-4178. The office is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and on Friday from 8 a.m. until noon.

Sandra Wilkerson Queen is the education and business reporter for The Paper. She may be reached at 828-445-8595 or via email at sandra@thepaper.media.