Dr. Sean completed a 3-year residency in Family Practice from UC Davis in 1984. Following residency training, he was invited to stay on in the UC Davis system where he declared dermatology as his sub-specialty as a staff physician attending to the under-privileged at 3 dermatology clinics. Three years later he moved to Palm Springs where he eventually owned and directed 3 busy clinics employing over 40 individuals including 6 physicians. He also worked with the following board-certified dermatologists from 1987 until 2005: Dr. Don Scott (associate professor, U.C. Loma Linda), Dr. Robert West, Dr. Charles Steffan, Dr. Michael Milligan, and Dr. Ingrid Trinkle. The predominance of his practice life was focused on treating Medicare patients afflicted with sun-damage provided by the year-round desert light. He has maintained board-certification in Family Practice most of his career and his patients often appreciate his valuable knowledge of general medicine while attending to their dermatological needs.

During Dr. Degnan's earlier Palm Springs years, he did not embrace most of the cosmetic procedures that were being performed by his close colleagues because the procedures did not meet his strict requirements for safety. The "fillers" such as bovine collagen were not compatible enough with the human immune system, the chemical peels and lasers were scarring far too many patients, and Dr. Degnan wanted to wait to see if Botox had any yet undiscovered long-term side effects.

Over the last 10 years, especially the last 5-6 years, the safety factor has greatly improved. We now have fillers that are far more "holistic" in their human compatibility. The newer lasers such as the Sciton and Fraxel are far safer and precise than their predecessor machines or chemical peels. Botox, when issued as per FDA approval for wrinkles, has been proven to be as safe as swallowing an aspirin tablet. A wonderful alternative to surgical tightening of the skin was invented called Thermage.

Thus Dr. Degnan's most recent clinic in Palm Desert, California, revolved more around these cosmetic procedures. He brought his strong experience, particularly in the use of safe long-lasting fillers, lasers and Thermage, to Lake Tahoe where he opened up his newest office in 2005, and where he plans to live and practice medicine for the remainder of his career.

Dr. Degnan is a member in good standing of the International Society of Cosmetic and Laser Surgeons as well as the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.

About our staff

Our staff is comprised of individuals who are all long-term Tahoe residents with extensive experience in general and cosmetic dermatology. They are a group of mature, organized individuals who take pride in educating and providing individual attention.

Our office is coordinated by manager Mary Estrada who answers most incoming calls and determines the scheduling for our office. While everyone in the office is cross-trained, Crista Halloran and Melina Wallisch predominately tend to patients' needs in the back office. Combined, Crista and Melina have 2 decades of experience at running hair laser and light therapy devices. Crista also has vast experience in treating acne. Dr. Janet Marlborough possesses medical and legal degrees from Scotland (where she worked as a pathologist), and is especially keen on insuring that our office maintains all the complex safety and cleanliness standards for a procedurally-oriented office such as ours. All staff members are friendly, competent individuals who strive to see to it that all patients are always seen in a timely manner with a minimal amount of waiting time.

Melina coordinates our hair transplant division. Dr. Degnan only utilizes the best hair transplant technicians available and also insists on using a maximum number of such techs for each procedure thus lessening operating time, and therefore, fatigue for both the operators and the patient. Dr. Degnan is proud to have highly-respected Tanya Bates head up his team of experienced technicians (see link for hair transplants).

Consultations at the clinic

Probably the crux of our ability to deliver common sense approaches that are fully understood by our patients is the initial complementary comprehensive consultation. During this meeting that commonly lasts well over an hour, new patients are given a tour of the office and the new high-tech equipment. Before-and-after photographs of Lake Tahoe locals (no coverings of eyes to hide identities) are presented to demonstrate the benefits of the major devices, filler, and Botox.

The new patient is asked what skin features are most personally bothersome and then Dr. Degnan provides a summary in lay-language as to how these issues can be best addressed. The new patient leaves with a comprehensive "menu" that explains costs, the precise benefit of each recommended procedure along with the expected duration of improvement.

Who Performs the Procedures

Patients can rest assured that Dr. Degnan performs all cosmetic procedures in his office that require technical skill (i.e. Botox, fillers, laser peels, sclerotherapy, hair transplants, etc.). All general dermatological surgeries and most non-surgical general procedures are also performed by him.