Joseph R McKinlay MD

Took my 11 year old niece to see Dr. MCKINLAY to have a couple of warts removed. What an extreme breath of fresh air… ZERO wait time. what??? I’m so confused every MD’S office I have been to there is a wait followed by another wait and sometimes another wait. Perfect because this was a work day for me. He took really great care of her giving her 3 options to have the warts removed. He explained thoroughly to her the procedure and outcome and started from there. She decided to forgo the cream option and took his recommendation to have them freezed. She did great 6 removed bandaged up and off we went but not before he gave me (none patient) some advice about some questions I had not relating to my niece and her visit. He wasn’t bothered in the least and even took the time to share more advice and returned his attention to the real patient my niece and asked her if she had any questions he can help her answer as well. I think he noticed her sun kissed face (6 hours at the water park the day before) so he gave her some sun screen. Overall the experience was a positive one and I will definitely be seeing him for my dermatology needs as well. Thanks Doc for the much appreciated punctual visit.

Dr. McKinkay is thorough and calm, and I appreciate that he is never pushy. He really listens to my concerns and never makes me feel as if they’re trivial (even though sometimes I find out I’m in a panic over nothing!) I also love that Dr. McKinlay never makes my appointment feel rushed, no matter how busy he is.

I’m 58 years old and I’ve worked outdoors for most of my life so I have a lot of skin damage. I go to him regularly to make sure that everything is OK. He did such a a great job with my son’s acne, too. My son has a lot more confidence since his acne cleared up.
Very personable and a great staff too.

After a skin lump removal I asked the Dr about his Botox pricing etc and I decided to do it. Dr. M straight up gave me most effective, NOT diluted, best that I’ve had in years!!!
I’ve been to many plastic surgeons and doing Botox since ’07, and many of them have started diluting it so if you notice it doesn’t last as long, or you have to go back in 2 weeks after first getting it for more cause not really taking AND after the injections it looks like bee stings then it’s diluted. They think we don’t notice the change and different look of injection sites after or know about how it’s being diluted now yet still cost the same but we do.
Anyways, Dr. M did a GREAT job and it was worth every dollar.

I cannot believe the above 4 star reviews… it’s like they were seeing a totally different doctor. Of course, such reviews are what ‘they’ experienced, I experienced totally the opposite… Horrible, well, poor bedside manners, curt, in and out in 5 minutes! Filling out of their forms took longer than the visit. Mentioned to him my concerns and he brushed them off like they’re nothing to be concerned about. Wanted to know if some sun spots were cancerous and he said, ‘no’, without even closely looking at them. He said if I wanted them removed, it wouldn’t be covered under my insurance, but rather considered cosmetic and quoted me my out of pocket price… well, don’t you want to look at it carefully first??? He said he could see it fine from an arms length away. ‘Anything else?’, was his cold closing question… by that time, 5 minutes into the visit, I had had enough of his unprofessionalism and lack of concern, it was like I was wasting his time, when in reality, he was wasting my time! Never going back… and would definitely not recommend! His personality definitely rubs off on his staff as well, as they mirror the doctor himself, when you first walk in!

I’ve just had the worst experience that ended my doctor patient relarionship of 14 years. I’ve been going to Dr. McKinlay since 2001 and have never been late for an appointment once. And today, I had a small office surgery scheduled at 8am and of all the days the traffic had to be at its worst ever. I called the office and left a voicemail that i was running about 10 minutes late due to traffic. By the time I parked the car and got to the office it was 14 minutes past. The receptionist asked me to sign in and then as soon as I sat down she tells me, «Doctor can’t see you today. You are 20 minutes late for your appointment. You were supposed to be here at 8am. He can’t start on a surgery late, so you will need to reschedule your appointment and we have to charge you No Show fee of $ 75 for being late. You know about the No Show fee, right? Because this is a procedure and you are late, it’s like a no show.»
I have done a similar procedure before and the whole procedure takes 10 to 15 minutes at the most. And the office doesn’t even open until 8:45am. I didn’t put up much fight, paid the fee, and rescheduled my appointment, as I admit that being late is late.
But I have to just say that I was not happy at the receptionist’s (lecturing) tone and how she handled the situation. The way she said it sounded like ‘you should have known better not to be late.’ I was always on time for my appointments for the last 14 years and they always kept me waiting for at least 15 to 20 minutes, and sometimes up to an hour. I’ve never once complained about it for the trust that I had built over time in the doctor. But never again I will see him if I had to deal with these rude and disrespectful receptionists.

Paid almost $ 60 for something I could have paid Straub to do for just a co-​pay.

It’s been about a year now since I’ve been seeing Dr. McKinlay for my epidermis needs. He’s still on his game and I still feel like he’s doing his best to help out my face.
Since my other review my skin has cleared up drastically. I hardly get deep rooted cystic acne, my acne only flares up if I don’t take my medicine or when it’s my time of the month. The combination of medicine that he has me on is doxycycline hyclate 100mg’s twice a day along with a topical of epiduo.
Relatively this combination works for me, but we just switched to another medication Spironolactone 100mg’s twice a day and we’re going to continue with the epiduo as well.
I know my acne journey is never ending, but I’m thankful for Dr. McKinlay for helping me with this hiccup in my life, lol.

There are two dermatologists in this building, but I chose to go with Dr. McKinlay because he only specializes with skin. The other doctor in the building is also a plastic surgeon… that’s the only reason I decided not to make my appointment with him. I don’t know if that makes sense or not :) but it makes sense to me.
Anyway, I really had a good experience with Dr. McKinlay and his staff. I was able to make a next-​day appointment and didn’t wait very long once I got to the office. The two girls that worked the front desk were very nice and friendly. I worked in customer service in the past so I really appreciated all the smiles and welcoming vibes.
Some reviews on here said that Dr. McKinlay needed to work on his bedside manner, but I don’t feel that ‘s the case. He was very nice and polite. He just seems like a reserved person… but that doesn’t bother me at all. He listened to my concerned and explained everything to me. I asked if he could take a look at a mole and that wasn’t a problem.
The treatment he set out for me worked like a charm and I’m really glad I went to see him. I’ll definitely see him again.

dr. mckinlay is the best dermatologist I’ve ever been to. he knows his stuff very well and diagnosed me with something no other dermatologist could. I’m very impressed with his manner and how he treats his patients. my skin looks so awesome under his care. without doubt he is the BEST in Honolulu.

Dr. McKinlay’s office is downtown and very convenient. Ahead of committing to an appointment, I verified that Dr. McKinlay was in my provider network online (on my insurance provider’s website) and also with the receptionist who said, «Yes, we accept your insurance, but you will pay up front in full and be re-​imbursed after the claim processes». During check-​in, I was forced to sign a form that stated that I did not have insurance, even though I contested that verbally and they scanned my insurance card… hmmm, that doesn’t seem right? After seeing the doctor, I paid in full and was presented a receipt for services and told to file the insurance claim myself. I proceeded to print a claim form from my provider’s website — my provider explicitly states on their form that if services were paid to in-​network doctors, I should request a refund from that doctor. Network providers have negotiated rates, which is why I confirmed this was a network doctor prior to my appointment. When I took my forms back to the receptionist and spoke with the office manager, I was subsequently told that they take payments up front and they are not affiliated with my insurance provider. What!!! I probably have little recourse since I have paid in full and they strong-​armed me into signing a form stating that I don’t have insurance, but I can share this review of my experience with other customers who might make my mistake… steer clear of this office unless you are planning on filing your own insurance claim after paying up front. The office reception and manager are awful to deal with and treated me poorly when I asked questions after paying CASH for services that are covered by my insurance plan, which is an A-​rated plan and provider by the way. Was I seen by the doctor promptly and did medical services meet my needs? Yes. But I do not like to be bullied when told upfront that my insurance is accepted and risk non-​reimbursement. I just hope insurance will reimburse me minus my co-​pay. Poor office management, customer service and confusing answers on payment and insurance… anyone who deals with patients should be held to higher standards when it comes to office management, disclosure, and communication. I will never go back and I never complain about anything!!!

Hubby went to see Doc and I ended up bringing my 18 yr old son in later that day because I was so impressed with that appt. My son has had bad acne for a few years and has been under the care of another dermatologist with no relief. Doc McKinlay quickly made an assessment and determined a major change was in order. He gave us tons of samples so we didn’t have to spend money at the drugstore or on Rx’s. The next am, my son woke up with almost no redness and much hope. I will be making an appt next. Trust this guy!

I really like when doctors are efficient and prompt and Dr MicKinlay is both. I have been to see him three times and I have had a consistent experience all three times!
This week, I am off from school so I wanted to see if he could fit me in. Although the receptionist at first said she didn’t have any openings, when I asked to be put on a cancellation list, she squeezed me in the next day.
Having a busy schedule, I really appreciate when doctors offices do this!
Although his bedside manner is not sparkling, he is efficient when doing whole body checks and asks questions that help him understand what skin marks might be concerning. He was more than happy to look over a couple of moles that concerned me again afterwards for peace of mind.
Parking is a problem downtown during the week though. They validate but only for a half hour at the Bishop Garage and each additional half hour is $ 4.75! It ends up being more cost efficient to pay for parking at Ali’i place across the street. They charge $ 0.75 each half hour. I was grateful for the receptionist who told me this beforehand!

Excellent experience…
I went to Dr. McKinlay after a friend noticed a spot on my back. So I went to check if it was a melanoma.
The office is conveniently located downtown. I work close by so I just walked over.
The office is tidy. The receptionist was pleasant and efficient. I filled out my paperwork beforehand, I suggest doing this to reduce wait time.
I only waited a few minutes for the doctor. He confirmed the reason I came in for a visit and immediately took a look. He removed the spot and sent it off to the lab for testing. In addition, he looked over the rest of my body, he even had me remove my shoes to check in between my toes.
Dr. McKinlay was very personable and intuitive. We chatted on several topics as he looked over my skin. I felt comfortable in his care. He also did a good job of outlining the next steps and what I could expect.
I highly recommend Dr. McKinlay if you have any questions about your skin. I know I will not go to any other dermatologist on this island.

Dr Mckinlay is a professional & confident doctor who was highly recommended. He answered all questions thoroughly regarding my daughter’s skin condition. After seeking help from other incompetent doctors, I find that Dr Mckinlay was a breath of fresh air. Most importantly he made my 3 yr old feel comfortable. Thanks to his treatment, her skin is improving remarkably and we will continue to follow up with Dr Mckinlay.

I made a Unilocal account just to write this.
I visited him several times for an infection after a trip. He said it was acne and prescribed some useless generic medicine. It wasn’t acne. I didn’t find that out until I went to another doctor. Because it was not treated properly, I might end up with scars.
Wait time– Yes, you’re bound to wait a few minutes whenever you go to the doctor’s but I scheduled for a 3:00 appointment and did not see him until 4:30. Unacceptable. Don’t waste your time.
I could care less if he is a nice guy. He’s probably nice to you so you don’t write honest reviews about him. Yes, he is conveniently located in downtown. I work in downtown so that was the biggest reason I went to him, despite the negative reviews. Just to show you how strongly I would suggest going to somebody else, I go to a dermatologist in Mililani now.
Trust the reviews, don’t waste your time and money.

I have been going to Dr. McKinlay for over a year. He has always been a professional, even when I come in «self-​diagnosing» something. (My husband does not allow me to go on WebMD anymore when it comes to my skin! :))
Dr. McKinlay has always taken care of my problems… regardless how small. I highly recommend him.

This is just my initial review. I chose Dr. McKinlay because he’s located across the street and it was easy to get an appointment. I read all of these reviews before hand but I have a severe chapped lip and prefer someone convenient.
I’ll admit when he first walked in I thought, «eek! serial killer!». But as he started talking he reminded me of Thomas Haden Church (actor from Wings, Ned & Stacey, Sideways). I tried my best to get even the teensiest smile out of him and thought I almost saw one!
I felt he listened to my concern (granted it’s a pretty simple one) and he gave me a pretty good examination looking closely at my lip, checking the rest of my skin as well and proceeded telling me what the next steps would be.
I’ll update my review after my follow up visit but so far I’d return! I didn’t think he was friendly but I don’t think he was cold or uncaring. Stay tuned!

I’ve been going to Dr. McKinlay for almost 6 months now and I can say that I’d recommend him to anyone.
Me am my sister had multiple skin problems besides acne and he’s professionally taken care of them and made sure we got taken care of. He cares for our safety and how the medication affects us.
As for his personality, he’s a really nice guy! I’ve never had an impression that he was an asshole. Just a doctor trying to professional.
As for his receptionist, they’re the nicest girls ever. Really sweet and easy to talk to. I’ve read that they replaced his other receptionist from before.

On my first visit the general staff were polite and cordial, they had great skin, but their hair seemed over done, and they all wore footwear that was more appropriate for a nightclub or hostess bar. I’m just sayin’…
I agree with the other reviewers, the doctor didn’t seem to not really care about what I had to say and seemed to think that what I had to say was below him or just nonsense that had nothing to do with the matter. Uhm, is there no substance to any of my concerns?
And so the doctor took the bright light to my face to look at the troubled spot, opened a drawer, applied topical cortisone cream, and slapped a big ol’ band aid on, gave me a bunch of cortisone samples, and sent me off. I proceeded to the bathroom, took off the bandage, and went home feeling humiliated, as if I was being treated at a second rate vet’s office on a conveyor belt.
Followup Visit: He looked at the spot, treated it with more cortisone cream, threw a bandaid on and gave me more cortisone samples. I went out, tore the band aid off, and went home rolling my eyes.
2^nd Followup Visit: The doctor thought it looked much better, didn’t really care to hear about my concerns for the scarring and discoloration. I tried to be polite, said «thanks», went out, and swore never to go back there again. The troubled spot on my face is still there, didn’t really go away, and I’m sure he doesn’t really know that the problem was. What a quack!