California Skin Institute

Extortionist billing department, completely dysfunctional. I visited this clinic in July 2015 and made a copay for $ 30 on their online website through my credit card. Despite this they kept sending me billing statement every month demanding the co-​pay.
On speaking with them they insisted that I provide «proof-​of-​payment» to them from my bank which I did in the form of a copy of my credit card statement showing the transaction date and time but this was not enough. They wanted a photocopy of a «cheque» through which bank paid them after charging my credit card. This was weird because bank told me that all transactions were settled electronically with them and no physical cheques were issued.
Nonetheless they were not ready to admit any fault and they send me a final billing statement threatening to send my case to «collections». Finding myself in a corner after doing all the running around trying to convince them, I ended up double paying.
I strongly advise against using their service as they can really take you for a ride

There are many dermatologist in the Bay Area to choose from.
My husband has to go every 6 mos. to remove a basil cell or two. My husband rarely complains, but these were his observations and experience.
1. Office was extremely dirty.
2. Doctor seemed in a hurry.
3. Dr. Wanted to perform «MOHs» on his leg. (for a guy this is not necessary, but profitable to the doctor)
4. My husband cancelled his next appt. (I was with him) but got a call the following week saying he «missed» his appt. and they never received a call cancelling.
5. We got a «registered» letter from their office, but are refusing to accept it, knowing it is a bill for the «missed» appt. we cancelled a several weeks before!
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Please don’t go here. I cant believe this place has 4 star ratings. Went to the doc for cystic acne on my face because I was asked by my ex-​OB (another story) to consult with him and not our regular dermatologist.
We went in and he literally forced incision on me which was strongly advised against by my dermatologist. The way he presented it, I thought it would be a painless simple procedure not taking any more than 5 minutes. Even then I was doubtful, but he started getting angry and frustrated and I should have taken that as a cue to walk out. Lesson learnt for next time!
He then goes and puts in local anesthesia and starts cutting out the cyst. He didn’t even bother to check if the anesthetic had kicked in. When I wailed in pain, he realized his mistake but in order to complete the procedure, they held me down and kept applying pressure on the cyst. One of the most painful experiences ever for me yet and I have taken steroid injections without any anesthetic for keloid on my chest.
Anyways, after all this drama, he tells me that the cyst could very well come back and I may need surgery next time. I am pregnant for heaven’s sake, the last thing I need surgery for is a cyst on my face which was already subsiding!
Thanks to Dr. Anhault, I now have a small (albeit growing) keloid on my face, something he promised me would never happen. The experience was so awful that I can’t even get back there to scream at him.

Dr. Anhalt is an exceptionally bright and uplifting dermatologist. He will not only diagnose you when no one else can but he will keep you laughing while he does so. His staff have told me they actually miss them when they go home on the weekend. I can see why. Yes he is that funny.
I have several skin conditions and they complicate each other. I saw other dermatologists at Stanford and other Bay Area locations who over at least a one year period did not help me get my condition under control at all. I was suffering to the point of wondering if life was worthwhile. He did figure things out and try some off label treatments which got me mostly under control.
I did laser in San Francisco and finally with the help of my SF MD had to resort to Accutane which basically gave me my life back. I did laser in San Francisco because she had the particular equipment I heard would work best for my particular condition. Her name is Kathleen Welsh MD and she uses V Beam for rosacea! I had been wanting to try Accutane for rosacea and it was pretty much a miracle so I would recommend it for rosacea.
Go see him you won’t regret it.

We found Dr Todd Anhalt to be helpful, quick and funny. Other reviews were correct, he spent only about 7 — 10 minutes with us per appointment. Went in for liquid nitrogen treatment of a few spots. The cost was 870 $ for two visits (some of the spots were treated twice). Although the treatment of 1 to 14 such spots is 215 $ at this clinic and the number to treat was less, the bill listed multiple entries that would have been equivalent to treating more than twice as many. Suggest asking for a clear estimate of the specific treatment instead of the general estimates of the procedures.

Dr. Anhalt had a wonderful sense of humor, supportive, takes his time and shows he cares.

This review is specifically for Dr. Todd Anhalt.
I have visited him many times over the years for different skin issues. He is riotously funny, extremely sharp, bluntly honest, and delightfully personable.
Also, each time, he quickly figured out what kind of disgusting skin issue I had, gave me some samples and instructions, and I was cured.
Excellent success rate.
It must be understood that dermatologists are frequently accused of not caring or of rushing people through. The nature of dermatology is usually that the doctor looks at the skin, recognizes the issue, dispenses the right cream, and that’s that.
Sometimes s/​he may take a sample and look at it under the microscope, usually in the main office, not the exam room. (I like when Dr. Anhalt calls me into his office and shows me the biopsy so I can learn about it. This isn’t what every patient wants but I enjoy it.)
It is not like when you are sick and the doctor needs to spend a lot of time asking questions, discussing lifestyle or injuries, theorizing, ordering tests, examining lab results or MRIs or x-​rays, and so on. A dermatology visit is pretty simple — doctor looks, gives you cream. What you are getting is his or her education as opposed to the doctor’s troubleshooting and diagnosing process. That is just the nature of dermatology.
This gives the impression that the dermatologist just doesn’t care which is not necessarily true.
So, I encourage those of you who may feel he is impersonal or in a hurry to understand that this is the nature of dermatology visits in general.
So, enjoy his warm humor and excellent competence. He is a very good dermatologist.

Our daughter has been a patient of Dr. Anhalt’s for several months. We are very satisfied with our experience there and highly recommend him! I always look forward to our visits.

Even worse experience.
Their website does not accept VISA or MASTERCARD.
The mailbox for the billing department is always full.
In 2013, if your website cannot accept payments online, when your bill says so, it is pretty sad state of affairs.

Not caring, always in a rush, tries to sell you unnecessary products, in bed with pharmaceutical distributors, so patients are prescribed the most expensive medication .Dr Anhald gives you coupons as if he cares about patient’s finances, playing this charming person all the time. This is not what an ethical medical provider should look like in my opinion. Once I had an appointment on Monday morning Dr. Anhald was not able to concentrate, when I questioned one of the recommendations it turned out he did not even have the name of the medication he prescribed few months ago written in the chart. It was so wrong, but I was not surprised.
His nurse is very qualified though…

I have seen Todd Anhalt in Los Altos, on and off for probably 25 years. He is brilliant — board certified in internal medicine before he went into dermatology. Was chief resident at Stanford at one point. Good guy, very funny — you will leave there with three or four good jokes to retell.
The last time I went t see him, his practice had become «California Skin Institute,» a practice partnership? It looked like they were focused on various expensive skin beauty treatments. I guess that’s a thing. But he treated the same as always, once mentioning some laser thing we could do, which I declined, and he treated the issue I came in for.
I don’t have much taste for all the profiteering in their industry but no question he is a top-​grade dermatologist.
Allow an extra 15 minutes for travel the first time you go; his office is located in a place that confuses GPS.

Visited Dr. Anhalt for regular skin screening. The doctor is amazing!

I saw Dr. Anhault a few times. Before, I didn’t realize Dr. Anhault is that much better until I saw another dermatologist at Palo Alto foundation. My problem didn’t go away at all. Was a waste of time and copay. Then I switched back to Dr. Anhault, problem solved.
Now I’d rather drive a bit out of my way to see Dr. Anhault. He’s definitely more knowledgable than the average dermatologist. He’s got a good sense of humor too. Nice to chat with. He even made my toddler a balloon with those hygiene glove. A small gesture but gives me a insight of his happy personality.

Dr. Anhault was recommended to me by my Dermatologist that I was seeing back in Michigan. I am very pleased with his services and he does a thorough job with my skin issues. He does make the visits pretty short and can seem fast as others say, but as long as you keep asking him questions, he is more than happy to answer.
The only reason why I gave him 4 out of 5 is the clinic seems to write for the brand name prescriptions instead of generics. Why that is the case, I am not sure. He will give you a generic though if you ask. I just have never been to a Dermatologist that only prescribes brand names.

Friendly staff and doctor and just good overall in experience thats why i drive 30min to this location then other Skin Doctors (Dermatologist)

I received a 15% off coupon for my birthday to use for services at this particular California Skin Institute location. Since I’ve been saddened by the growing number of sun and age spots on my face, I decided to get my first chemical peel.
The office is out of the way in a cottage-​style building in the middle of a residential neighborhood. But it’s close to Hwy 280. The staff were very friendly and professional.
Joan who was my esthetician, was very nice and explained the whole process to me before and during the treatment. It was quick and painless. They used the latest technology to prevent my face from looking like a burn vicitm’s.
Since I’ve only had one treatment, I will have to get back on how well the peel worked. But I have already made my next appointment.

Two years ago I was recommended to Dr. Anhalt by my primary care physician for a skin condition that I had developed.
He recommended certain topical home treatments which worked after 6 months to a year.
The problem was with Dr. Anhalt, is his lack of good service. It’s hard to get him to listen and prescribe additional treatments for different things. He seemed to be always rushed and on his way to the next thing on his schedule.
Consequently, consequently I searched for another dermatologist for any additoinal treatments, cosmetic and medical.

Meant to write this sooner.
Thanks to Dr. Anhalt, I now have beautiful clear skin! YAY! I highly recommend him!

Dr. Anhalt has been my family’s dermatologist for as long as I can remember. He has taken care of skin ailments of all kinds and is always thorough, caring, and funny. I’ve had all range of treatments from him and they have all been successful. If something isn’t working, just call the office and he will figure out how to tweak it to help you.
I have always had a good experience with the front desk and other staff, but on occasion there can be a bit of a wait. They always let you know if the Dr. is running behind so that you know what to expect. For such great medical treatment it’s worth waiting a little longer occasionally.
Would recommend Dr. Anhalt to anyone!

My friend recommended this place to me. Went in for a laser treatment for my face. He started and I honestly couldn’t feel anything so I asked if he was sure the laser was on and he promptly demonstrated that it was by burning a hole in my blouse! After that I developed a strange skin rash around my nose under my left eye and he told me it was «leftover energy» from the laser! Say what? It never healed properly and to this day I have scarring in that area.
On the bright side, the facial lady (Joan) was very attentive and gave me the best facial I ever had! She’s charming and professional. So skip any medical procedures by Dr. Anhalt and go get a facial instead!