Kurtis Opp, PA C

Kurtis is awesome! I have been his patient for over 20 years; he has removed cysts and suspicious moles, frozen seborrheic keratoses, and most recently assisted me in fighting the lines, sags and wrinkles that show up over time. I feel qualified to say that Kurtis is very competent and knowledgable; I trust him completely and recommend him highly to anyone with dermatologic issues.
One thing that has impressed me about the office is that it operates efficiently; I rarely have to spend more than a few minutes in the waiting room before being shown to my treatment room. The wait in the treatment room is minimal as well; my time is not wasted waiting and wondering when I’ll be seen.
Kurtis conducts himself with relaxed awareness (must be the martial arts training). He knows how to put me at ease almost immediately with his relaxed, pleasant demeanor. When I present the reason for my visit, he listens carefully and presents the possible treatment options. We decide the best solution together and he patiently answers any questions and respectfully addresses any concerns I might have. It is important to me that I feel like I have been heard and makes me feel more optimistic about the upcoming treatment.
In a procedure, I can become anxious if «shots» are involved; I have a fear of needles and may spend the entire procedure with my eyes closed. In this situation, Kurtis is kind and empathetic. He explains clearly what I can expect to happen during the procedure; then «talks me through» the procedure as well. There are no surprises; for example, he tells me to take a deep breath pre injection. Step by step, he keeps me informed:“we’re already half way finished”…He also has «tricks» to make the process more tolerable. For example, he gives me rubber balls to squeeze during injections and a bottle of water to drink in between injections. Kurtis has a good sense of humor, and will throw in a comment that makes me laugh if he senses excessive tenseness. In addition, Kurtis is extremely skillful in giving injections so that I experience little discomfort.
At the same time Kurtis is providing all this reassurance to me, he is performing his work with focused attention. He takes the time necessary to give the best possible outcome to his patients. As to aftercare, Kurtis is thorough. He will often hand me a pad and pen to write down instructions for aftercare, so there is no chance I will forget. Kurtis tells me to call if I have any concerns.
Kurtis is the genuine article-​a compassionate, competent professional giving wonderful service to his patients.

Love Kurtis and the Dermatology Center. He listens to me, tells me what to expect and helps me get very good new medication that is not always covered by my insurance.

OK, so I’m not a young guy anymore and I’ve got lots of wierd yucky things on my skin. It’s embarassing, and I’ve been through half a dozen dermatologists over the years most of which seemed to be interested only in how much money they could extract from me or had the bedside manner of a dead fish. BTW, most of them had terrible front-​office staff too.
A few years ago I was desparate not to go back to the last one I saw and thought why not look on Unilocal?Here I found Kurtis Opp. Yes, he’s a PA (Physician’s Assistant) — not a MD. I’ve worked in hospitals and medical organizatons since about 1980 — and let me tell you there’s nothing wrong with a PA — in fact one as specialized as Kurtis is a rare breed, and he wouldn’t be doing this if he weren’t passionate about his craft. I’ve never had an MD spend so much time with me, explain things so well, and generally instantly know what’s going on like Kurtis does. And I get to call him Kurtis — not «Dr. Opp». Can I add another star for that?
Kurtis is great — no-​nonsense but compassionate, gives me helpful suggestions, and liberally uses that liquid nitrogen gun of his to «scrape the barnacles» as he says and makes me better. He even worked me in with a few hours notice once when I had a bad problem going on and he helped me realize that I was allergic to something that my new dry cleaner had used on my shirts. Duh! (I have since changed cleaners, but you can’t take Kurtis away from me.)
For those who give one star because of some dimwit who put them on hold to deal with the patient in front of them before they made an appointment — really? Give me a great doc with a bad staff any day over an average doc with a stellar staff. And yeah, the front office staff in most doctor’s offices are low skilled workers with similar pay (no offense). Give ‘em a break –they have to deal with grumpy sick people all day! My front-​office experience here has varied, but at worst it’s only a minor annoyance.

Called the office to try and book an appointment for the first time. I thought I’d disregard the comments here about how terrible the office staff was. Without a hello, I got «hold please» I was on hold for 10 minutes… and then another 5 minutes to check the schedule. I’m not exaggerating. I was on the phone for 19 minutes to try and book an appointment.
I spoke to Roxy for all of 4 minutes when I wasn’t holding. She kept saying «Like, I said…» instead of clarifying valid questions and had the worst attitude. When I told her I found her incredibly rude, not only did she not apologize, she kept repeating herself about how I could call before 5 to reschedule the appointment… even though she said there was a 24 hour cancellation policy a moment prior and we were already past the 24 hours. I just wanted to her to confirm that it wouldn’t be a problem.
It’s outrageous that this Kurtis Opp guy lets these people with absolutely no manners be the face of his business. It makes me question how much he cares about his clients. Needless to say, I decided not to go through with the appointment.
**TL DR** If you like to be condescended to and wait 15 minutes on hold to make an appointment, this is the place for you.

Kurtis Opp, PA C and his team are friendly, courteous, and offer skin health information that is easy to understand. Their quality services come at a very fair price for someone like me who pays most medical expenses out of pocket. I have seen Mr. Opp since 2003 for general skin checks and more recently for surgery to have a cyst removed.
The work is quality, and Mr. Opp’s demeanor is warm and gracious. He even offered a referral for a general healthcare practitioner for women, and I appreciate his willingness to make suggestions on behalf of my overall health.

I’ve read through a whole bunch of the reviews, and I find it hard to improve upon the well-​written, thoughtful comments on kurtis, his care, his knowledge and his gentle and competent professionalism. I’ve been under his care going on two decades, which attests to the fact that when one is fortunate enough to find great professionals, you stick with them!

First of all, I don’t know who that Todd A. is who gave the staff such a trashy rating. I’ve been to this office maybe 5x in the past year and every single time, not ONE person on the staff was rude to anyone. The receptionist is always incredibly friendly and every office assistant I dealt with was friendly, helpful and knowledgable. I have a feeling Todd A. had a bad day and is blaming Kurtis’ staff for it.
Kurtis is without a doubt, the best dermatologist I’ve ever had. I’ve been seeing him for a couple years now and I can’t express enough what a relief it is to go to him when I have a problem. He always knows exactly what’s wrong and the precise remedy for whatever skin problem I’ve had. He’s also really funny, incredibly friendly and personable, thoughtful, considerate, helpful and doesn’t have a shred of that «doctor attitude» you can find in so many doctors. His office is incredibly busy all the time and amazingly enough, I’ve never had to wait more than 5 minutes for my appointment either. I’ve been to many places over my lifetime where you’d wait in the waiting room for ½ hour — 45 min because the office was behind but I’ve never experienced that in Kurtis’ office. I feel like I’m in really good hands whenever I’ve seen Kurtis. I can’t recommend him enough.

Thoughtful, careful, intelligent and kind – and thorough. Gave very good advice on tough issues. Staff is perhaps more fun-​loving than efficient, but Kurtis is worth it.

As a person living with HIV/​AIDS, I have had to deal with lypoatrophy. Beyond his skills and knowledge of the issues, Kurtis has been there for me and the Poz community for many years. He understands the challenges we «face» and he is dedicated to helping us make our lives better. We are fortunate and lucky to have him.

I’ve been seeing Kurtis Opp for over 5 years and every visit has been quite pleasant and educational. Kurtis is professional, friendly, kind, and has a good sense of humor which I appreciate. All of the various skin care treatments I’ve received have shown great results.
I’ve also had appointments with Kurtis in two separate locations. Both of the office’s staff have been quite helpful.
What also impresses me about Kurtis is he also has a passion to care about the community at large in regards to helping others.
So, do I recommend Kurtis? Yep!

Kurtis Opp, PA C is one of those rare finds in the medical world. He’s patient, gentle-​handed, extremely knowledgeable and has great «bedside manner.» Kurtis knows his stuff!
I’ve been seeing him for over 2 years now and, without going into detail about my specific skin ailments, I can attest to both his listening ear and his deft hand.
Please, if you’re in need of great dermatological care, do yourself a favor and book an appointment with Kurtis!

Kurtis Opp is THE man. Very professional and the sweetest guy. Makes the uncomfortable experiences comfortable. As for the staff… They are rude, especially Rudy! Go figure. Name suits him properly. I wish Kurtis had a better staff. But this wouldn’t stop me from seeing Kurtis.

Kurtis is a great PA, and in my eyes he’s at the same level as a Dermatologist. He does great botox too. I plan to continue seeing him for the health of my Dermis!

About two years ago I developed a very bad rash. My SF health plan unfortunately dropped the ball in scheduling me a visit with one of their dermatologists. I was going to have to wait three weeks for an appointment… I was in agony every day, all day.
I was walking down the street one day and ran into an old friend. We shot the breeze and my skin condition came up. He suggested, no urged actually, that I see Kurtis Opp. My friend had a similar skin issue a few years ago and praised Kurtis.
I called and made an appointment with Rudy. They were able to squeeze me in two days later. The staff was efficient, polite, and no-​nonsense (just the way I like). I was examined, a biopsy was taken (YEEEOOWWCH!!), and I was given a strict, aggressive treatment regiment. After a follow-​up about a week later everything was mostly back to normal. After a month, 100% recovered. The biopsy results were exactly what Mr. Opp had pre-​diagnosed.
I strongly recommend a visit to Kurtis Opp. He’s pretty direct, succinct, and has a great staff that is accommodating. You’re not going to have your hand held and your head patted, but that’s not what I came for. I came for knowledgeable, genuine care and I got it.

I do not recommend this dermatology practice.
Rudy, who I believe is the medical assistant, is rude. Oddly, I saw reviews of this office stating how nice he was. However, I only saw him being rude to all the patients. Additionally, the receptionist is unfriendly as well.
After a skin biopsy, I was told I would be called with the results in two weeks. Two months later, I finally got the biopsy results.
Kurtis? He’s nice, but not worth the trouble to go through his staff.
There are many other dermatology practices that have better staff and accept my insurance.

I have commented on Kurtis Opp previously, but I wanted to yet again say he’s the best dermatology experience I’ve ever had. Thoughtful, friendly, skilled, nonjudgmental, sensitive and he takes the time to find out what’s going on with you. I’ve been going to him for many years now and he’s kept my skin entirely healthy and away from any further MOHS surgeries as I’ve had in the past when I was under the care of previous dermatologists.

Kurtis has worked on my skin care issues since 1996, as he has worked alongside several dermatologists. I have had some serious challenges — when I first met Kurtis in ’96, I had just been informed that my long term HIV infection had progressed to «full-​blown AIDS.» Among the many manifestations of that, I had numerous skin problems. Kurtis was well-​versed in these and was able to help me with solutions that were effective but did not have as bad side effects as they otherwise might have.
Being of Celtic and Mediterranean descent, I also inherited very oily skin, a tendency toward acne and rosacea, and difficulty with the ongoing growth of pores, cartilage, etc. Over the years, Kurtis has helped me manage these issues always taking into consideration the impact any treatment may have on my ongoing regimens, on my reconstituting immune system, and on long-​term effects. He has also found and removed small skin cancers before they became problematic.
To my surprise, I lived and got older. Metabolic syndrome and age helps to cause deeper creases and more hollow looks than I was comfortable with. Kurtis helped with that, too. On top of it all, I developed a case of benign tumors on my forehead, and Kurtis has been helping over the past few years to resolve those as best as can be done.
In all these years, Kurtis has been warm, professional, friendly, helpful, and diligent. He also takes care to educate me on what’s happening with my skin and the options available when I need info. I have never been displeased with Kurtis’s work.
Just a final comment on other reviews here: Good office staff are hard to find. Especially at 45 Castro. Elsewhere, staff seem to be far more customer service oriented.

I saw Kurtis for a minor dermatology visit. While waiting, I noticed how patients and his staff chatted like long time friends. Always a good sign when going to a new doctor’s office.
Once in, Kurtis saw me after a short wait and got right to work. He explained the instrument he was going to use and checked periodically if I was experiencing any discomfort during the procedure. Shortly later, we were done and he then went on to recommend some sun screens and various places (from Whole Foods to Rainbow Foods) where I could buy them.
All in all, a very pleasant visit and would definitely return.

Dear Kurtis,
I am leaving you. After 13 years together you have seen every inch of my naked body in its various forms — pregnant, chubby, fit and now aging.
It’s not you. It’s your office staff.
I called to get an appointment for my annual check-​up. For which I’m horribly overdue — not that you noticed. I was on hold for a full 6.5 minutes before being harriedly asked what I needed. When I expressed dismay with the fact that I had just been on hold for over six minutes, rather than simply saying so sorry, we are a bit backed-​up or short staffed or whatever, she indignantly said, «well I SAID thank you for holding!» and proceeded to tell me if I had a problem with it then I needed to tell the doctor because they are shortstaffed in the front office and blah blah blah dirty laundry blah blah blah. She then abruptly said I needed to talk to the office manager (she was clearly over the conversation, um, er attempt to schedule an appointment) and put me on hold for another 2 minutes, wherein Rudy picked up the phone and basically gave me the same schpeel.
So number 1, your office staff are implying you won’t hire anyone and therefore they give crappy service; and number 2, neither of them even PRETEND to have phone skills or give a crap that your patients are being treated like they’re calling an airline customer service line. When I expressed dismay to Rudy that I’ve been a long-​time patient of yours, he said, ya, well Kurtis has a lot of long-​time patients.
That’s when I left. Told your «office manager» that he’d just lost a patient. It felt like a full-​on confrontation and it felt really, really bad.
This is not your first complaint about these two. Reference an earlier similar review by «Kurt.»
So I wish you and your dreamy soap opera good looks best of luck. But I“m not coming back.

Went to see Kurtis Opp for a rash that appeared on my abdomen. He immediately knew it was a heat rash after observing and asking me just a few questions about what I might have been doing to cause it and make it worse.
Also I was extremely impressed too when he asked me about my skin history and recommended different sunscreen options for gingers like me and him since that wasn’t the reason why I came into his office anyways. It helps that I was looking for a new dermatologist in the area since I moved to SF in the past few months and I definitely found my new one.
He is very courteous and truly cares about dermatology. He was very open with me about his own skin issues which makes him very relatable. I would recommend him to anyone and everyone. His office is convenient in the medical offices at UCSF on Castro. Thank you Kurtis!