Richard G Glogau, MD

I’ve been a patient of Dr. G for about 30 years. He is always professional, competent and affable. There’s no one else I’d trust for derm issues and would highly recommend him to others without reservation.

Dr. Glogau is one of the most respected and gifted dermatologists in the US and abroad. I know this because I have been in the medical industry for years. He is a medical dermatologist/​surgeon (for example, acne, skin cancer, psoriasis, warts etc.) plus an excellent cosmetic dermatologist who administers Botox, fillers, laser treatments, sclerotherapy etc. Furthermore, Dr. Glogau does all of the procedures himself. He is a listener, very kind and you never feel a needle in his hands. If you want the best, look no further.
Maureen B.

very rude person over the phone. I didnt even wanted to go further this very bad first contact

I’ve been going to Dr. Glogau since 1990 and have received top notch medical care… his attentive staff and comforting nature make a trip to the dermatologist a pleasure… his reputation and knowledge are unsurpassed from the myriad of mediocre Doctors in the cosmetic field…

I was with Dr Glogau for 25 years before I was forced to go to another health insurance. He continually helped me with my skin, face appearance, other health issues all these years and was excellent, professional and congenial. His knowledge combined with great care could not be better.

He si a great Doctor. And also its nice to have a conversation with him. I enjoy seeing him.

Dr Glogau seemed like the most qualified, Dermatologist in the city, Harvard Medical School and all. I have a red mark on the tip of my nose, wanted to rule out cancer as it runs in my family. I also have a red mark on my lip and wanted to see if something could be done to fade the redness. I sat in the little room you go to after the waiting room for an inordinate amount of time, there was a beautiful view of Kezar stadium out the window. But I was definitely ready when Dr Glogau and an attractive Indian Resident burst in the door. The Doctor pushed a piece of glass on the spot on my nose, ruled out skin cancer and told me he could make the redness fade with a laser. He was less sure about the spot on my lip, as the skin was thinner, but he’d try. Next and very quickly I was in another room, lying in a chair, a pair of special glasses were put over my eyes. The Doctor pulled out some kind of ray gun and pointed it at my nose. He flinched when it went off, like a firework went off in his hand. He looked closely at my nose with his magnifying glasses and nodded, then handed them to the lady. She looked closely at my nose and nodded. He fired one more shot into my nose and one into my lip and the nodding process was repeated. He held a mirror in front of my face and all I noticed at the time was my lip was a lot redder. He said it would fade in about 3 weeks. When I finally got home I looked in the mirror again, I had a wound on my nose, that looked like a small hole. I also realized that the objectionable mark was on the other side of my nose. To this day I have no idea what the doctor was aiming at or what I paid for.

Really weird to be writing a review of a physician. But there are enough lingering negative reviews on this page that I think the record needs to be set straight.
I have severe, debilitating migraine that does not respond to ANYTHING. I have had migraine for YEARS. I have been in clinical trails. Nothing has worked to help prevent them, except BOTOX.
Dr. Glogau is my 3^rd «Botox Doc». The first one retired, the second was a plastic surgeon that caused me eye droop and did not really know how to use the Botox for migraine.
I have found Dr. Glogau to be professional and knowledgable. He is by far the best at using Botox for treating my headaches. He asked me about details of the treatment, and asked me to keep track of how things are working, so he can treat me better. He is friendly and straightforward. Very professional. He has very gentle hands.
I also have rosacea. We have not yet had success in treating it. But I am willing to go through the trials of things to try, since that is what one does for chronic conditions. I appreciate that Dr. Glogau is trying non-​invasive treatments first.
Drs are not miracle workers, and they can only do as much as the patient is willing to comply. If a medication is prescribed and you don’t take it, then of course it wont work. But it might not work anyway. Medicine is as much art as science, and some conditions are challenging to treat.
Bottom line– This doc is a highly competent, well-​trained professional and I have felt very well cared for my him and his fantastic staff.

I am really kind of confused by the negative reviews II have read about Dr. Glogau. I went to his office today for a cyst that needed to be excised. Now, I haven’t seen the results of the surgery yet, but:
a) I Did not have to wait for more than 5 minutes in the waiting room;
b) Dr. Glogau spent quite a bit of time with me and was very friendly (as to other people’s comments, I agree that all I need him to be is a good doctor, not a friend)
c) He was spoken very highly of by a family friend who is a well known dermatologist with over 50 years of experience
Overall, I am very satisfied.

I’ve gone to Richard for years. Great guy. He’s thoughtful, measured, doesn’t over-​prescribe, and his staff is terrific.

I was having trouble with a rash that wouldn’t go away and had tried many things from other doctors. My primary doctor referred me to Dr. Glogau, telling me that if I had to wait for an appointment, it would be worth it. It was. Since then Dr. Glogau has attended to all my skin problems and every thoughtful evaluation has worked every time.
I was visiting in New York a few years ago and saw a dermatologist for a problem I was having. He asked if I had a doctor in San Francisco and I told him Dr. Glogau. He said, «THE Dr. Glogau?» I have heard that Dr. Glogau is one of the most respected dermatologists in the United States.
I would overwhelmingly recommend him.

Nice bedside manner, has a very good CV, and I’m sure he’s a quite good dermatologist. However, he tried to sell me a laser treatment for the broken capillaries on my face (I have rosacea) that was not the most effective type of laser for their removal (which is the V Beam laser) because he doesn’t have a V Beam laser. This was confirmed to me by one of his staff who even stated that Dr. Glogau recommends treatments based on the equipment he has in his office even if it isn’t the best treatment for the patient’s problem. I’m sure a lot of doctor’s do this — after all, they have to pay for their equipment but this is putting their needs before yours and as a patient I don’t appreciate this lack of integrity.
Bottom line, if he has the right equipment for your problem then I’m sure he’d do a very good job — but if he doesn’t then you are wasting your money.

Dr. Glogau is the most wonderful dermatologist on the planet. My grandmother, mother and I have been seeing him for years and he has done a remarkable job taking care of us. He provides highly professional and personalized care and brings San Francisco a level of expertise that is unsurpassed in his field.
His staff is also phenomenal– excellent phone etiquette and they always seem to be in a great mood in the office.

DO NOT GO. THIS DOCTOR CHARGES A $ 200 «INJECTION FEE» FOR BOTOX AND DERMAL FILLER TREATMENTS.
Dr Glogau’s assistant Carol rudely informed me of the fee after the work was done. She made no eye contact and said «by the way, there is an injection fee» as she left the room and closed the door behind her.
Who heard of such a thing? I have seen a good number of dermatologists and plastic surgeons for botox and dermal filler treatments in the last 11 years, and not one of them has charged me an ‘injection fee’.
The doctor has an attitude but he is very good at what he does and at least pretends to care. The entire staff is very professional and courteous, but Carol has been consistently rude.
I just cannot get over the ‘injection fee’. Would you?

Dr. Glogau is by far the best Dermatologist on the planet; his staff is very friendly and helpful.
I respect his opinion greatly and he does not try to sell you unecessary services; he is realistic in what to expect from his work —
great eye for detail not motivated by money for as good as he is i find it to be quite an admirable trait — the best —
very nice guy, very professional, just an overall awesome place — trust him with my face — and trust his opinion greatly — he can generally correct anything :-)
this guy rocks.
Fitnete Kraja

Back when I was 12, I noticed a mole on my back changing colors, appointment with Dr. Glogau immediately followed.
He was not only kind and explained everything, but made me feel comfortable about the surgery I was about to undergo. Well, I ended up with a small scar, but it was well worth it.
I have since gone back to Dr. Glogau for my rosacea (itty bitty bumps on my arms… you know what I’m talking about), and while there is no cure yet, he has been patient with me in trying creams and such that soothe it.
Dr. Glogau is the best of the best, I mean look at all the articles about this guy! He doesn’t have the best bedside manner all the time, but what matters is he knows his stuff. He will look at you, diagnose you, and give you samples so you can try them out before committing to buying them. If you want a Dr. that has the hype because he really is THAT good, go to Dr. Glogau.

I love Dr. Glogau!
He has saved my skin from horrible allergic reactions (my own fault, as I do a lot of ‘product dabbling’) & gotten my rosacea under control.
He’s always been very nice to me and his office finds a way to fit me in right away if it’s an emergency. The guy knows what he’s doing and that’s my #1 criteria in a healthcare provider.
*Note on another famed Derm in the area:
Dr. Welsh gave me a cream that I had a nasty reaction to, chastised me for continuing to use it when I first felt the burn (even though she originally told me to let my skin get used to it), then refused to give me a refund for the product she talked me into buying!
Glogau gives me samples of products first so I can try them to see if they work for me. He’s so not a product-​pusher & I really appreciate it!

I rolled into town on January 2, 2000 with the what appears to be the last wave of dot comers coming to San Francisco to earn fame and fortune.
On January 3, 2000 I sought out and found my local dermatologist. I have the world’s most crazy sensitive skin so I need to have a dermatologist on speed dial. Literally out of the phone book I found Dr. Gloagau and made an appointment stat.
On or about January 4, 2000 the whole damn dot come economy blew up and I was left with an overpriced apartment, an over inflated car payment, an overly pompous boyfriend and the daunting task of laying off my over paid sales team. However, it never dawned on me to drop my OK maybe probably overly confident and capable dermatologist.
The first time I walked into Dr. Glogau’s unassuming office, I was overwhelmed by the framed magazines and articles in the lobby. I had literally NO idea that this man was one of the most renowned dermatologists in the country. His office lacks all the usual flash and sass of a high priced doctor and it NO way resembles a med spa although you can get all the usual peels and microderm and lasers here if you chose.
I am not sure what all the fuss is about here on Unilocal about Dr. G. i call Dr. Gloagau «My Dermatologist to the Stars». He has been featured in just about every magazine you can think of, is a constant expert witness, is published in umpteenth medical journals, teaches at one of the best medical schools in the country, is a sought out guest on talk shows and the news and he’s universally cited as the king of botox. So maybe he is busy and has a we bit of an attitude? Get over it! You would too if you were this guy. He doesn’t have an hour to hang out with you and make small talk — if he did he wouldn’t be as good of a doctor as he is. If he spent an hour with you, his rates would go up, trust me.
I find him to be engaging, professional, efficient and amazingly accurate. At least twice a year I’m in his office with some sort of new hive/​rash/​irritation outbreak as I’m apparently allergic to the sun all kinds of other common things and my skin overreacts all the time. He has evolved my treatments and prescriptions over time and has always been right on the money. I’ve also seen him for a few cosmetic procedures and while he’ costs more than most other derms in town, the extra 20 percent or so that you will pay will be worth it. He’s honestly one of the best dermatologist in the country so lets give him a little leeway to act like it!
Dr. G’s staff is awesome. His nurses are friendly and absolutely hilarious. Yes, there have been times I ‘ve called and been told the earliest appointment is 6 months away. However, I’ve never waited 6 months. If you have this happen to you — ask to be put on his cancellation list. Inevitably, you will get a call within 30 days that a spot has been freed up. Also, it maybe a coincidence and it may not be, but every year that i am his patient it seems to be easier and easier for me to get an appointment…

I went to see Dr. Glogau based on his reputation as a highly sought-​after dermatologists (he’s been featured in many major magazines and periodicals). Since he wasn’t in my HMO plan, I paid the out-​of-​pocket consultation fee of $ 150. It’s a pity it was a total waste.
At most, Dr. Glogau spent about 15 minutes talking to me after having had me wait for him in the examining room for about 45 minutes. Basically, he said he couldn’t treat me but thought I should walk out of there anyway with a prescription for something he thought was a good alternative (I never picked it up at the pharmacy because of the side effects I later read about).
His bedside manner is genial but borders on condescending, almost patronizing. I kept looking out the window of his beautifully-​located office on the UCSF/​Parnassus campus (the only ‘pro’ out of many ‘cons’ here) and kept thinking ‘I left work early for this???’ When I left the building, I then thought ‘I paid $ 150 for what exactly???‘
Not recommended. Offers nothing unique or extraordinary from what most dermatologists can anyway.

Dr. Glogau is great for a few reasons:
–quick and accurate diagnoses
–he’s conservative-​he will not recommend the most radical or invasive forms of treatment unless he thinks there’s a compelling reason
–if you get his attention for long enough he is a kind and thoughtful doctor
–his prices are very reasonable. I shopped around quite a bit before settling on Dr. Glogau for anti-​rosacea laser treatments
I understand why some patients have problems with him. I had an office visit thinking I was going to see Dr. Glogau but got pawned off on a resident who was on her last week in the office-​she had serious short-​timers syndrome. She did a perfunctory and incomplete «mole check» and then gave me really stupid advice for another problem I was having, without listening well. I called Dr. Glogau a couple of weeks later and he straightened it all out, but I suffered prolonged discomfort that wasn’t necessary.
It is hard to get Dr. G. to stay still long enough to review everything you want to-​so be forceful. It’s well worth it.