William W. Kwan, MD

I just had another appointment with Dr. Kwan and maintain my 5 star rating. Super knowledgeable, patient, great at explaining, covers a wide array of my dermatology needs, always on time and just plain effective. Thank you!

This is an update to a previous review I wrote years ago (I had given 5 stars).
I have tried to contact Dr. Kwan’s office over the course of 5 months to schedule an appointment. Phone (no pick up… ever…at any time of day), email (no response), submission form (no response), scheduling website («no availability» in perpetuity). As someone who goes to Dr. Kwan for non-​cosmetic reasons, this is incredibly frustrating. And, who knows, dangerous?
I had gone to Dr. Kwan for years, but I don’t recommend his practice to anyone for these reasons.

Dr. Kwan is a trusted dermatologist in San Francisco that all my friends and I go to. Janine, his aesthetician, can treat your skin bi-​weekly with facials and extractions. I recommend Dr. Kwan to anybody who may have skin issues or just wants to maintain their healthy skin.

Smart and candid team + In network for Cigna + Prime location + Nice décor + Gorgeous view of Union Square + Appointments via ZocDoc + Nice waiting area + Free Chocolate = Solid place to get my skin checked out
I saw Dr. Rupa Badlani today, and she laid the smackdown… She did not hold back, called me out constructively on my own negligence, and didn’t get overly medical in her choice of words. She took great care in her work, and dropped a barrage of knowledge bombs from start to finish. Highly recommended!

Uses fear mongering and his ‘expertise’ to scare you with his medical diagnosis, which were WRONG. Just another run of the mill steroid salesman. Scared me to severe depression with his mis diagnosis. He was WRONG, but when he diagnosed me, he was soooo sure «Trust me, I worked with the #1 expert of this» Yeah right! I don’t have what you diagnosed me with! Likes to show you scary pictures on google images to scare the bejesus out of you then diagnose with with a chronic ‘incurable’ condition that can only get worse! I am better thanks to my own treatments, not because of your expertise or steroids!

Dr Kwan is definitely a «go to» resource for comprehensive skin care.
I come from the era of playing soccer of playing soccer on every beach in the known universe, wearing a bathing suit and olive oil…
When I came to see Dr. Kwan he listened, observed, diagnosed and then recommended a treatment regimen. The results were impressive.
The supportive staff are well versed on the needs of each patient.
Definitely a place to be effectively cared for.

Dr. Kwan’s office is closed as apparently the entire office went to Las Vegas and did not let their patients know about it. This of course violates my cancellation policy and I will be billing them a cancellation fee.

After you get past the fancy white spaceship interior, iPad patient check-​in, and the sassy receptionist you realize you are in for decent but obscenely overpriced service. I had a tiny benign mole on my nose which they quoted $ 350-​$ 500 to get it removed. I went to another dermatologist across the street, he froze it with liquid Nitrogen in literally 5 seconds and charged me $ 50. Now, you decide if you wanna go the spaceship or a real doctor’s office.

Dr. Kwan’s office is really nice. Glossy, all-​white, floor-​to-​ceiling windows with Union Square views. FANCY! But they used to be much more modest, and he used to be a better provider, too.
My recent visit was not only rushed, but rude, insensitive, and condescending. I realize I’m not a rich lady paying for Botox or whatever (I was there for persistent adult acne and other issues, which he never gave me a chance to mention), but I’m still a patient in the office requiring care and attention to my concerns. In the 5 minutes (or less than?) that he was in the appointment, he got very defensive when I mentioned that a therapy he suggested has never worked for me in the past, asking me «what do you want to do, then?» in an aggressive way. Frankly, I was shocked and disappointed, because I’ve been a patient of his for EIGHT years, on and off while I’ve lived in the area, and never experienced such rudeness from him, or any doctor, ever (and I’ve seen many). Whenever I tried to ask a question or even describe the recent trajectory of my symptoms, he cut me off by saying «I know you’re frustrated,» without any indication that he actually registered what I was saying (or letting me finish speaking).
I came to see him again because I appreciated his confidence and straightforward manner in past visits, but the last time I saw him was a few years ago. Since then it seems that he’s become impatient and rude, while the office has gotten fancier, indicating (at least to me) a shift in the tone of his practice and desired patients (or clientele, rather). Also, I had some cortisone injections done to reduce inflammation in some lesions, but his nurse did them, not him, which I’ve never experienced before in any dermatologic visits, with him or anyone else (this didn’t influence my rating, but I thought I’d mention it).
I’ve never written a review on Unilocal before, but this was a really unpleasant experience and there are probably many other dermatologists worth checking out, especially if you’re dealing with non-​cosmetic dermatologic issues. I’m disappointed to write it, too, because I’ve been a loyal patient over the years. I have no doubt that Dr. Kwan knows the latest in dermatologic research, technology, etc. but bedside manner in a healthcare provider is nearly as important, in my book, and he had very little of it.
5 stars for the office staff, who were lovely on my recent visit and in all my past visits. Really, some of the best staff ever — sweet, kind, down-​to-​earth. This review is specific to my experience with Dr. Kwan.

This review is only for Jeanie. Jeanie is the best for medical hydrafresh facials in San Francisco. She is amazing and a wonderful and talented person. I just adore her. She takes her time and listens to your routine and skin and concerns. I am sad to have moved from SF as she was the best! I would recommend her to anyone!
I have never seen or been to William Kwan but he is lucky to have Jeanie on staff!
BTW, I read the other reviews and I am shocked at people who mentioned cost and insurance and low ratings. Are people that naïve and uneducated? This is a cosmetic dermatologist – not somewhere with people who don’t have cash to pay for services go. Wise up people it is common sense + it is San Francisco. I have never went to an excellent cosmetic derm that insurance covered. Furthermore, insurance is worthless for specialty cosmetic derm and high end services, many of those that are medical – any educated person knows this. BCBS is crap this is nothing to do with Dr or practice

This review is about Janine.
I just met her and she spent so much time researching the right Glytone product to use as an exfoliant. She knows how to wade through the product list quickly and intelligently. She was able to recommend some products for sensitive skin to moisturize that no one before her had ever recommended. Her depth of knowledge is beyond impressive.
Rarely do I meet a medical professional who has both bedside manner and knowledge.

My friend recommended Dr. Kwan, but I ended up making an appointment with the other dermatologist in his office, because I needed to see a dermatologist sooner for my skin irritations, and it takes months for a new patient to see Dr. Kwan.
The office looks clean and nice. But the consultation was a disappointment.
She didn’t take my concern seriously. She was nice, but for her my problem was so marginal, and she seemed to want to finish consultation with me as quickly as possible. She gave a lot of samples of lotions which is available at Walgreens or CVS, but I usually use better quality products. The consultation was only 5 – 10 minutes, after it took me more than 10 minutes to fill out the consulting forms, regarding my skin conditions, cosmetics etc, which we never talked about.
I give 3 stars with a hope of another chance for Dr. Kwan. I will make an appointment with Dr. Kwan next time.

I absolutely love Dr. Kwan and his wonderful staff. I have been a patient of his for about two years while I lived in the Bay area. I just moved back to my hometown of Los Angeles but will still go back to him at least once a year for some rejuvenation:). Seriously, he is that great!!! He is an excellent, honest dermatologist with a great bedside manner. I have seen him for cosmetic procedures only as I have Kaiser medical coverage. He has always answered my questions thoroughly. His nurse will even call you the next day to check up on you. In my experience that is very rare these days!!! He also carries a great line of skincare products that are not only very effective but are also very reasonably priced.
Thank you Dr. Kwan and your entire staff — nurse Jenna, aesthetician Janine, office manager Gibran and receptionist Catherine and everyone who has provided me with such excellent care.

Probably the only doctor I’ve visited that’s punctual. No waiting required. He’s patient and very thorough.
The nurses and receptionists are professional and nice… The whole office looks very bright and modern.
Probably the best dermatologist office I’ve ever visited!

Pretty bad experience here — was misdiagnosed the first time and would have been misdiagnosed the second time had I not pushed Dr. Kwan for proper treatment.
When I returned for my follow-​up appointment, they claimed they had called and left a message earlier in the day saying they had to cancel. I did not receive any voicemails.
I will be finding a new dermatologist.

I just finished my final session of laser hair removal with Nurse Jenna. I give her all available stars. She’s super professional and has a friendly, relaxed personality. The procedure itself is a little bit painful, and she’s careful to make sure her patient is tolerating it well every step of the way, making adjustments as needed.
I like everything else about Dr Kwan’s practice, too. He’s great. The brand new office is clean, bright and modern. The receptionist is a sweetheart.
Best of all, thanks to Jenna, I never have to shave my legs again. [If you’re waxing, stop it and go see Jenna. It’s so worth it.]

I’ve been to a couple dermatologists and one was frankly just the biggest waste of money as he wasn’t very helpful. The one that I went to a few years ago and ended multiple sessions with moved to Palo Alto and she is no longer in network. So I Unilocaled around and searched on my provider’s site and saw that William Kwan’s practice is in my network. Saw the raving reviews and called to ask if they were accepting new patients and if I could get an appointment. the next appointment with Dr. Kwan wasn’t until a month out. I was skeptical about going with his assistant, because with the medical practice I go to I always get jostled around and see some NP and not the Dr. which can be annoying… but I said to be scheduled with his assistant, Justin Cotter in the next few days.
Don’t always expect what’s on paper as something to always go by! Justin is one of the most knowledgeable and friendly people I’ve dealt with in the medical world. He has an excellent bedside manner and doesn’t pressure me into going through with a procedure or whatnot, he just lets me know my options and answers all my questions honestly. He runs on time and doesn’t treat you like another patient in cue. The practice is wonderful with giving out samples, has their own skincare products (among others for sale), is super mod and maintains all files electronically (and you can get email reminders too). On my first visit too I also met with Janine, the esthetician who spoke with me on how to use the samples I received. You can get your facials from her and see Justin or Dr. Kwan for all of your other skincare needs. As long as I have skincare issues that need to or I care to address, I will continue coming here and highly recommend them.

I always had pimple here and there since high school, however, it was never to the point it affected my self-​esteem. I would say I had pretty good skin.
Last year back in March/​April, I stated to break out like crazy! Even at areas I never had acne. I started going to expensive facial every 10 days to clean out my pores, however, it did not work and made my skin super sensitive/​red. It was in July, I finally decided to visit a dermatologist since nothing worked (from expensive facials to skincare). During that period of time, I was afraid to go out because my skin was so bad. If you had serious acne, you will know foundation/​makeup can cover up redness, but not the texture of the skin.
On my first visit, Dr Kwan assured me that he understands how frustrated it is to have acne and my skin can be improved by 50% within one month under tropical cream. He gave me some free samples that will last me until my next visit. Fast forward, I will say my skin did not improve until the fourth visit (which is 4 months after my first visit) where he changed up my tropical cream and I started taking antibiotics. When it is the right régime, your skin will clear up in one month. You will not experience any new breakouts (aside from hormonal pimples) and your old ones will start to clear up. I took antibiotics for three month and have been off the pill for 2 months now. So far, I am very happy with the result. My skin is smooth. The only problem I have now is with discoloration. According to Dr. Kwan, they will eventually fade away.
If your only concern is about acne, you will be in and out of the office within 10−15mins. But trust me, Dr. Kwan knows what he is doing.
I will definitely recommend him!!!

I’m going to chime in with all the 1-​stars here and unleash a bit. My esthetician sent me to Dr Kwan to look into non-​invasive cosmetic procedures a couple of years ago and thought it was great that he was a dermatologist offering them. I figured it would be great to see him when I had skin problems as well.
Well, here we are, one year since my last visit, when Kwan and I discussed the scars on the back of my neck — from hives or cysts or something I keep getting from time to time. The point is no doctor has been able to figure out what it is. He said «come in when they are forming next time». I figured that was a good sign. He would take time to look at the issue when it counts. After all, if I had to wait for an appointment, it would be too late.
So, I went in to the office as instructed today and I was treated like a peasant. Gibran, the Office Manager, was a shady, gatekeeping, condescending pric& who had the nerve to tell me «well we haven’t seen you in a year» and «Dr Kwan said he never talked to you about cysts» and «Dr Kwan won’t be able to see you today but I could schedule an appointment for you». He wouldn’t even give up the wifi password so I could check my email while I waited for this ingenious insult. How many of us can guess that it makes more sense for them to allow me to continue to scar so they can make more money off of me for laser treatments, instead of trying to help me identify an actual skin condition? Prioritizing profit and cosmetic procedures INDEED.
The man is my DERMOTOLOGIST and THE NAPE OF MY NECK HAS A RISING BOIL ON IT but Dr Kwan and his staff couldn’t be bothered today.
They’re like an Enron writ small — don’t invest your money in them.

There has never been a better dermatologist! In fact their entire staff are just awesome!!! I have been coming here since 2007 and I can honestly say I HIGHLY recommend this dr to anyone needing quality care. Worth every penny. Thanks Dr. Kwan!