Berman Skin Institute

I can’t recall the doctor’s name, but she was a very nice woman, as was the rest of the staff, which is why they didn’t get 1 star. I went here for tattoo removal and they sold me on a buy four get one treatment free. $ 900 later my tattoo look no different then when we started and then they referred me to Blackhawk Plastic Surgery saying that they had a better laser. It was nice of them to follow up with the referral, but I still feel like I was robbed.

I have been a patient at the Berman Institute for a year. My problems were not cosmetic but medical. I am a nurse and I know good care. This place is fabulous. The environment is healing. The entire staff was wonderful– kind and encouraging. Dr. Kaur — well she is the best!

Staff was very friendly and helpful. The W ait was very short. Saw dr Eric Smith and he was excellent. He took his time and actually touched the question areas with no problems (my foot). I highly recommend him!

Great place friendly staff great service I would recommend this place to anyone great facials!!:)

I found the Berman Skin Institute through Blue Shield of CA. I needed a second opinion and some chemical allergy testing for a skin rash. My complaint with the first dermatologist (not at Berman) was a lack of thoroughness. He threw a couple prescriptions at me and sent me on my way. I saw Dr. Smith at Berman and was SO impressed with the time he took to hear the history of the rash, what I have done since it started, all the tests and treatments I had tried and then talked through all of the possibilities with me. He spent close to 30 minutes with me and was so patient with all my questions. He also talked through both prescription treatments and natural remedies, which I appreciate. I have had three appointments over the past week for the chemical allergy testing and each one has been a wonderful experience.
5 stars also for the front office staff and medical assistants. Everyone I have met is so friendly and welcoming. (Also the office space is beautiful!!!)
Also, contrary to some of the negative reviews, I think the prices they charge for services is very reasonable compared to other dermatology centers (and I did a LOT of research during the course of the rash). I absolutely plan to return for any future dermatology needs.

After spending over 10,000 dollars on a hair transplant procedure I would think that getting answers post op would not be like pulling teeth. I called on several occasions and did not receive a call back until over a month later. What is even more disappointing is I am extremely unsatisfied with Dr. Berman’s professionalism, bedside manner and lack of preparation when I recently followed up with him regarding my Hair Transplant procedure.
Here is a summary of what happened up until my appointment last Tuesday April 12, 2016.
–I was consulted by one physician (Dr. Canales) and one thing was agreed up on and understood– where my hairline would be placed.
–On the day of my procedure, within minutes, Dr. Berman moved my hairline-​which WE NEVER AGREED ON.
–I had the procedure yet my follow-​up was dismissive– No call backs for over a month
I finally made an appointment (5 months later) with Dr. Berman and this was the most disappointing experience of this entire process.
–His first comment to me was «oh.your hair is growing.» From that comment I started to ask questions. He could not answer any of my questions, besides telling me to «give it a year.»
–He was incredibly defensive and left the exam room twice.
–He had no idea the number grafts I had.
–He seemed completely unprepared.
–He then decided to grab a computer to compare my hairline now to hairline in the initial consultation. After he looked at my hairline and back at the computer, he stated the computer «froze» on him and closed it shut.
–As I tried to ask another question, under his breath he commented, «IT’S LIKE DEALING WITH A WOMAN.
— I was both surprised and angry by the comment I asked, «what did you say?» He then realized the conversation wasn’t getting anywhere (going further downhill) he decided to leave and come back and «restart.» When he walked back in he asked, «How can I help you?»
When I stated that he answer my questions, he was flustered and dismissed me and said he didn’t see a need for future meetings. That is when I left. I never expected to go in for a scheduled appointment to walk out leaving disrespected and even more disappointed.

Very disappointed in these folks. Went in for March 23 appointment for a biopsy, and they said they were give me a recommendation for surgery at UCSF it is now been weeks no response no referral no nothing. Extremely poor follow up… I would not recommend these folks

I’m just really unhappy with the money I flushed away here. My Dr. was super nice and quick to return calls, but the results are just not what I’d hoped for and I felt I should write a review to give people who are considering these procedures, a heads up.
I tried ‘preventative botox’ here. It’s more expensive than it is other places, but I figure you get what you pay for. I felt and saw no difference. I kept waiting and waiting, and there was barely anything. When I went in for a follow-​up after two weeks, the Dr. told me she goes for a very natural look and this way she’d know moving forward how much to do for me. Great, except that wasn’t specified to me during my consultation. I was lead to believe that if anything, the results would last longer here than elsewhere. Not that I was spending hundreds on something that might or might not work.
So, because I expressed my disappointment, they offered me a ‘courtesy discount.’ I’ve read on other sites of Dr’s offering FREE touch ups, but ok, I’ll take what I can get. It’s been a month or so now and I’m still not happy with the results. I still have creases. I’ve seen before and afters of people with pretty intense lines getting smoothed, and mine are barely visible to begin with so its just frustrating that I threw away my money. Again I get that she’s going for natural, but for HUNDREDS of dollars, I want an actual visible difference, and enough to prevent the formation of future wrinkles.
Also, I had a small capillary on my face that my Dr. assured me she could take care of. She said there might be slight bruising for a few days. Ok, great, I went for it. Unfortunately, what I ended up with were three puncture marks where the capillary was (where she injected whatever needle she used to blast it) — so I can’t even cover it with makeup cause that makes the holes even more visible. It’s also red. I asked if this was normal and she said ‘oh yeah, give it a few months.’ … Ok… I hope she’s right and they eventually go away. I’ll update in a few months.
Again, my Dr. was really nice. But I honestly feel like I flushed away my money. I wish I didn’t have to write a bad review, but everytime I look at my results I feel awful about the money I wasted. Id hate for anyone else to feel this way.

Well I went in for a coolsculpting consultation today. I was greeted immediately and taken an exam room. I was then told that the person doing the consultation was still with another patient. They offered me coffee or tea which is nice. Anyway i sat there, and i sat there, and continued to sit there. I was in the exam room for an entire hour. The receptionist comes back and says it’ll be a little longer… Well at this point I’m no longer interested in receiving services from them and i left. I will not go back. Time is valuable and that was a waste.

When I was 22 a lady named Diana convinces me to get the deal they had on their fraxel laser for 4 treatments and to get care credit to be able to pay for it. After 1 session and 6 months of recovery I didn’t like my skin. She told me I needed to do the rest of my treatments. On the 2^nd treatment she turned up the power and even with the numbing cream it hurt like hell. I’m 26 now and my skin is incredibly sensitive and leathery with congested pores. Anything i put on my face stings. It feels like I have a scab layer of skin on my face, but there is nothing I can do about it because I have no money and can’t find a high enough paying job. Worst decision I have ever made

I saw Dr. Kaur about a month ago for a consultation for several different procedures. I had never been to a dermatologist, and I was really nervous about what to expect.
Dr. Kaur was awesome! Very friendly, very knowledgeable, and she made me feel very comfortable. For one procedure, she wanted to get a second opinion from a colleague that had a little more experience with that particular procedure, and I found that very admirable. It made me feel like she really cares about how the procedures turn out, and not just about the money.
The front staff is also very friendly, as was her assistant. The office was very clean, and looked well organized.
I went back 2 weeks later to get one of the procedures done and. …I am SO happy with the results! Dr. Kaur did an incredible job, and I’m so thankful to her for taking such good care of me.
I will definitely go back to her to get the rest of my procedures done, and I will update this post with each one.

I had a very happy visit the other day on Wednesday November 18^th, 2015.
My face has gotten way better ever since I visited this place. The whole staff is very helpful and caring. They are also very considerate and understanding for you to accomadate your needs. They all have a such a beautiful and healthy smile/​look. I would consider this place to any man or woman who is looking for a new treatment or régime for their face and to get help with their face/​acne struggles or cysts that appear on your guys faces. I would highly highly recommend this place to anyone in a very short period or time if I met one of you guys quickly lol!!! The staff and doctors are both very compass

Eric is a very pleasant and knowledgable Doctor. His team was very friendly. Overall great experience.

I am always wary of in-​network physicians, but Dr Smith at the Berman Skin Institute just proved me wonderfully wrong. It was a breeze to make an appointment at the Berman Skin Institute — I did it online through ZocDoc and got an appointment right away.
My appointment was at 5:40PM, but due to some navigational woes I got to the office at around 5:45PM. The reception noted that the office closed at 6PM, so I was a little worried Dr Smith would rush me through me prognosis, but clearly I should not have been.
Dr Smith is a professional. He is kind, listens intently and has great bedside manner. Never once did I feel rushed during the visit, he was very thorough and looked over my skin, touching my scars and asking a lot of clarifying questions. I felt he truly cared about my well being as a patient, and wasn’t just anxious to rush me out.
Since my main questions were about eczema, Dr Smith offered a lot of behavorial changes such as telling me to moisturize using certain brands of cream twice a day, try «pool baths» and so on. All of his solutions were things I could try at home on my own, not once did he force any procedures on me. Instead he gave me a large bag of tester moisturizer and creams all for free. When I left the office, it was almost 6:30PM. Dr Smith went the extra mile — although he had to stay past closing, he refused to compromise his standard of care.
All in all, I am just in awe that I’ve found a great skin doctor who I can trust with my skin!

I first visited Dr Kaur at the Berman skin institute, at the end of August, for both myself and my 9 year old daughter for different issues.
The young lady who greeted me was amazingly friendly and polite and helpful and made me feel welcome, and like I had made a good choice for a Dr’s office.
Next, Tiarra (sp?) greeted us and took us back to the treatment room, and she was wonderful as she interacted with me and my daughter, setting us both at ease in a new place.
Dr Kaur was especially friendly, kind, and put my daughter at ease right away.. . He professional manner was accompanied by a very friendly and approachable bedside manner, and made it very easy to share the concerns that brought me to the office openly.
I had a follow up session with Anna, the esthetician, who was wonderful.…kind, informative, professional.
I have not had a better experience with a medical provider than I have had with Dr Kaur and her team at Berman Skin institute!
Thank you all for such a great experience!

Dr Smith and his staff, were very easy to set 1^st appointment to deal with painful issue.
I look forward to returning, I am confident they understood what was wrong and how to remedy.

I asked my girlfriend if she had any experience with this institute and she said she felt the office visit was rushed and they didn’t explain her what treatments they can do for her and kept trying to sell her products.
I got an email add from them about cool sculpting so I scheduled an appointment. I was seen by Dr. Eric. He asked me what I wanted to know. I had questions about cool sculpting which he later told me they don’t have the machine for thighs! So why are you advertising treatments when you can perform them???
So I asked him if he was a dermatologist and he said yes. I showed him few spots on my stomach that have been there for years. He told me it’s possibly a keratosis pilaris. He said its genetics and most likely won’t go away. He recommended a cream. He wrote down the name on a piece of paper but I couldn’t read it. I asked him how to spell it so I can look for the product but he was rushing me. He asked if I needed something else. I asked him about acne. I told him I was there a year ago and they gave me creams such as differin. I’m 35 year old female and finally had my hormones checked after numerous dermatologist who only give creams the results were I have high testosterone and DHT which is the cause of my acne! No creams ever worked!!!
I told the doctor I’m on spironolactone 25mg and he said that’s very good medication and to stick with it. I asked him what other treatments they offer to make my skin look better. He was rushing through this appointment and wasn’t interested in letting me know what options I have to treat my acne scars after my medication starts working.
This is a second time I had similar experience with this place. I felt rushed! I learned more from brochure than the doctors. They take your insurance and bill them for a regular doctor visit even though they don’t help you with anything. They should know acne at 35 years of age is hormonal and creams will not work!
It’s sad the doctors care about making money off of you rather then treating you. Why did you go into medicine if you don’t care about your patient?
I would be happy if they would include in their advertising emails they DO NOT have the machine for sculpting thighs yet. Or instruct your receptions to tell people. What a waste of my and your time! Tell your employees to take their time and stop rushing through. Listen! Educate! Let us know what options we have. What can you do for us.
I will not go back. I thought maybe the first time I had a bad doctor but after my girlfriend’s experience and now my 2^nd time it’s obvious they don’t care much for new patients. I definitely need few treatments on my skin after 2 years of battling acne. But leaving their office I’m unclear on what those would be. Shame!

I am currently a patient of the Berman Skin Institute in SF (for almost 2 years now). I’ve had nothing but professional, courteous and caring service from all their staff in SF. I had many biopsies and burnings off of problematic pre-​cancerous squamous/​basal cell carcinomas, and in early march one of them came back «problematic». It was suggested by the staff in SF (and Dr. Berman) that I undergo brachytherapy radiation therapy, given that surgery in this area was too «delicate». The staff arranged for me to have transportation to and from Pleasanton, Ca to their other facility, since I don’t drive anymore. (Thumbs up for that great service). I didn’t have to worry about a thing. Not only was the car service fantastic, but always prompt and courteous and very flexible.
Having to deal with 2 separate groups of staff at 2 different offices gives one a greater perspective of how truly great and wonderful the Berman Skin Institute truly is. They are all so pleasant and always enthusiastic to see me. Since my limo driver is on a rigid schedule, the Pleasanton staff always tries to see me earlier than my respective appointment time, so as to allow more flexibility for my limo driver. I’m in and out of there in a flash. I also had insurance billing issues, of which they were so kind/​courteous to take care of with ease. i can’t say enough kind words about all the staff of both places, but especially the Pleasanton staff.(Michelle, Chris, Shelby, Brian, and Joanne). Thanks so much for a great experience!

I’m really unhappy about the customer service at The Berman Skin Institute. I saw one of the doctors there in July of 2014, less then a year ago. One of the prescriptions was written wrong and I called to get it changed. The nurse told me that she was going to talk to the doctor and call me back. She never did and I had to call back over two weeks later only to have them again get a hold of the doctor and get back to me.
Also this weekend I called to get my fixed prescription refilled while I was out of town because I was in a reasonable amount of pain and was told they it couldn’t be refilled because it had been so long since I had been into the office. It was only 7 months.
They are also ridiculously over priced. I will not be a going there ever again. So disappointed.

I’ve just started coming here and I love it. Dr. Smith is amazing with fillers and Botox. Zero bruising every time. I get facials and peels done by Mimi and she is amazing as well. The office staff is super friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this place.