Thomas E Hoffman, MD

Thomas Hoffman is an outstanding dermatologist. I’d had a big epidermal cyst on my neck that I’d finally decided to do something about, so my PCP, Dennis Hughes, referred me to Dr.Hoffman. Before Dr. Hoffman removed my epidermal cyst, he’d took his time to clearly explain to me that if I wanted to have it removed for medical reasons, then it was worth doing so, but if I wanted to have it removed for cosmetic reasons, then doing so wasn’t worth it. Dr. Hoffman’s M.A., Mike Myrick, is simply outstanding. When I came into the examining room to have my stitches removed from the spot where my epidermal cyst had been removed, Mike told me that the results from the pathology lab had come in just before he was about to remove my stitches, and that it did indeed turn out to be an epidermal cyst. Mike was very gentle when he’d removed my stitches, and clearly explained how to care for the spot where it had been removed. I highly recommend Dr. Hoffman to everybody in SMC looking for a dermatologist.

I’m in my 50s, have been to Dr Hoffman twice so far and greatly appreciate the depth of expertise and experience he brings to visual examination of my various skin conditions, and the quick and efficient removal of growths. His staff and office are caring and efficient, and he is a great resource for my health care.

I have been seeing him for several years now, and thought I was getting good treatment. Had skin cancer show up on my temple last year and he removed it with «good margins». It came back and we did it all over again. When it came back a third time I went to see another doctor. I was asked why MOHs surgery wasn’t performed, to which I replied that I had never heard of it. Long story short, is if I had been referred to a MOHs surgeon the first time, it likely would not have spread and I wouldn’t have a 1.5 inch hole on the side of my head now. It’s very painful, and now I will have a large scar on my face.
Whether his techniques are antiquated, or he wanted to keep me in his office to collect my money I don’t know. What I do know is that I don’t appreciate that he didn’t utilize the latest medical advances, which would have been in my best interest. I highly recommend everyone steer clear of him.

I have gone to the Doc for over 15 years. Yeah, I know his personality is not the warmest around. But, when I go see a doctor I want a doctor, not a BFF. He is no-​nonsense, no cute banter, no getting-​to-​know-​you. I agree with another Unilocaler who said Hoffman can spot things before you even say anything. Look at the diplomas/​certifications on the walls. He knows skin and thats what I want.

He’s excellent at what he does. For the past 10 years, he has treated me, my husband and both my daughters. He is consistent… both in expertise and in personality. I always know what to expect. He looks, he sees, he knows, he treats. I listen, I question, i heed, I pay. It works and I always get better.
I don’t see him because I need friends or fuzzys. I go because he is a master at what he does and saves lives in his own way. His ability to solve my problem and cure me is bedside manner enough for me.

There’s personality, and expertise.
They’re different.
I’ve been seeing Dr. Hoffman since 1977. He’s treated acne, spotted a melanoma from across the room (that I didn’t know was there), diagnosed an allergy to a *specific* form of primrose, looked at a rash that no one was able to clear and said, «Stop taking sulfa. You’re allergic to it», and after examining itty bitty bites said, «Did you recently get rid of rats? These appear to be rodent mite bites; they live in the empty nests of recently removed rodents.»
Creepy. And right. We had just moved to new digs and hired a pest control company to eradicate roof rats.
When in his office whining about adult onset acne, he said, «It’s annoying but it’s not the end of the world. On the other hand, the melanoma on your right arm might be.» Huh?
Harsh.
That’s the expertise part. Now — personality.
Not so much.
He’s as formal and aloof with me today as the first time I saw him. There’s acknowledgement in his eyes, he knows my name. He smiles. Sometimes. He’s a man of few words and if I’d let him, I’m sure there’d be fewer.
I have no doubt that he’s passionate about the well-​being of his patients but his formality and slightly uneasy manner belie it. With his diagnostic skills (done at lightening speed) it could appear he’s ‘mailing it in’ when in fact he’s absolutely dialed into the matter at hand and committed to getting it handled as simply and effectively as possible.
If you’re looking for excellence, he’s your guy. Don’t mistake his manner for lack of empathy or expertise.
If warm and fuzzy, or Zen and alternative, tops your list, you’ll be disappointed.
Dr. Hoffman will supply the excellence; you bring prayer beads or a teddy bear. Your choice.

He did not diagnose my wife’s skin cancer. Please, really avoid.
My wife went in for a little something we were concerned about on her face. He said he would empty it out but did not order any lab tests for the skin sample he took out. He also did not use stitches which made a scar.
A year later, we noticed that the same spot on her face kept growing. Still concerned, my wife went to see another specialist to have it removed. This time, the skin sample was analyzed and we discovered it was cancerous (Basal cell carcinoma, c.f.
, thankfully not the worse type). Hopefully, things should be ok now but certainly not thanks to Dr. Hoffman.
I spoke to a surgeon friend of mine who told me that removed skin samples should always be analyzed, just in case. I don’t care that my wife is young and that the odds are low, it should have been done.

I have never felt more belittled or like an older doctor was «phoning it in» than I did when I last went to see Dr. Hoffman. I’m a twentysomething female with acne that becomes very problematic at a very specific time in my menstrual cycle. I’d gone in to see a) if there was anything I could do about acne that’s tied to my period, and b) if there was anything I could be doing differently in terms of diet or lifestyle. My reasoning is that acne comes and goes from within my body, so maybe I could put something different into my body to help the problem. Smearing acid on my face will take care of the issue, sure, but if acne comes from within, there may be other more permanent and gentler solutions.
My first mistake was to tell Dr. Hoffman that I had «hormonal acne,» by which I hoped to mean «acne that comes and goes according to my cycle,» but which he took to mean that I was a moron.
«All acne is hormonal,» he snapped, and then the appointment was pretty much over. He started to prescribe the same acne cream/​pill regimen that I’m sure he’d done a dozen times that day. Hoping to still be heard as a paying customer, I pressed on with my second question. «Is there anything else I could be doing to combat the acne? Any kind of diet or exercise changes?» And then I made my fatal error, and added, «Anything maybe homeopathic?»
This one really got to Dr. Hoffman. «Homeopathic? Well, sure, I mean, you could rub green tea on your face but there’s no guarantees any of that will work.»
How absolutely condescending. Rub green tea on my face? Is he kidding? Yeah, I should’ve thought of that when I was meditating and burning incense and tripping on peyote and whatever other stereotype he might conjure up. He went ahead with the same pill and cream regimen, and I ran. I will never be back to Dr. Hoffman because, in my experience, he has stopped listening to patients, hearing their concerns, tailoring his responses to what’s actually being asked, or interacting with them in a compassionate and understanding way.

I’ve seen Dr Hoffman several times for a variety of minor skin problems. He’s smart and insightful. He works fast and the other reviewers seem disappointed with this. But it is my experience that he will take whatever time you want to explain his diagnosis, the alternative therapies, the likely course of the treatment — and why he came to his diagnosis so quickly.
Also, his fees are reasonable and he is generous with samples. Most large practice groups (e.g. Stanford) have a no-​sample policy. Dr Hoffman has saved me thousands of dollars in drug costs while I found the best therapy for the small area of involved skin.

A Wonderful Doctor! My family has seen Dr. Hoffman for many years.
He treated one of my sons for two severe in-​grown toenails. A previous doctor recommended that the nails be removed. Dr. Hoffman cured the problem and there has been no issues with the toenails since.
My other son had warts on his foot. Over the counter medicine did nothing. Dr. Hoffman’s treatment got rid of all the warts.
My wife has seen Dr. Hoffman for many different skin problems — each of which was addressed professionally and quickly.
And Dr. Hoffman quickly solved my skin problem on my eye-​lid.
Dr. Hoffman is thorough, patient and kind. He is a great listener and clearly knows his subject because at the end of every visit, the problem goes away.
Highest recommendation!

Please do not go to Dr. Hoffman — I warn you from my experience where he belittled me repeatedly for raising my concerns about an abnormal looking mole which I believed was changing color and size.
After a handful of times where I brought this to his attention (with no action on his part), I took my business elsewhere and had the mole removed and tested, as it was abnormal with incredibly concerning test results.
I am thanking my lucky stars that my next doctor had the common sense enough to listen — she cleared the rather sizable affected area and resolved the major issue at hand.
Funny how client care versus client quantity is a trade-​off he’s willing to make.

I visited Dr. Hoffman at his Menlo Park office. Being a new patient I had to fill out some forms, which is always annoying but needed. I was called promptly after they had my paperwork put together. I was led into an examination room by a nurse and asked what I was there about. He took the information down and in a few minutes the doctor came in. Without examining my skin in any way he had made a diagnosis and was ready to perscribe me something. I was kind of shocked that this would happen. I tried to ask him about some specific areas of my skin that I was having problems. He briefly glanced at them and stuck with his original suggestions. He might be a good doctor but his style of «treating» patients left me questioning his ability. It felt more like a conveyor belt than a doctor’s office. My entire time with the doctor was less than 5 minutes. He probably billed the insurance company several hundred dollars. Nice work if you can get it.