The Menkes Clinic & Surgery Center

Doctor Andrew Menkes is very knowledgable and nice. I have a mole since I was born. When I did annual physical exam, the primary doctor referred me to Doctor Menkes to check the mole in case there is any potential issue. The appointment is easy and efficient with very short waiting time, less than 5 mins. Doctor Menkes checked the mole and explained to me the situation, whether it is necessary to do an operation, operation time, operation cost and pros and cons very carefully, clearly and professionally. I respect his professional experience and attitude a lot. Thanks Doctor Menkes! Will be back if I have any issue in future.

Dr. Menkes is an extremely talented, and knowledgeable dermatologist. We have been going to him for the past 20+ years and each time he offers a solution to our skin issues that works miracles. The whole staff is wonderful as well, from the front desk to his right hand woman PA — they’re great. The only thing is that at times it can take a bit of a wait to see him, but I feel that is the case with most physicians — I attribute it to him taking his time with his patients.

The WORST doctor visit ever in my life.
My 3-​year old son had an appointment with Dr. Menkes whom we had good experience with back to a few years ago, but unfortunately we met Dr. Soohoo because Dr. Menkes was out of office. I regretted that we didn’t leave immediately when she walked into the room claiming she is Dr. Menkes’s backup. She took a glance at my son’s mole from three feet away for less than three seconds before she took a picture with her iPad. Then she guaranteed us no need to worry about it, neglecting me raising the concern that the mole is actually growing fast. She got quite EMOTIONAL and PERSONAL after we told her our preference to remove the mole. I just quote unquote a Unilocal review which I agree:“Dr. Soohoo is probably the most unprofessional doctor I’ve ever been to”.
Dr. Soohoo also shamelessly billed me $ 215 for neglecting my concern and doing nothing on a less than 15 minutes visit. Can’t believe Dr. Menkes has such a backup partner to ruin his reputation. We are not the first victim according to Unilocal reviews. Do you guys ever take care of negative reviews and improve?!

Although I like Dr Menkes very much, the promotions they offer such as $ 100 gift card to be mailed after you spend $ 400 are fake. No gift card comes and they give you and endless run around if you make inquiries about it. So 5 stars for the doctor — less than zero for the cosmetic promotions.

I came here for a tattoo removal consultation and arrived about 20 minutes early to my appointment. The lady who assisted me was prompt and took me right in! She did her best in explaining to me the services they offered and was patient with me, especially since I had come in with an arsenal of questions. I was basically interrogating them :)
I came here specifically because I was interested in getting a tattoo removed, but there weren’t many options in the Bay Area. At least not viable options. I figured I’d pay a specialist/​surgeon a visit and maybe visit one of those mainstream businesses such as Laser Away to compare and contrast the differences, if any.
I can tell you that I went to both facilities and Dr. Menkes is definitely the more practiced and legitimate SME (Subject matter expert). He came into the room and and answered all of my questions and was knowledgeable about their new PicoWay laser and the different types of lasers used in tattoo removal. He told me this was the latest invention in laser treatments for tattoo removals because of the shorter wavelengths which is more effective at penetrating the skin and breaking up the ink particles. I saw before and after photos, which were persuading and gave me hope that my tattoo too, could disappear.
When I had visited Laser Away, the staff member couldn’t answer my questions in a scientific way that Dr. Menkes did. I don’t know if I would have trusted my skin in their hands because they couldn’t answer the most basic question such as what type of laser do you use?
Overall, I would definitely recommend The Menkes Clinic if you wish to get a consultation for whatever service! I haven’t had any cosmetic consultations yet, but judging from the advice that was given to me, I’d come here in a heartbeat. I can’t review yet on quality of service but their customer service was outstanding in itself. They’re also very up to date on technology as they require you to fill out an online profile instead of old fashioned paper and pen registration.
I didn’t end up signing up for tattoo removal services here, at least not yet. I’d like to conduct further research to ensure I receive the best possible service and outcome for my money. The quote I was given was well over my budget, but it’s not a total surprise as the machine they use costs well over $ 200K. If I don’t find an alternative surgeon, I’d definitely pay a little more to come here knowing I’d be in good hands. Overall, great consumer experience!

My family and I have gone to Dr Menkes for years. I like him and his no BS approach. I see him for acne. My mom sees him for various skin care issues, she’s gone to other doctors but has returned to Menkes now. The receptionists are friendly as well.
As other reviewers said, you WILL wait at least 45 minutes past your appointment time. I’m writing this review from his office, in fact! So bring some work to do, a long novel to read, or a phone that’s fully charged. Oh, and don’t forget your patience.

I’m refusing to review Shawna, because everyone already knows she’s amazing, and her crazy packed schedule is super indicative of that fact.
Dr. Rozelle is also a lovely lovely woman, and takes fantastic care of me and my skin.

My experience with Dr. Menkes has been hit and miss. While he correctly diagnosed a case of Eczema that others at Stanford failed to and gave me an effective dose that I guess others were afraid to give, in another case when I developed acne he prescribed Solodyn for me which not only did not do much to help but made things worse for what seemingly was acne.
When I suggested that the Solodyn is not working and what would be the plan, his only recommendation was to up the dose. This was surprising to me. In the end I stopped using solodyn and saw an allergist and another dermatologist who did encourage me to stop the antibiotic and my face cleared up. I guess some doctors for the most part have a number of things they prescribe that they find in general has good results. If you’re responding well to it, you’re lucky, but if not, a listening ear and time to think and ponder about patient’s feedback and logic would be a good thing to have on the doctor’s part.

i’ve been going to the Menkes Skin Clinic for the last nine years specifically to see Sylvia for my skin treatments. She has the best bedside manner that I’ve ever experienced — always caring, considerate, concerned and looks out for the well-​being of her patients. it’s all about the treatment and how she can make you feel better not about the money. She’ll never recommend something that she doesn’t believe will help improve your skin as that’s my personal experience with her. Sylvia is trustworthy and knows what she’s talking about when it comes to skin treatments. I HiGHLY recommend going to see Sylvia if you have any type of skin issue especially with pigmentation and fine lines. she has certainly helped me over the last nine years! The quality of my skin and the texture are phenomenal!

Dr. Menkes does wonderful work. I have been a patient for a couple of years and I can’t say enough good things about him.
The one big problem is I have always waited an hour or more after my appointment time to see him. Going to his office is a an all morning/​afternoon affair. I am not certain if this is a matter of an unorganized office or he is always over booked because the waiting room is always full of waiting patient.
I highly recommend him if you are patient enough to sit for awhile.

Its a Great place for waiting. I’ve never waited sooooo long in my life… after you wait in the waiting room, they then offer you the pleasure of waiting in one of the back office rooms.
Staff here is also great… because the waiting (about an hour) often causes kids … you know lets say they are 2 years old to get kinda mad and fussy… so the very understanding staff will ask that you wait outside as to not disturb the non-​existent other clients that they have… Also… they want to charge me 36.23 cents to Bill my insurance because of a change???
So in conclusion. if you like to wait and then get billed for the waiting and get billed for everything that you do in their office. then by all means… please visit the Menkes Clinic.
Get your act together Menkes Clinic… what the flying F!

I had two skin cancers removed by a self declared «plastic surgeon» (not Dr Menkes). One was cut out and the other was done by scraping. The one that was cut out left a massive hole/​scar in my back nearly 1″ diameter and the one scraped is a hard scar bump. I have had 5 skin cancers removed before and these two done by the Menkes butcher are horrendous. Stay away
Note that they also wouldnt do them on the same day as they wanted to get as much money out of my insurance company. I should have known that something was fishy at this point but they assured me the doc was «the best» and a plastic surgeon.

I rarely do Unilocal reviews, but I am really happy to see MARY ROZELLE (Physician Assistant!) I came in to see her for drainage of multiple cysts. I was in much pain, and was very nervous because I hate needles! Ciera had to numb the area and it was painLESS! Both her and Mary made me feel so comfortable. Mary was friendly, thorough and knowledgeable. I would see her again without hesitation.

This was my first experience at a dermatologist and I was quite pleased. I called, was instantly scheduled, and came in about a week later. The wait was about 15 minutes, which isn’t too bad compared to your average medical office. There’s plenty of reading material.
I had one significantly visible milium on my face for several years that I decided to get rid of. Since milia can easily scar or get infected if removed unprofessionally, I decided to get it removed here.
I worked with Dr. Emer, who has since moved on to a practice in Beverly Hills. He was highly professional and explained the removal procedure as well as costs to me. In addition to the milia I pointed out, he noticed a few more and agreed to get rid of them for no extra charge. The procedure was painful, but worked perfectly and left no scarring within a week.
Also, a big thanks to Julie, the Clinical Manager. She aided Dr. Emer in the procedure and kept me distracted from the pain. A pleasure to talk to and very sweet.
A fairly simple procedure but an entirely new experience for me that was handled well by the whole Menkes Clinic team.

Dr. Emer is the guy to see. I have struggled with acne scars on my cheeks sense forever. Hearing from a friend how amazing this clinic was i decided to have a Consult. I was booked with a nurse to find out all the information i could about the Fraxel 1550 treatment, which helps acne scars along with other skin issues. It sounded amazing and could not wait to get it started!
I took a couple days off work to have my treatment done, just in case i needed a little extra downtime for peeling and such. The day before my treatment i got a call from one of the front desk girls that my appt. would have to be moved due to the nurse being sick. I was so upset, and asked if they’re were any other options. To my luck Doctor Emer had an available spot and was willing to see me.
I could not be any happier, 3 treatments in and I cant thank him enough. I think being moved to his books was meant to be. My scars aren’t gone but there is great progress! He cares about his patients, and wants to see results as bad as them. If you have any doubts about cosmetic procedures he is a guy to trust. I cant wait to see even more results!

Dr. Menkes is awesome! He has helped me clear my face, back and chest of adult acne within 60 days. The facials in the awesome are amazing! Worth every penny. Dr Menkes sympathized with my situation but was very factual and realistic with outcomes. Overall — the clinic is great. The front staff members are really nice. The doctors are very smart and spend the time to understand issues.
The only issue i have is with the professionalism of the office. The last two times I’ve been, there has been one particular nurse who is very rude to the front staff. The last time i visited the office she was complaining to the front area very loudly about double booking. I thought that might have been something to discuss during a staff meeting rather than in front of patients.

I have never in my life had such an unprofessional experience. I arrived a few minutes early to my appointment. Now when I go to a doctors appointment I expect to wait for a certain amount of time. I would say up to 20 minutes is normal and acceptable. However when i arrived at the Menkes Clinic the receptionist checked me in and told me that Dr. Menkes would be with me shortly. I sat down and began waiting. 45 minutes after my scheduled appointment time I was finally taken back to the exam room. I waited in the exam room for another 20 minutes during which time no one came by to tell me when I would be seen. After waiting for over an hour Dr. Menkes came in and spent a total of 3 minutes speaking to me then sent me on my way. I waited for over an hour to be seen for 3 minutes, with no apology or explanation from Dr. Menkes or any of his staff. On my way out I stopped by the receptionists desk to ask her, she informed me that Dr. Menkes is always late and that if I wanted to be seen on time I needed to make an appointment for first thing in the morning. The fact that a patient being seen over an hour after their appointment time is «normal» to the Menkes Clinic staff i appalling and is by far the most unprofessional attitude I have ever seen. I will NEVER again use the Menkes Clinic for any reason. I would get better care at a free clinic which is the only place I would ever expect to wait for such an amount of time to be seen.
I would never refer anyone to Dr. Menkes ever.

I’ve seen Dr. SooHoo since I was a child, she’s my trusted dermatologist in California for any and all skin concerns.
* Office:
As for the office, it’s new, clean, and bright. Their office also offers cosmetic services like facials and laser hair removal, but since my esthetician there retired, I’ve been going to SkinSpirit in Palo Alto for laser and facials.
* Insurance:
Dr. SooHoo accepts a range of insurances.
My whole family goes to her, even my niece and nephew have started going. She’s precise, knowledgeable and friendly.

IM a 62 year old woman after receiving sculpture injections in my face, i look like a 45 year old woman. I like it so much I’m going to have dr. Menkes inject some restalyn around my eyes. He was gentle and compassionate with me, knowing how much I hate shots. He has done cool sculpting on me in my stomach area and now I don’t have that middle age spread! I am very happy with him and the people that assist him. I highly recommend him. Several of my friends have now gone to him because of my recommendation and they are happy with his work. Don’t wait or hesitate to be happy !

Dr. Menkes and the Menkes Clinic is primarily a cosmetic dermatology practice so don’t go here if you have medical dermatology needs. I saw Dr. Menkes for 2 years for psoriasis, and he never remembered my past treatments or symptoms or showed much empathy. He doesn’t take the time to talk to you or understand your specific issues, and he has too many patients that he’s always in a rush.
When a medication stopped working for me, he would try to put me back on a previous medication that I had a bad reaction to. And when I reminded him of my side effects, he would say he’d never heard of such reactions and act as if I was in the wrong for having side effects. He is very much a one size fits all type of doctor, and doesn’t take time to individualize his patients’ treatment.
I really gave up on Dr. Menkes from when I was overseas and had a huge flare-​up and called the office from overseas to speak to him. The nurses put him on the line with me, but he immediately transferred me right back to the nurses instead of speaking to me himself, even though he knew I was overseas and panicking. He is the worst doctor I’ve ever had. He didn’t care about me, never tried to make me feel better or calm my fears. He is brusque and unsympathetic, and he’s only good at giving injections and being a shill for the drug companies. He would often try to prescribe expensive brand names for very common drugs instead of generic because he said he didn’t trust generics, even though every doctor I’ve seen before and after him never even use the brand names when talking about those same drugs.
Menkes Clinic is purely a money-​making business, not a medical practice.