Stephen L Dalton, MD PhD

I have been seeing DR. Dalton for years and he is excellent ! Great bedside manner and very knowledgeable.

Had a weird lump on my head and was concerned about it. Thought a biopsy would clear the air. A friend recommended Dr Dalton so I call and made an appointment. Everything from the office visit to the surgery date when I had the lump removed was as pleasant as this process could be. Dr. Dalton was professional and gentle. He’s the best in California and would recommend him to anyone with skin concerns.

12/​13/​2011 Edit «
I’ve been seeing Dr. Dalton for about 7 years now, and he easily qualifies for my highest rating. Shortly after I began seeing him he diagnosed a squamous cell carcinoma on my scalp. I believe most dermatologists would simply have excised it surgically, but in discussing it with me, he recommended we try Aldara cream on it first, to avoid having to cut. I was all for that, and it worked! I’ve been seeing him religiously, every 6 months since then, and he’s been extremely thorough. A year or two following that experience, he found another squamous cell carcinoma on my leg, and the Aldara worked a second time. Dr. Dalton is empathetic, a good listener, conscientious, and very skilled. If you need a dermatologist in this area, I honestly don’t think you’ll find a better one.

UUUGGGHHHH. just received a $ 95 bill for what I thought was a «free» consultation. I called his office asking to come in for a consultation because I would like to see what my options were to remove the sunspots on my face. I asked if the consultation was free and was told Yes, and then was told what insurance was accepted and what insurance was not accepted — but never clarified that if my insurance wasn’t accepted, my «free» consultation would cost me $ 95!
I called to dispute the bill, left a message, and got a note in the mail today saying, too bad so sad you still have to pay the $ 95. Annoying, frustrating, and complete BS

I found him to be very attentive, fixed my problem the 1^st time… asked for follow up and responsive to my questions… sorry about the prior patients experience. why 5-​stars… cuz he did what he needed to do got it done quickly!

I saw Dr. Dalton regularly over the course of 3 years. During that time I was a fairly satisfied patient. Although there were times I thought his chairside manner was not always to my liking, I didn’t take issue with it because it seemed like more of a quibble than a real problem with his doctoring skills.
In September, we switched health insurance due to a change in my work status. We are now Kaiser members. Kaiser’s philosophy seems to be «No one gets out without some sh*t going down.» Tetanus booster and whooping cough vaccine administered at OB/​Gyn exam? Roger that! Four way breast check imposed? (This was a first for me.) Yes, yes, yes, OH yes.
So when I went to the Kaiser dermatologist I was expecting only to get an Rx renewed. In addition to the Rx, I got to pull up my shirt and hear my tan be described as «cancer glow» and admonished for having any color at all on my prone to freckles, Welsh/​German skin.
Additionally, the doc noticed a small thing under my eye which had been there nearly a year. Dr. Dalton, who’d been seeing me quarterly, had never made a peep about it. A little lidocaine, a little blade, a little histology and it turns out it was basal cell carcinoma. So I had to go back for more slice and dice and enjoy a stint as Frankenface, and now I have one eye that’s normal but wrinkled and one that’s scarred but smooth.
Not only do I have a BIGGER scar beside my eye than I would have had if the thing had been addressed earlier, I also have a MUCH BIGGER bill than I would have had if the lesion had been taken off while I’d still had my corporate insurance. When I was employed, I would have had the money to pay the bill.
In the interest of giving useful feedback, I called Dr. Dalton’s office. I very politely told the desk lady that I’d been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma something that Dr. Dalton should have seen over the course of the last nine months. «I know these things happen. I just wanted to let Dr. Dalton know, with the idea that he might be more attentive in the future.» That was all.
Did Dr. Dalton call back to apologize or express his regret or concern? Nope. Not a word.
Dude, that’s no way to handle a patient. I thought I’d coming back to you after my Kaiser stint was over but I can say for sure, that’s not happening.

I’ve seen Dr Dalton on several occasions, for various matters. He is an outstanding dermatology diagnostician! I went to see him, for what I thought were tiny spider bites on my forehead, and he immediately diagnosed them as herpes zoster (shingles). If I wasn’t completely confident in his skills, I would have put it off (I’m one of those who is often skeptical about seeing doctors). I avoided a serious outbreak by contacting him early, and he was able to see me immediately. I cannot recommend Dr Dalton highly enough. I trust him (the basis for the 5 star rating).